1 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 the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.
4 And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.
5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
6 Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.
7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.
8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.
9 The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.
11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;
13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.
14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
16 And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.
19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
21 I went out full and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
1 Now it came to pass in the days H3117 when the judges H8199 ruled, H8199 that there was a famine H7458 in the land. H776 And a certain man H376 of Bethlehemjudah H1035 H3063 went H3212 to sojourn H1481 in the country H7704 of Moab, H4124 he, and his wife, H802 and his two H8147 sons. H1121
2 And the name H8034 of the man H376 was Elimelech, H458 and the name H8034 of his wife H802 Naomi, H5281 and the name H8034 of his two H8147 sons H1121 Mahlon H4248 and Chilion, H3630 Ephrathites H673 of Bethlehemjudah. H1035 H3063 And they came H935 into the country H7704 of Moab, H4124 and continued there.
3 And Elimelech H458 Naomi's H5281 husband H376 died; H4191 and she was left, H7604 and her two H8147 sons. H1121
4 And they took H5375 them wives H802 of the women H802 of Moab; H4125 the name H8034 of the one H259 was Orpah, H6204 and the name H8034 of the other H8145 Ruth: H7327 and they dwelled H3427 there about ten H6235 years. H8141
5 And Mahlon H4248 and Chilion H3630 died H4191 also both H8147 of them; and the woman H802 was left H7604 of her two H8147 sons H3206 and her husband. H376
6 Then she arose H6965 with her daughters in law, H3618 that she might return H7725 from the country H7704 of Moab: H4124 for she had heard H8085 in the country H7704 of Moab H4124 how that the LORD H3068 had visited H6485 his people H5971 in giving H5414 them bread. H3899
7 Wherefore she went forth H3318 out of the place H4725 where she was, and her two H8147 daughters in law H3618 with her; and they went H3212 on the way H1870 to return H7725 unto the land H776 of Judah. H3063
8 And Naomi H5281 said H559 unto her two H8147 daughters in law, H3618 Go, H3212 return H7725 each H802 to her mother's H517 house: H1004 the LORD H3068 deal H6213 kindly H2617 with you, as ye have dealt H6213 with the dead, H4191 and with me.
9 The LORD H3068 grant H5414 you that ye may find H4672 rest, H4496 each H802 of you in the house H1004 of her husband. H376 Then she kissed H5401 them; and they lifted up H5375 their voice, H6963 and wept. H1058
10 And they said H559 unto her, Surely we will return H7725 with thee unto thy people. H5971
11 And Naomi H5281 said, H559 Turn again, H7725 my daughters: H1323 why will ye go H3212 with me? are there yet any more sons H1121 in my womb, H4578 that they may be your husbands? H582
12 Turn again, H7725 my daughters, H1323 go H3212 your way; for I am too old H2204 to have an husband. H376 If I should say, H559 I have H3426 hope, H8615 if I should have an husband H376 also to night, H3915 and should also bear H3205 sons; H1121
13 Would ye tarry H7663 for them H3860 till they were grown? H1431 would ye stay H5702 for them H3860 from having husbands? H376 nay, my daughters; H1323 for it grieveth H4843 me much H3966 for your sakes that the hand H3027 of the LORD H3068 is gone out H3318 against me.
14 And they lifted up H5375 their voice, H6963 and wept again: H1058 and Orpah H6204 kissed H5401 her mother in law; H2545 but Ruth H7327 clave H1692 unto her.
15 And she said, H559 Behold, thy sister in law H2994 is gone back H7725 unto her people, H5971 and unto her gods: H430 return H7725 thou after H310 thy sister in law. H2994
16 And Ruth H7327 said, H559 Intreat H6293 me not to leave H5800 thee, or to return H7725 from following after H310 thee: for whither thou goest, H3212 I will go; H3212 and where thou lodgest, H3885 I will lodge: H3885 thy people H5971 shall be my people, H5971 and thy God H430 my God: H430
17 Where thou diest, H4191 will I die, H4191 and there will I be buried: H6912 the LORD H3068 do H6213 so to me, and more H3254 also, if ought but death H4194 part H6504 thee and me.
18 When she saw H7200 that she was stedfastly minded H553 to go H3212 with her, then she left H2308 speaking H1696 unto her.
