Bible Character Explorer
Period of the Judges • c. 12th-11th century BC
Naomi
From Bitterness to BlessingThe widow whose loss turned to joy through the loyal love of her daughter-in-law Ruth
"And Naomi said, ...call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me."
Ruth 1:20 (KJV)
Overview
Naomi left Bethlehem with her husband Elimelech and two sons during a famine, and in Moab lost her husband and both sons, returning home widowed, childless, and destitute. Her daughter-in-law Ruth's loyal devotion, and God's providence through the kinsman-redeemer Boaz, transformed Naomi's bitterness into a blessing, as she became the caregiver of Ruth and Boaz's son Obed, grandfather of David and ancestor of Christ.
Gospel Connection
Naomi's story of emptiness turned to fullness through a kinsman-redeemer prefigures the far greater redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ, our ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer, who took on flesh to redeem those who could not redeem themselves. Her grandson Obed's place in the Davidic line, traced in Matthew 1 directly to Christ, shows that Naomi's personal story of grief and restoration was woven by God's providence into the very lineage through which salvation would come to the world.
Discover More
See how this life points to Christ in the Gospel Connection section above.