Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Naomi told her friend not to call her Naomi (which means pleasant) any longer, but rather to call her Mara (which means bitter). But it is not the essence of what our life in Christ is about. This is the origin of the Moabites and the Ammonites. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023, Ruth: A Story of Redemption -- A Study of the Book of Ruth. It led to a hopeless fatalism: It doesnt really matter what I say or do; God is against me, and there is nothing I can do about it.. When we met, I had no idea who he was, but he introduced himself something like this, Hi, Bob, Im Nate Mirza. Such early setting out of the players is quite unusual in Biblical writing. It must have been on Naomis watch that these two sons married their Moabite wives Orpah and Ruth. Elimelech was Naomi's husband. Ruths words are her covenant with Naomi, with Israel, and with God, patterned after Gods covenant with Abraham and his descendants: Only death will be able to separate me from you! (Ruth 1:16-17). The best thing for Orpah and Ruth to do was to return to their people and their gods, Naomi concluded. Some years ago I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely Christian in a hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia. As you will recall, Mrs. What a mighty, magnificent, merciful, awesome God we serve! They would be a reminder that Naomis sons their husbands had not married Israelite wives. 15 So Naomi said, Look, your sister-in-law is returning to her people and to her god. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. ). She was not a Jew, and she had not been raised by parents who taught her the law. Dagn ), the Syrian and Canaanite god of seed, vegetation, and crops. Naomi not only disregards the Abrahamic Covenant, she also urges Ruth (and Orpah) to do likewise. Only death will be able to separate me from you!. The second clue that this name is meant to be interpreted is how the verse presents it. Holy MatrimonyMarriage 1Marriage 2The Tenaim TranslatedThe Kesubah TranslatedMarriage and the Royal FamilyMarital Partners Compatibility of MissionsEverlasting Happiness10 Mistakes Couples Make, AbarbanelShem MeShmuelShabbos: Taam ChaimMikraHaarosGrowing with the ParshaGal Einai Jerusalem ViewsSfas EmesWeekly HalachaOsher HaChaim. WebChoices bring consequences, and Elimelech's wrong choices brought death. God loves to show mercy and compassion. 11 In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. Moabs hostility and opposition to Israel continued on into the period of the Judges. She does not acknowledge sin on her part (and Elimelechs), and she does not seek to repent. Text Copyright Word had reached Naomi in Moab that God had visited His people by ending the famine and providing abundant crops back in Israel. Born. %PDF-1.5 Naomis first attempt is described in verses 8-10. Naomi and her two daughters-in-law had already set out for Israel11 when Naomi began to have second thoughts not about her return, but about having two Moabite daughters-in-law in tow when she arrived at her home town of Bethlehem. , ), Phoenician port, N. of Tyre in Lebanon. We certainly are reminded of the sovereignty of God by our text, but unfortunately most of the emphasis on Gods sovereignty in chapter 1 comes from Naomi, and she is not seeing things as she should. And the woman was left of her two children and of her husband. name of Lot's elder daughter's son and the people and land are The oldest daughter went first, bearing a son whom she named Moab. https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/elimelech, "Elimelech WebPrevious commentary: Next commentary: About this commentary: are made available by the generosity of . Both women initially refused to heed Naomis exhortation to leave her and return to Moab. named after him.) Elimelech died, whereupon Mahlon and Chilion both married local women. Ruths spiritual journey is similar to that of Abraham. And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. So the woman was left all alone bereaved of her two children as well as her husband! Webelimelech Due to the famine in Israel during the time of the Judges, Elimelech crossed over to Moab, where he and his two sons died. WebWhen a severe famine struck Israel, Elimelech took his wife Naomi and their two sons across the Jordan and south to the land of Moab, in the hope of finding a living there. What was Moses like? 2 Kings 4:1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. EphrathitesThe ancient name of Beth-lehem was Ephrath (Ge 35:19; 48:7), which was continued after the occupation of the land by the Hebrews, even down to the time of the prophet Micah (Mic 5:2). In an effort to escape the famine, a man named Elimelech took his family to Moab, where he intended for his family to sojourn until the famine ended.10 How could he have imagined how long his family would stay? It is not for us to say how far those are right who see in the death of Elimelech and his sons Gods punishment for the disregard of His Fearing they would be overrun by the Israelites, Balak (king of Moab)4 hired Balaam to curse Israel. Do clownfish have a skeleton or exoskeleton. The text does not really tell us but the Sages do, and so, we will engage in reverse engineering, trying to grasp their view of this complex personality and then to appreciate the antecedents of their interpretation. No wonder they didnt have a great reputation. The Sages, however, read it with a slight difference in pronunciation as Elai Melech For he said: Kingship is due to me (Ruth Rabba 2,5). Put another way, the title of this book is Ruth, not Orpah. Douay-Rheims Bible And Elimelech the husband of Noemi died: and she remained with her sons. Ezekiel (10, 3) castigates the leaders of Israel as being foxes in the ruins. It seems that they are pointing out a certain disconnect between the name and the behavior. They insisted on going on to Israel with Naomi. Judah (through whom the messianic line would be traced) kept his third son from a Levirate marriage with the first sons widow, and then had sex with a woman he thought was a cult prostitute.31 God not only preserved the messianic line, He was faithful to fulfill His (Abrahamic) covenant32 with Abraham. This is exactly what Boaz commended Ruth for doing: 10 Ruth knelt before him with her forehead to the ground and said to him, Why are you so kind and so attentive to me, even though I am a foreigner? 