19 So they two H8147 went H3212 until they came H935 to Bethlehem. H1035 And it came to pass, when they were come H935 to Bethlehem, H1035 that all the city H5892 was moved H1949 about them, and they said, H559 Is this Naomi? H5281
20 And she said H559 unto them, Call H7121 me not Naomi, H5281 call H7121 me Mara: H4755 for the Almighty H7706 hath dealt very H3966 bitterly H4843 with me.
21 I went out H1980 full, H4392 and the LORD H3068 hath brought me home again H7725 empty: H7387 why then call H7121 ye me Naomi, H5281 seeing the LORD H3068 hath testified H6030 against me, and the Almighty H7706 hath afflicted H7489 me?
22 So Naomi H5281 returned, H7725 and Ruth H7327 the Moabitess, H4125 her daughter in law, H3618 with her, which returned H7725 out of the country H7704 of Moab: H4124 and they came H935 to Bethlehem H1035 in the beginning H8462 of barley H8184 harvest. H7105
1 And it came to pass in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
3 And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.
4 And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelt there about ten years.
5 And Mahlon and Chilion died both of them; and the woman was left of her two children and of her husband.
6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that Jehovah had visited his people in giving them bread.
7 And she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.
8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you to her mother's house: Jehovah deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.
9 Jehovah grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
10 And they said unto her, Nay, but we will return with thee unto thy people.
11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should even have a husband to-night, and should also bear sons;
13 would ye therefore tarry till they were grown? would ye therefore stay from having husbands? nay, my daughters, for it grieveth me much for your sakes, for the hand of Jehovah is gone forth against me.
14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clave unto her.
15 And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her god: return thou after thy sister-in-law.
16 And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee, for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God;
17 where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.
18 And when she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking unto her.
19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and `the women' said, Is this Naomi?
20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara; for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
21 I went out full, and Jehovah hath brought me home again empty; why call ye me Naomi, seeing Jehovah hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
1 And it cometh to pass, in the days of the judging of the judges, that there is a famine in the land, and there goeth a man from Beth-Lehem-Judah to sojourn in the fields of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
2 And the name of the man `is' Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites from Beth-Lehem-Judah; and they come into the fields of Moab, and are there.
3 And Elimelech husband of Naomi dieth, and she is left, she and her two sons;
4 and they take to them wives, Moabitesses: the name of the one `is' Orpah, and the name of the second Ruth; and they dwell there about ten years.
5 And they die also, both of them -- Mahlon and Chilion -- and the woman is left of her two children and of her husband.
6 And she riseth, she and her daughters-in-law, and turneth back from the fields of Moab, for she hath heard in the fields of Moab that God hath looked after His people, -- to give to them bread.
7 And she goeth out from the place where she hath been, and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they go in the way to turn back unto the land of Judah.
8 And Naomi saith to her two daughters-in-law, `Go, turn back, each to the house of her mother; Jehovah doth with you kindness as ye have done with the dead, and with me;
9 Jehovah doth grant to you, and find ye rest each in the house of her husband;' and she kisseth them, and they lift up their voice and weep.
10 And they say to her, `Surely with thee we go back to thy people.'
11 And Naomi saith, `Turn back, my daughters; why do ye go with me? are there yet to me sons in my bowels that they have been to you for husbands?
12 Turn back, my daughters, go, for I am too aged to be to a husband; though I had said, There is for me hope, also, I have been to-night to a husband, and also I have borne sons:
13 for them do ye wait till that they grow up? for them do ye shut yourselves up, not to be to a husband? nay, my daughters, for more bitter to me than to you, for the hand of Jehovah hath gone out against me.'
14 And they lift up their voice, and weep again, and Orpah kisseth her mother-in-law, and Ruth hath cleaved to her.
15 And she saith, `Lo, thy sister-in-law hath turned back unto her people, and unto her god, turn thou back after thy sister-in-law.'
16 And Ruth saith, `Urge me not to leave thee -- to turn back from after thee; for whither thou goest I go, and where thou lodgest I lodge; thy people `is' my people, and thy God my God.
17 Where thou diest I die, and there I am buried; thus doth Jehovah to me, and thus doth He add -- for death itself doth part between me and thee.'
18 And she seeth that she is strengthening herself to go with her, and she ceaseth to speak unto her;
19 and they go both of them till their coming in to Beth-Lehem; and it cometh to pass at their coming in to Beth-Lehem, that all the city is moved at them, and they say, `Is this Naomi?'
