Bible Person

Orpah

Meaning: the neck or skull · Female · 2 cross references

Orpah is the Moabite widow of Chilion who begins the journey with Naomi but returns to her own people when urged to do so. She stands beside Ruth in the opening crisis of the book that bears Ruth's name. First appears in Ruth 1:4.1

AI summary: Orpah matters because her cross references sharpen the contrast that defines Ruth's later path. Her decision to return is not villainous but understandable, which makes Ruth's costly commitment all the more striking. Taken together, the material presents Orpah as the realistic, sorrowful alternative in the book's opening scene of loyalty, loss, and divergent futures.1

Central Figure

Orpah

Meaning: the neck or skull

Forelock or fawn, a Moabitess, the wife of Chilion (Ruth 1:4; 4:10).