Naomi now makes plans to return to her family’s inheritance in the land of promise. There appear to be two main reasons for her return. First, as we have already seen, Naomi is under no one’s protection in the land of Moab. She has no kinsmen in Moab, and as a widow she could easily be taken advantage of. As an aside, this circumstance parallels Ruth’s later situation when she first arrives in Israel. Ruth is a sojourner working in the fields, and she is a widow with