Shadowcosmiccrystal
The neighbors of Naomi were shocked when she returned to Bethlehem because she had left many years prior with her husband and two sons, during a time of famine. When she returned, she was alone, widowed, and childless, and she had also aged considerably. Furthermore, she returned with Ruth, a Moabite woman, who was considered a foreigner and an outsider to the Israelite community. Naomi's circumstances stood in stark contrast to the hopeful and prosperous image they likely had of her after all those years.