20 And she saith unto them, `Call me not Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly to me,
21 I went out full, and empty hath Jehovah brought me back, why do ye call me Naomi, and Jehovah hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath done evil to me?'
22 And Naomi turneth back, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who hath turned back from the fields of Moab, and they have come in to Beth-Lehem at the commencement of barley-harvest.
1 And it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man went from Bethlehem-Judah, to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-Judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.
4 And they took them Moabitish wives; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the second Ruth: and they abode there about ten years.
5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also, both of them; and the woman was left of her two children and of her husband.
6 And she arose, she and her daughters-in-law, and returned from the fields of Moab; for she had heard in the fields of Moab how that Jehovah had visited his people to give them bread.
7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she had been, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.
8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each to her mother's house. Jehovah deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead and with me.
9 Jehovah grant you that ye may find rest, each in the house of her husband. And she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice and wept.
10 And they said to her, We will certainly return with thee to thy people.
11 And Naomi said, Return, my daughters: why will ye go with me? Are there yet sons in my womb, that they could be your husbands?
12 Return, my daughters, go; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, should I even have a husband to-night, and should I also bear sons,
13 would ye wait on that account till they were grown? Would ye stay on that account from having husbands? No, my daughters, for I am in much more bitterness than you; for the hand of Jehovah is gone out against me.
14 And they lifted up their voice and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clave to her.
15 And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back to her people and to her gods: return after thy sister-in-law.
16 And Ruth said, Do not intreat me to leave thee, to return from [following] after thee; for whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God;
17 where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried. Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part me and thee!
18 And when she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking to her.
19 And they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they came to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and the [women] said, Is this Naomi?
20 And she said to them, Call me not Naomi -- call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
21 I went out full, and Jehovah has brought me home again empty. Why do ye call me Naomi, seeing Jehovah has brought me low, and the Almighty has afflicted me?
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the fields of Moab; and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of the barley-harvest.
1 It happened in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
2 The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Judah. They came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
3 Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.
4 They took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they lived there about ten years.
5 Mahlon and Chilion died both of them; and the woman was left of her two children and of her husband.
6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that Yahweh had visited his people in giving them bread.
7 She went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.
8 Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each of you to her mother's house: Yahweh deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead, and with me.
9 Yahweh grant you that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
10 They said to her, No, but we will return with you to your people.
11 Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will you go with me? have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight, and should also bear sons;
13 would you therefore wait until they were grown? would you therefore stay from having husbands? nay, my daughters, for it grieves me much for your sakes, for the hand of Yahweh is gone forth against me.
14 They lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth joined with her.
15 She said, Behold, your sister-in-law is gone back to her people, and to her god: return you after your sister-in-law.
16 Ruth said, "Don't entreat me to leave you, and to return from following after you, for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God;
17 where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried: Yahweh do so to me, and more also, if anything but death part you and me."
18 When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking to her.
19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. It happened, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and [the women] said, Is this Naomi?
20 She said to them, "Don't call me Naomi, call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
21 I went out full, and Yahweh has brought me home again empty; why do you call me Naomi, seeing Yahweh has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?"
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
1 Now there came a time, in the days of the judges, when there was no food in the land. And a certain man went from Beth-lehem-judah, he and his wife and his two sons, to make a living-place in the country of Moab.
2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and were there for some time.
3 And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, came to his end; and only her two sons were with her.
4 And they took two women of Moab as their wives: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth; and they went on living there for about ten years.
5 And Mahlon and Chilion came to their end; and the woman was without her two sons and her husband.
6 So she and her daughters-in-law got ready to go back from the country of Moab, for news had come to her in the country of Moab that the Lord, in mercy for his people, had given them food.
7 And she went out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah.
8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go back to your mothers' houses: may the Lord be good to you as you have been good to the dead and to me:
9 May the Lord give you rest in the houses of your husbands. Then she gave them a kiss; and they were weeping bitterly.
10 And they said to her, No, but we will go back with you to your people.
11 But Naomi said, Go back, my daughters; why will you come with me? Have I more sons in my body, to become your husbands?
12 Go back, my daughters, and go on your way; I am so old now that I may not have another husband. If I said, I have hopes, if I had a husband tonight, and might have sons,
13 Would you keep yourselves till they were old enough? would you keep from having husbands for them? No, my daughters; but I am very sad for you that the hand of the Lord is against me.
