Orpah
“Possibly 'neck' or 'stubbornness'”
Summary
Orpah was a Moabite woman who, unlike her sister-in-law Ruth, chose to return to her people and gods rather than accompany Naomi to Bethlehem.
☩Her Story
Orpah was a Moabite woman who married Chilion, one of the sons of Elimelech and Naomi of Bethlehem, who had migrated to Moab during a famine. After her husband died, Orpah joined Naomi and Ruth in beginning the journey back to Judah. When Naomi urged her daughters-in-law to return to their mothers' houses to find new husbands among their own people, Orpah, after initial resistance and tears, kissed her mother-in-law and went back to Moab. Scripture says she returned "to her people and to her gods," in stark contrast to Ruth's famous declaration of loyalty to Naomi and Naomi's God.
☩Significance
Orpah's choice serves as a foil to Ruth's remarkable faith and commitment. Both women faced the same decision, and Naomi had released both from any obligation. Orpah's choice was understandable by human standards—she followed sound advice to seek security among her own people. Yet Ruth chose differently, demonstrating the kind of covenant loyalty that Scripture celebrates. Orpah disappears from the narrative while Ruth becomes an ancestor of David and, ultimately, of Jesus Christ.