Story of Ruth and Naomi by Alice Joyce Davidson

Generally, marriages between Israelites and foreigners, including Moabites, were discouraged. However, she encouraged them to “go back, each of you, to your mother’s home,” for she knew that they would have a better chance of remarrying in their own land ( Ruth 1:8-9).

As a widow with no living children, she was destined to live in poverty. Their marriages were short ( Ruth 1:3-5), however, because both sons, Mahlon and Kilion, also died.Īt this time Naomi learned that the famine in Bethlehem was over, and she decided to return to her native land.

The two sons chose Moabite wives, Orpah and Ruth. They worshipped idols, not the Lord.ĭuring the family’s ten-year stay in Moab, Elimelech died. The Moabites had never forgiven the Israelite tribes for coming through their area during Israel’s pilgrimage to Canaan ( Numbers 22:1-8). The move was probably difficult because of the bitter strife between the Israelites and Moabites. “Elimelech means “my God is king” and “Naomi” means “pleasant.” Perhaps their two boys were small and weak when they were babies, for they named one “Sickly” (Mahlon), and the other “Weakly” (Kilion). To escape the famine, Elimelech moved his wife, Naomi, and two sons, Mahlon (MAH-lun) and Kilion (KIL-ih-un), to the country of Moab, east of the Dead Sea. The time of the Judges covered a period of three hundred years. A famine occurred in the land of Bethlehem “in the days when the judges ruled” ( Ruth 1:1, NIV). Refer to information on the time of the judges.

Story of Ruth and Naomi by Alice Joyce Davidson