14 Then again they were weeping; and Orpah gave her mother-in-law a kiss, but Ruth would not be parted from her.
15 And Naomi said, See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods: go back after your sister-in-law.
16 But Ruth said, Give up requesting me to go away from you, or to go back without you: for where you go I will go; and where you take your rest I will take my rest; your people will be my people, and your God my God.
17 Wherever death comes to you, death will come to me, and there will be my last resting-place; the Lord do so to me and more if we are parted by anything but death.
18 And when she saw that Ruth was strong in her purpose to go with her she said no more.
19 So the two of them went on till they came to Beth-lehem. And when they came to Beth-lehem all the town was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
20 And she said to them, Do not let my name be Naomi, but Mara, for the Ruler of all has given me a bitter fate.
21 I went out full, and the Lord has sent me back again with nothing; why do you give me the name Naomi, seeing that the Lord has given witness against me, and the Ruler of all has sent sorrow on me?
22 So Naomi came back out of the country of Moab, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her; and they came to Beth-lehem in the first days of the grain-cutting.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Ruth 1
Commentary on Ruth 1 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Ruth Goes With Naomi to Bethlehem - Ruth 1
In the time of the judges Elimelech emigrated from Bethlehem in Judah into the land of Moab, along with his wife Naomi, and his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, because of a famine in the land (Ruth 1:1, Ruth 1:2). There Elimelech died; and his two sons married Moabitish women, named Orpah and Ruth. But in the course of ten years they also died, so that Naomi and her two daughters-in-law were left by themselves (Ruth 1:3-5). When Naomi heard that the Lord had once more blessed the land of Israel with bread, she set out with Orpah and Ruth to return home. But on the way she entreated them to turn back and remain with their relations in their own land; and Orpah did so (Ruth 1:6-14). But Ruth declared that she would not leave her mother-in-law, and went with her to Bethlehem (Ruth 1:15-22).
Elimelech's Emigration (Ruth 1:1, Ruth 1:2). - By the word ויהי the following account is attached to other well-known events (see at Joshua 1:1); and by the definite statement, “ in the days when judges judged, ” it is assigned to the period of the judges generally. “ A famine in the land, ” i.e., in the land of Israel, and not merely in the neighbourhood of Bethlehem. The time of this famine cannot be determined with certainty, although it seems very natural to connect it, as Seb. Schmidt and others do, with the devastation of the land by the Midianites (Judg 6); and there are several things which favour this. For example, the famine must have been a very serious one, and not only have extended over the whole of the land of Israel, but have lasted several years, since it compelled Elimelech to emigrate into the land of the Moabites; and it was not till ten years had elapsed, that his wife Naomi, who survived him, heard that Jehovah had given His people bread again, and returned to her native land (Ruth 1:4, Ruth 1:5).Now the Midianites oppressed Israel for seven years, and their invasions were generally attended by a destruction of the produce of the soil ( Judges 6:3-4), from which famine must necessarily have ensued. Moreover, they extended their devastations as far as Gaza (Judges 6:4). And although it by no means follows with certainty from this, that they also came into the neighbourhood of Bethlehem, it is still less possible to draw the opposite conclusion, as Bertheau does, from the fact they encamped in the valley of Jezreel (Judges 6:33), and were defeated there by Gideon, namely, that they did not devastate the mountains of Judah, because the road from the plain of Jezreel to Gaza did not lie across those mountains. There is just as little force in the other objection raised by Bertheau , namely, that the genealogical list in Ruth 4:18. would not place Boaz in the time of Gideon, but about the time of the Philistian supremacy over Israel, since this objection is founded partly upon an assumption that cannot be established, and partly upon an erroneous chronological calculation. For example, the assumption that every member is included in this chronological series cannot be established, inasmuch as unimportant members are often omitted from the genealogies, so that Obed the son of Boaz might very well have been the grandfather of Jesse. And according to the true chronological reckoning, the birth of David, who died in the year 1015 b.c. at the age of seventy, fell in the year 1085, i.e., nine or ten years after the victory gained by Samuel over the Philistines, or after the termination of their forty years' rule over Israel, and only ninety-seven years after the death of Gideon (see the chronological table). Now David was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse. If therefore we place his birth in the fiftieth year of his father's life, Jesse would have been born in the first year of the Philistian oppression, or forty-eight years after the death of Gideon. Now it is quite possible that Jesse may also have been a younger son of Obed, and born in the fiftieth year of his father's life; and if so, the birth of Obed would fall in the last years of Gideon. From this at any rate so much may be concluded with certainty, that Boaz was a contemporary of Gideon, and the emigration of Elimelech into the land of Moab may have taken place in the time of the Midianitish oppression. “ To sojourn in the fields of Moab, ” i.e., to live as a stranger there. The form שׂדי (Ruth 1:1, Ruth 1:2, Ruth 1:22, and Ruth 2:6) is not the construct state singular, or only another form for שׂדה , as Bertheau maintains, but the construct state plural of the absolute שׂדים , which does not occur anywhere, it is true, but would be a perfectly regular formation (comp. Isaiah 32:12; 2 Samuel 1:21, etc.), as the construct state singular is written שׂדה even in this book (Ruth 1:6 and Ruth 4:3). The use of the singular in these passages for the land of the Moabites by no means proves that שׂדי must also be a singular, but may be explained from the fact that the expression “the field (= the territory) of Moab” alternates with the plural, “the fields of Moab.”
