Who was Naomi?

Answer 1

Naomi is in the book of Ruth in the Old Testament. Naomi's husband and 2 sons died suddenly and she was left with nothing. In that time and culture she was basically doomed. But her daughter in law who had just lost her husband decided to stay with Naomi and look after her, even though she could have gone off and got remarried. If you didn't have a family and an inheritance in some land, you had nothing, so to remarry would have been the sensible choice. But she wanted to stick by Naomi which was remarkably selfless and kind.

In this time the culture was that if a man died and had no children to pass his land to, the land would be lost and given to whoever. The wife would get nothing. So the nearest relative of the man who died was expected to marry her and give her a child so that she would not be left with nothing and that child would hold on to that land. The person who performed this act was called a kinsman-redeemer.

Ruth found a kinsman-redeemer called Boaz who married her and saved her and Naomi by giving Ruth a son. The great-grandson of Ruth and Boaz was David, who become Israel's greatest king.

Answer 2

Naomi (also pronounced No'omi) was the wife of Elimelech in the Book of Ruth. She lived in the time of the Judges. During a famine, Naomi's husband Elimelech took her and their two sons into the land of Moav. The men died there; and Naomi returned to the land of Israel with her daughter-in-law, Ruth HaMoaviah (the Moabitess). Eventually, Ruth became the ancestress of King David.

Answer 3

Ruth's mother-in-law from her first marriage.