Naami, the grandmother of King David

By Habib Jajou

The Chaldean Catholic Apostolic Visitor for Euorpe

London 2025

YESTERDAY

By studying the words of the Holy Bible, we come to discover the truth. I was drawn to the often‑forgotten Book of Ruth, recalling the saying: “How similar tonight is to last night.”

Naomi’s character in this story is truly compelling. We remember that Jacob’s wife Rachel died and was buried on the road to Bethlehem. Naomi herself was from Bethlehem — the very heart of Jewish culture, whose name means “house of bread.” Yet, when famine struck, Naomi fled to Moab. There she lost her husband, Elimelech, and became a widow with two sons. Her sons grew up and married Moabite women.

Naomi longed to enjoy life with her sons, but tragedy struck again: both sons died. Left with their widows, Naomi felt the heavy burden of responsibility — a role considered shameful in her culture at the time. In her grief, she asked to be called Mara (“bitter”), saying that God had dealt harshly with her.

Eventually, Naomi returned to Bethlehem, empty‑handed and sorrowful. She hoped to find comfort among her old neighbors, but sadly, they no longer remembered her.

In spite of all her suffering, Naomi never abandoned her faith in the God of her fathers — Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Her trust remained steadfast even in the face of loss. In the end, her story turned toward hope: she was blessed with the chance to care for a child, who became the grandfather of King David. Through David’s lineage came Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of God’s promise.

TODAY

Whenever I think of the immigrants of our country, I recall the saying: “How similar tonight is to last night.” Though our land is rich in resources, many families are forced to uproot themselves and journey to foreign countries, unable to provide even a morsel of bread for their children — just as Naomi once did.

In exile among non‑believers, these immigrants often receive devastating news of loved ones lost — whether to age, violence, or disease. Each loss deepens their sorrow, and whenever we speak with them, they share their bitterness at leaving their homeland under such hardship. Their grief mirrors Naomi’s when she departed Bethlehem.

Migrated Chaldeans (more than one million) have long hoped to return home, just as Naomi longed to return. Yet, when they do, they often find friends gone, families scattered, or memories faded — echoing Naomi’s return to Jerusalem, where she found herself forgotten.

Our Lord said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (John 12:24). Naomi’s suffering bore fruit beyond her imagination: she became the grandmother of King David, from whose line came Jesus Christ.

Naomi’s story contrasts with Rachel, who died and was buried on the road to Bethlehem, as told in Genesis. And now the question remains: whom will we resemble? Whose legacy will we carry forward — Naomi’s, Rachel’s, or something greater, as we have always hoped?