Ruth 1:2-4
אפרתים , the plural of אפרתי , an adjective formation, not from אפרים , as in Judges 12:5, but from אפרת (Genesis 48:7) or אפרתה (Ruth 4:11; Genesis 35:19), the old name for Bethlehem, Ephrathite , i.e., sprung from Bethlehem, as in 1 Samuel 17:12. The names - Elimelech , i.e., to whom God is King; Naomi ( נעמי , a contraction of נעמית , lxx Νοομμείν , Vulg . Noëmi ), i.e., the gracious; Machlon , i.e., the weakly; and Chilion , pining - are genuine Hebrew names; whereas the names of the Moabitish women, Orpah and Ruth , who were married to Elimelech's sons, cannot be satisfactorily explained from the Hebrew, as the meaning given to Orpah , “turning the back,” is very arbitrary, and the derivation of Ruth from רעוּת , a friend, is quite uncertain. According to Ruth 4:10, Ruth was the wife of the elder son Mahlon. Marriage with daughters of the Moabites was not forbidden in the law, like marriages with Canaanitish women (Deuteronomy 7:3); it was only the reception of Moabites into the congregation of the Lord that was forbidden (Deuteronomy 23:4).
Ruth 1:5
“ Thus the woman (Naomi) remained left (alone) of her two sons and her husband .”
After the loss of her husband and her two sons, Naomi rose up out of the fields of Moab to return into the land of Judah, as she had heard that Jehovah had visited His people, i.e., had turned His favour towards them again to give them bread. From the place where she had lived Naomi went forth, along with her two daughters-in-law. These three went on the way to return to the land of Judah. The expression “to return,” if taken strictly, only applies to Naomi, who really returned to Judah, whilst her daughters-in-law simply wished to accompany her thither.
“ On the way, ” i.e., when they had gone a part of the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “ Go, return each one to her mother's house, ” - not her father's, though, according to Ruth 2:11, Ruth's father at any rate was still living, but her mother's, because maternal love knows best how to comfort a daughter in her affliction. “ Jehovah grant you that ye may find a resting-place, each one in the house of her husband, ” i.e., that ye may both be happily married again. She then kissed them, to take leave of them (vid., Genesis 31:28). The daughters-in-law, however, began to weep aloud, and said, “ We will return with thee to thy people ” כּי before a direct statement serves to strengthen it, and is almost equivalent to a positive assurance.
