("delight")
Wife of Elimelech and the mother of Mahlon and Chilion. To escape a famine they went from their native Bethlehem to Moab. After the death of Elimelech, the sons married the Moabite women Orpah and Ruth. When the two sons died, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem. While Naomi was able to persuade Orpah to return to her Moabite family, Ruth insisted on accompanying Naomi to Bethlehem. There Naomi, due to the bitterness of her lot, insisted that she be called Marah, "bitter" (Ruth 1:1-20). Naomi later encouraged Ruth in the pursuit of her kinsman Boaz until he married her and redeemed the property of Elimelech (Ruth 4:9-10). When a son named Obed was born to ruth and Boaz, "Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him � the neighbor women � (said) 'There is a son born to Naomi' ". (Ruth 4:16-17). On the basis of both these sentences many scholars have concluded that Naomi adopted Obed. Others, however, understand Ruth 4:16 to mean only that Naomi hugged the baby and helped Ruth take care of him.
Concordance
Ruth 1:2-3, 8,11, 19-22; 2:1-2, 6, 20, 22; 3:1; 4:3, 5, 9,14, 16-17