11 Boaz replied to her, I have been given a full report of all that you have done for your mother-in-law following the death of your husband how you left your father and your mother, as well as your homeland, and came to live among people you did not know previously. (One was named Orpah and the other Ruth.) The usual pattern is the reverse; first, we are told a mans name and familial antecedents and only then are his actions described. Conversely, one who is not a Jew and isnt instructed by the Law may have the law written on his (her) heart, and thus do the things the law requires. The woman was left of her two sons and her husband , The Lord had visited his people in giving them bread . When a famine came to the area around Bethlehem, Elimelech and Naomi moved to Moab (Moab was the name of Lot's elder Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. Naomi, so to speak, put all of her eggs into one basket marriage and bearing children. And she was honored to be a part of the messianic line.34. 1 Copyright 2010 by Robert L. Deffinbaugh. <> Ruth 2:1 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband's side, a prominent man of noble character from the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. Elimelech died in Moab. , ' eylam; Elamite halhatamti; Akk. 14 For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things required by the law, these who do not have the law are a law to themselves. Now it's ironic that he left Bethlehem because he was afraid he couldn't survive there, yet he went over into Moab and died anyway. (6) Most (if not all) of Naomis actions, attitudes, and advice were misguided and downright wrong. 21 I left here full, but the Lord has caused me to return empty-handed. A godly Israelite would not only trust in the one true God, Yahweh, they would also know that there are no other gods. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. We will return with you to your people., 11 But Naomi replied, Go back home, my daughters! 2013Mrz 20185 Jahre. Many are the times when friends counsel others to act in their own best interests, and all too seldom do they point their friends to the difficult principles and commands of Scripture. Obviously, Naomi had changed. ), matriarch of Israel, wife of *Jacob and the mother of *Joseph and Benjamin. She persuaded her younger sister to help her get him drunk, and then for both of them to sleep with him to produce offspring for him. There were no men nearby to marry, she reasoned, so there was no conventional way25 for them to bear children and thus to preserve their fathers line. Ruth was determined to serve and care for her mother-in-law; Orpah chose to look out for herself. How unsearchable are his judgments and how fathomless his ways! 36 In this way both of Lots daughters became pregnant by their father. Would man who truly believes that His God is King abandon his people at the time of famine? That strongly suggests that she was still a Moabite at heart, still an idolater at heart. 20 It could well be that Orpah had much to say, but the author did not wish to focus on her as she is not the heroine of this story. We should learn from Naomi that if barrenness is ones earthly fate, our heavenly fate is vastly different. - As part of a small team, I organized a five-day congress (90 participants, budget 17,000), the largest yearly event of the association. 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. Encyclopedia.com. They would be (or so it may have seemed to Naomi) a liability to her when she returned. Then she firmly stated her commitment to Naomi, to Israel, and to Israels God as a covenant. Ruth and Orpah did not bear Jewish children, too. See also: More about the Book of Ruth. Posted on September 7, 2005 By Rabbi Dr. Meir Levin |, Bar Mitzvah Keeping the Right Perspective, Bar and Bas Mitzvah A Special Celebration, Bar/Bat Mitzvah: A Re-enactment of Kabolas Hatorah, Shavuos and Bar Mitzvah: Causes For Celebration, Marital Partners Compatibility of Missions. She was full when she had a husband and two sons; now she was empty, for all she had was Ruth. Bearing children was to be done Gods way. When the story opens, Naomis sons have just died. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). How could Naomi encourage Ruth (and, by inference, Orpah) to return to their god(s), when doing so would condemn them eternally? Finally, the description of Elimelech departure is frugal and bereft of detail. Their ultimate blessing would have been to leave their land, their people, their false religion, and to identify with the Israelites and with their God. She views God as harsh and uncaring, doling out affliction and trouble in a way that is completely unrelated to her attitudes and actions. She seems to have little or no conviction regarding her sins, the sins of her husband, or of the sins of the nation. The suffering of His people, whether for sins they have committed or for living righteously, is but the prelude to His glorious salvation. Once again I would suggest that Naomis strong urging for Ruth and Orpah to return was as much for her interests as for her daughters-in-law. The final chapters of the Book of Judges are certainly the worst of times, and yet the Book of Ruth describes the best of times. This suggests to me that godly character is not only evident in the good times, but even more dramatically in the bad times. 1When Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to commit sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab. . 3 Then Elimelech, Naomis husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. We know of Abimelech, son of the leader Gideon and Abimelech, the King of Gerar. Beware of well-meaning advice that is not rooted in Scripture and that is supportive of what you would really like to do, rather than what God commands us to do. All this is described in the Bible book of Ruth. But when Ruth refused to return to her people and accompanied her to Bethlehem, Boaz entered the picture, a close relative, a possible redeemer. It was my friend Dave Austin who reminded me of the danger of pragmatism from this text. In Esther, the people of God were supposed to return to the Promised Land, but they chose instead to dwell in the apparent peace and safety of Persia. % She would go where Naomi went and live where she lived. Submit your piece for review, and if approved we will publish it on our site as Community Contributions., Change Your Subscription May your acts of kindness be repaid fully by the LORD God of Israel, from whom you have sought protection! (Ruth 2:10-12, emphasis mine). But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. Now that Orpah has decided to turn back, Naomi appears to have more leverage. Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. No details, however, are given, as, on the one hand, no blame is attached to the conduct This she must do by faith. Because he abandoned his people during a famine. 38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi. When Naomi returns to Bethlehem, she finds most of the residents of the city still living there, and judging by what we are told about Boaz, they appear to have done fairly well. (7) Naomi does appear to have one thing right humanly speaking, Naomis chances of perpetuating her husbands line are between slim and none. In moving to Moab, Naomi left the Lord to some extent and for some years. ." 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