Naomi endeavoured to dissuade them from this resolution, by setting before them the fact, that if they went with her, there would be no hope of their being married again, and enjoying the pleasures of life once more. “ Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? ” Her meaning is: I am not pregnant with sons, upon whom, as the younger brothers of Mahlon and Chilion, there would rest the obligation of marrying you, according to the Levitate law (Deuteronomy 25:5; Genesis 38:8). And not only have I no such hope as this, but, continues Naomi, in Ruth 1:12, Ruth 1:13, I have no prospect of having a husband and being blessed with children: “ for I am too old to have a husband; ” year, even if I could think of this altogether improbable thing as taking place, and assume the impossible as possible; “ If I should say, I have hope (of having a husband), yea, if I should have a husband to-night, and should even bear sons, would ye then wait till they were grown, would ye then abstain from having husbands? ” The כּי (if) before אמרתּי refers to both the perfects which follow. להן is the third pers. plur. neuter suffix הן with the prefix ל , as in Job 30:24, where הן is pointed with seghol, on account of the toned syllable which follows, as here in pause in Ruth 1:9 : lit . in these things, in that case, and hence in the sense of therefore = לכן , as in Chaldee (e.g., Daniel 2:6, Daniel 2:9,Daniel 2:24, etc.). תּעגנה (vid., Isaiah 60:4, and Ewald , §195, a .), from עגן ἁπ. λεγ. in Hebrew, which signifies in Aramaean to hold back, shut in; hence in the Talmud עגוּנה , a woman who lived retired in her own house without a husband. Naomi supposes three cases in Ruth 1:12, of which each is more improbable, or rather more impossible, than the one before; and even if the impossible circumstance should be possible, that she should bear sons that very night, she could not in that case expect or advise her daughters-in-law to wait till these sons were grown up and could marry them, according to the Levirate law. In this there was involved the strongest persuasion to her daughters-in-law to give up their intention of going with her into the land of Judah, and a most urgent appeal to return to their mothers' houses, where, as young widows without children, they would not be altogether without the prospect of marrying again. One possible case Naomi left without notice, namely, that her daughters-in-law might be able to obtain other husbands in Judah itself. She did not hint at this, in the first place, and perhaps chiefly, from delicacy on account of the Moabitish descent of her daughters-in-law, in which she saw that there would be an obstacle to their being married in the land of Judah; and secondly, because Naomi could not do anything herself to bring about such a connection, and wished to confine herself therefore to the one point of making it clear to her daughters that in her present state it was altogether out of her power to provide connubial and domestic happiness for them in the land of Judah. She therefore merely fixed her mind upon the different possibilities of a Levirate marriage.
(Note: The objections raised by J. B. Carpzov against explaining Ruth 1:12 and Ruth 1:13 as referring to a Levirate marriage, - namely, that this is not to be thought of, because a Levirate marriage was simply binding upon brothers of the deceased by the same father and mother, and upon brothers who were living when he died, and not upon those born afterwards-have been overthrown by Bertheau as being partly without foundation, and partly beside the mark. In the first place, the law relating to the Levirate marriage speaks only of brothers of the deceased, by which, according to the design of this institution, we must certainly think of sons by one father, but not necessarily the sons by the same mother. Secondly, the law does indeed expressly require marriage with the sister-in-law only of a brother who should be in existence when her husband died, but it does not distinctly exclude a brother born afterwards; and this is the more evident from the fact that, according to the account in Genesis 38:11, this duty was binding upon brothers who were not grown up at the time, as soon as they should be old enough to marry. Lastly, Naomi merely says, in Ruth 1:12 , that she was not with child by her deceased husband; and when she does take into consideration, in Ruth 1:12 and Ruth 1:13, the possibility of a future pregnancy, she might even then be simply thinking of an alliance with some brother of her deceased husband, and therefore of sons who would legally be regarded as sons of Elimelech. When Carpzov therefore defines the meaning of her words in this manner, “I have indeed no more children to hope for, to whom I could marry you in time, and I have no command over others,” the first thought does not exhaust the meaning of the words, and the last is altogether foreign to the text.)
בּנתי אל , “ not my daughters, ” i.e., do not go with me; “ for it has gone much more bitterly with me than with you. ” מרר relates to her mournful lot. מכּם is comparative, “before you;” not “it grieveth me much on your account,” for which עליכם would be used, as in 2 Samuel 1:26. Moreover, this thought would not be in harmony with the following clause: “for the hand of the Lord has gone out against me,” i.e., the Lord has sorely smitten me, namely by taking away not only my husband, but also my two sons.
At these dissuasive words the daughters-in-law broke out into loud weeping again ( תּשּׂנה with the א dropped for תּשּׂאנה , Ruth 1:9), and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, and took leave of her to return to her mother's house; but Ruth clung to her ( דּבק as in Genesis 2:24), forsaking her father and mother to go with Naomi into the land of Judah (vid., Ruth 2:11).
