Bethelehem

Wildflowers in biblical Moab. When she came back to Bethlehem, Naomi used some Hebrew wordplay. She said that “the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.” (1:20)  The Hebrew word she used for Almighty, שַׁדַּי is very close to the word used in verse 1:1 for “the country,” שְׂדֵי. In this way, the reader understands the true origin of Naomi’s bitter dealings: the country of Moab.
Photo by John Buckner

Moab

 “Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in...