Atlas Biblica

    person · also Mara

    Naomi

    נׇעֳמִי

    Naomi, also known as Mara, was an Israelite woman who, after losing her husband and sons, returned from Moab to Bethlehem with her daughter-in-law Ruth.

    verses
    20
    first named
    Ruth 1:2
    last named
    Ruth 4:17
    period
    before Israel's Monarchy
    role
    Woman

    Description

    Who was Naomi?

    In the words of STEPBible TIPNR:

    Naomi, later known as Mara, was an Israelite woman from Bethlehem who played a significant role in the Book of Ruth. She was the wife of Elimelech and the mother of Mahlon and Chilion.

    During a time of famine, Naomi and her family moved to the land of Moab. While there, her sons married Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. Tragically, Elimelech and both of Naomi's sons died, leaving her widowed and childless (Rut.1.1-5).

    Hearing that the famine in Israel had ended, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem. She encouraged her daughters-in-law to remain in Moab, but Ruth insisted on accompanying her (Rut.1.6-18). Upon their arrival in Bethlehem, Naomi expressed her bitterness, saying, "Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me" (Rut.1.20). The name "Mara" means "bitter" in Hebrew.

    Naomi played a crucial role in guiding Ruth and helping her find security and provision. She instructed Ruth to glean in the fields of Boaz, a relative of Elimelech (Rut.2.1-3). Later, Naomi encouraged Ruth to seek marriage with Boaz as a kinsman-redeemer, following Israelite custom (Rut.3.1-4).

    Through Boaz and Ruth's marriage, Naomi's lineage was preserved. When their son Obed was born, the women of Bethlehem declared to Naomi, "Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer" (Rut.4.14). Obed became the grandfather of King David, making Naomi an ancestor of both David and, ultimately, Jesus Christ.

    Naomi's story is one of loss, faithfulness, and redemption. Her journey from bitterness to joy, through the love and loyalty of Ruth and the providence of God, has made her an enduring example of faith and resilience.

    Relations

    Direct connections

    Every entity the graph places in a stated relation with this one, grouped by the kind of link. Each relation is authored once and its inverse derived, so both ends always agree. Rows marked “registry” come from the identity spine rather than from a verse, and a row marked “which bearer is the source’s decision” is one where the name could have meant more than one person. The last group is not a relation at all — it counts the events two entities stand in together.

    How the graph connects Naomi10 of 19 entities the graph connects to Naomi, in 3 groups: kinship 1, company 2, events 7. Kinship, company and ground are stated relations; events counts the acts two entities stand in together and is not a relation. Each mark is sized by how many verses name that entity and labelled with the link and the count, so the grouping and the size are both readable without colour. Distance from the centre carries nothing.ElimelechSpouse of · 1 event · 6 versesKinshipBoazAssociated with · 1 event · 23 versesRuthAssociated with · 16 events · 13 versesCompanyJudah1 event · 1,023 versesLORD2 events · 1,004 versesMoab2 events · 160 versesWeeping1 event · 56 versesBethlehem3 events · 53 versesTravel1 event · 35 versesResting Place1 event · 13 versesEventsNaomi

    The 10 best-attested of 19 are drawn. All 19 are listed below.

    Associated with

    Mother of

    Spouse of

    Took part in

    Stands in the same events as

    and 1 more, ordered by how many events they share.

    Places

    Where this happens

    The places the claims about this person reach, drawn where the gazetteer locates them. A point is where a row puts them and never where tradition does; no line joins two points, because the rows state where and not in what order.

    Where the story of Naomi happensAll 2 places the claims about Naomi reach, on a map of the world the text moves through, framed to them: Bethlehem, Moab. Each dot is a coordinate from the gazetteer, sized by how many rows put Naomi there. The coastline is a modern one, simplified; no border, road or settlement of any period is drawn, and no line joins two points, because the rows state where and not in what order.BethlehemMoab
    before Israel's MonarchyAll 2 places the claims about Naomi reach

    Read it

    Where to read it

    Every verse of the text carried here that names this entity — 20, across 1 book. The name is written 22 times in them.

    1. Ruth20 verses

      1:21:31:81:111:191:201:211:222:12:22:62:202:223:14:34:54:94:144:164:17

    Onward

    Where this page goes

    Not the direct relations above — these are one hop further out, ranked so that a rare shared connection outweighs a common one. Descriptions by STEPBible TIPNR.

    via Chilion and MahlonMan’s residenceMan’s residence is an event attested across 3 verses, connecting 4 pageable entities.via Boaz and RuthBoaz’s order of Stalk and RuthBoaz’s order of Stalk and Ruth is an event attested across 3 verses, connecting 2 pageable entities.via Boaz and RuthObedSon of Boaz and Ruthvia Naomi’s departureDepartureDeparture is a concept gathering 114 labelled instances in the text.via Kinsman Redeemer and Boaz’s buying back of Elimelech LandElimelech LandElimelech Land is a place attested across 5 verses, connecting 4 pageable entities.via Naomi and Ruth’s enteringBethlehemCity of David's birth and Jesus' birth.via Naomi and Ruth’s enteringEnteringEntering is a concept gathering 128 labelled instances in the text.via Daughters In Law, LORD, and Naomi’s return of NaomiLORDNames or title used to refer to Godvia Daughters In Law, LORD, and Naomi’s return of NaomiReturnReturn is a concept gathering 228 labelled instances in the text.

    Where they appear

    Chapter by chapter

    Atlas's reading of each chapter this person appears in, in canonical order. One line per chapter, and each leads to the whole of it.

    Sources

    What this rests on