To the repeated entreaty of Naomi that she would follow her sister-in-law and return to her people and her God, Ruth replied: “ Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return away behind thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou stayest, I will stay; thy people is my people, and thy God my God! where thou diest, I will die, and there will I be buried. Jehovah do so to me, and more also (lit. and so may He add to do)! Death alone shall divide between me and thee. ” The words יסיף ... יעשׂה י כּה are a frequently recurring formula in connection with an oath (cf. 1 Samuel 3:17; 1 Samuel 14:44; 1 Samuel 20:13, etc.), by which the person searing called down upon himself a severe punishment in case he should not keep his word or carry out his resolution. The following כּי is not a particle used in swearing instead of אם in the sense of “if,” equivalent to “surely not,” as in 1 Samuel 20:12, in the oath which precedes the formula, but answer to ὅτι in the sense of quod introducing the declaration, as in Genesis 22:16; 1 Samuel 20:13; 1 Kings 2:23; 2 Kings 3:14, etc., signifying, I swear that death, and nothing else than death, shall separate us. Naomi was certainly serious in her intentions, and sincere in the advice which she gave to Ruth, and did not speak in this way merely to try her and put the state of her heart to the proof, “that it might be made manifest whether she would adhere stedfastly to the God of Israel and to herself, despising temporal things and the hope of temporal possessions' ( Seb. Schmidt ). She had simply the earthly prosperity of her daughter-in-law in her mind, as she herself had been shaken in her faith in the wonderful ways and gracious guidance of the faithful covenant God by the bitter experience of her own life.
(Note: “She thought of earthly things alone; and as at that time the Jews almost universally were growing lax in the worship of God, so she, having spent ten years among the Moabites, though it of little consequence whether they adhered to the religion of their fathers, to which they had been accustomed from their infancy or went over to the Jewish religion.” - Carpzov .)
With Ruth, however, it was evidently not merely strong affection and attachment by which she felt herself so drawn to her mother-in-law that she wished to live and die with her, but a leaning of her heart towards the God of Israel and His laws, of which she herself was probably not yet fully conscious, but which she had acquired so strongly in her conjugal relation and her intercourse with her Israelitish connections, that it was her earnest wish never to be separated from this people and its God (cf. Ruth 2:11).
As she insisted strongly upon going with her ( התאמּץ , to stiffen one's self firmly upon a thing), Naomi gave up persuading her any more to return.
So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived, the whole town was in commotion on their account ( תּהם , imperf. Niph . of הוּם , as in 1 Samuel 4:5; 1 Kings 1:45). They said, “ Is this Naomi? ” The subject to תּאמרנה is the inhabitants of the town, but chiefly the female portion of the inhabitants, who were the most excited at Naomi's return. This is the simplest way of explaining the use of the feminine in the verbs תּאמרנה and תּקראנה . In these words there was an expression of amazement, not so much at the fact that Naomi was still alive, and had come back again, as at her returning in so mournful a condition, as a solitary widow, without either husband or sons; for she replied (Ruth 1:20), “ Call me not Naomi (i.e., gracious), but Marah ” (the bitter one), i.e., one who has experienced bitterness, “ for the Almighty has made it very bitter to me. I, I went away full, and Jehovah has made me come back again empty. Why do ye call me Naomi, since Jehovah testifies against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me? “ Full ,” i.e., rich, not in money and property, but in the possession of a husband and two sons; a rich mother, but now deprived of all that makes a mother's heart rich, bereft of both husband and sons. “ Testified against me, ” by word and deed (as in Exodus 20:16; 2 Samuel 1:16). The rendering “ He hath humbled me ” (lxx, Vulg ., Bertheau , etc.) is incorrect, as ענה with בּ and the construct state simply means to trouble one's self with anything (Ecclesiastes 1:13), which is altogether unsuitable here. - With Ruth 1:22 the account of the return of Naomi and her daughter-in-law is brought to a close, and the statement that “ they came to Bethlehem in the time of the barley harvest ” opens at the same time the way for the further course of the history. השּׁבה is pointed as a third pers. perf. with the article in a relative sense, as in Ruth 2:6 and Ruth 4:3. Here and at Ruth 2:6 it applies to Ruth; but in Ruth 4:3 to Naomi. המּה , the masculine, is used here, as it frequently is, for the feminine הנּה , as being the more common gender. The harvest, as a whole, commenced with the barley harvest (see at Leviticus 23:10-11).