Orpah

Biblical Account

Orpah's name appears twice in the first chapter of the Book of Ruth (Ruth 1:4, 1:14). During the period of the judges, Elimelech, a man of Bethlehem, fled a famine and moved to the country of Moab with his wife Naomi and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. After Elimelech died, the two sons married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, and about ten years later both sons also died (Ruth 1:1-5). Because Ruth is called "the wife of Mahlon" in Ruth 4:10, Orpah is generally understood to have been the wife of Chilion.

When Naomi set out to return to her homeland, her two daughters-in-law at first went with her. Naomi urged each of them to return to her mother's house and blessed them, saying, "the LORD deal kindly with you" (Ruth 1:8-9). The two women wept and said they would go with her. When Naomi pressed them again, "Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her" (Ruth 1:14). Naomi then said that Orpah had "gone back unto her people, and unto her gods" (Ruth 1:15). The biblical record concerning Orpah ends here.

Significance Within Scripture

In the Book of Ruth, Orpah serves as a foil to Ruth. Although the two women were in the same situation, Orpah returned to her homeland, while Ruth chose Naomi's people and God as her own (Ruth 1:16-17). Orpah's choice makes Ruth's resolve stand out all the more clearly. The New Testament does not mention Orpah. Ruth is named in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:5, but Orpah is not.

Interpretation and Debate

Interpreters differ in their assessment of Orpah.

• Many sermons and commentaries regard Orpah as an example of someone who turned away from the path of faith at a decisive moment—one who chose the easier way. The statement in Ruth 1:15 that she went back "unto her gods" is cited in support of this view.
• Other interpreters note that the text does not rebuke Orpah. She complied with her mother-in-law's repeated urging and took her leave respectfully with a kiss, and Naomi blessed both daughters-in-law alike. In this reading, Orpah's choice is a realistic and natural decision, which underscores how extraordinary Ruth's devotion was.

There are also traditions outside the biblical text. Some strands of Jewish rabbinic literature (including the Talmud) reportedly connect the name Orpah with the Hebrew word for "the back of the neck" (that is, turning one's back) and identify Orpah as an ancestor of Goliath. These are later interpretations with no basis in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Orpah is usually discussed in sermons on Ruth 1. Such sermons commonly contrast the two women—under titles such as "Orpah and Ruth" or "The One Who Turned Back and the One Who Followed"—to emphasize the decision of faith. In Sunday school lessons on the story of Ruth, Orpah is likewise presented as a figure who highlights Ruth's choice. Some sermons, however, do not view Orpah in a purely negative light, describing her instead as an ordinary person who made a different choice in the same circumstances.