Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

Overview
As we turn from the Revelation to Ruth, we enter a different world:
• culturally, from a few believers in a pagan culture to Israel in its own land under its own laws
• linguistically, from Greek to Hebrew
• literarily, from a complex symbolic vision with cyclical time to a simple linear narrative
• morally, from a focus on the forces of evil to a display of people behaving as they ought.
But in both of them God is faithfully caring for his people, often in ways that are not obvious. In
the Revelation, a slain lamb conquers a raging dragon. In Ruth, “accidents” happen at just the
right time to continue the line that will lead to King David, and ultimately to the Messiah.
As always, we should pay Ref Location Characters Time
attention to the larger Elimelech, Naomi,
structure of the text to 1:1-2 Bethlehem → Moab During the Judges
Mahlon, Chilion
understand the context of
the individual verses. 1:3-6 Moab Naomi, Orpah, Ruth Ten years
Narrative is built up of a 1:7-19a Moab → Bethlehem Naomi, Orpah, Ruth
series of scenes, each Naomi, townswomen Start of barley
defined by consistent 1:19b-22 Bethlehem (Gate)
(Ruth) harvest (April-May)
location, characters, and
time. If any of these 2:1-2 Home Naomi, Ruth
changes, we have a new 2:3-17 Field of Boaz Ruth, Boaz
scene. Based on this To end of wheat
insight, we can list the 2:18-23 Home and field Ruth, Boaz
harvest, early June
scenes in the book (Table
1).1 This simple survey 3:1-5 Home Ruth, Naomi End of harvest
reveals three large blocks 3:6-15 Threshing floor Ruth, Boaz
of text. Chapter divisions 3:16-18 Home Ruth, Naomi
do not always correspond
to thought breaks in the 4:1-12 Gate Boaz, elders
Bible, but in Ruth they are Boaz, Ruth, Naomi,
4:13-17 Home of Boaz
quite appropriate. townswomen
Chapter 1 brings Naomi 4:18-22 Bethlehem Following generations
from Bethlehem to Moab,
Table 1: Scenes in the Book of Ruth
where her husband and
sons die, and then (with Ruth) back to Bethlehem.
Chapters 2 and 3 alternate between conversations between Ruth and Naomi, in their home, and
Ruth and Boaz, in the field on on the threshing floor.
Chapter 4 balances the deaths of chapter 1 with the birth of Naomi’s grandson, leading to the line
of King David (and eventually to the Messiah).

1 Our study may lead us to adjust some of the boundaries based on structural details.

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 Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

Peter Lau (NICOT 2023) has suggested a chiastic structure The Book of Ruth
for the book (Figure 1, chart), which we will tentatively 1:1-22, Death and Emptiness
adopt, with modifications. ●
1-7, End of a family line in Moab
●
8-19a, Dialog on the Road
●
19b-22, Naomi and townswomen (gate)
1:1-22, Death and Emptiness 2:1-23, Seeking Short-Term Security
●
1, Introducing Boaz
●
2, Home: Naomi accepts Ruth’s Plan
1-7, End of a Family ●

●
3-17, Field: Ruth meets Boaz
18-23, Home: Naomi and Ruth debrief
1:1 Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, 3:1-18, Seeking Permanent Security
—The book begins by taking us back to a period of time ●
1-5, Home: Ruth accepts Naomi’s Plan
●
6-15, Threshing Floor: Ruth and Boaz
when Israel first returned to Canaan from Egypt, and before ●
16-18, Home: Naomi and Ruth debrief
the rise of the monarchy. As the book of Judges describes,
4:1-22, Redemption and Fullness
God raised up local leaders in the various tribes to deal with ●
1-12, Gate: Boaz and elders
adversaries who came against the land. ●
13-17, Home: Naomi and townswomen
●
18-22, Beginning of royal line in Israel
“The days when the judges ruled” is a long period, about 300
years (Figure 2, chart). Can we be more precise? Figure 1: Lau's Analysis of Ruth
Boaz, a leading figure in the (modified)
book, is known from 1 Chr 2:11 Exodus to Temple 1446-966
480 years: 1 Kings 6:1
as the son of Salma, and the book (Jacob → Egypt) to Exodus

40 yrs: Sinai
400 years: Gen 15:13, 16; Acts

Joshua, Elders
looks forward to his descendants: 7:6 7
40 yrs:
~300 years: Judges Saul
Obed, Jesse, and David. David (Individual times add 40 yrs:
took the throne about 40 years to 410 years) David
(Jacob → Egypt) to End of Conquest Eli? Samuel? 4 yrs:
after the end of the judges, ˜450 years: Acts 13:19-20 Sol.
following the reign of Saul, and
was probably born sometime
1900 1800 1700 1600 1500 1400 1300 1200 1100 1000 900
early in that reign. This sequence
of people appears in our Lord’s
Figure 2: The Days of the Judges
genealogy:
Mat 1:5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat
Jesse; 6 And Jesse begat David the king; …
Rachab is Rahab the harlot, who sheltered the spies in Joshua 2. Salmon would have married her
soon after the conquest, a generation before the judges began (Judg 2:7), or about 350 years
before David. Perhaps the book happens very early in Judges.
But let’s look closer. This list suggests that the lives of Boaz, Obed, and Jesse up to the birth of
David total 350 years, more than 100 years each! Boaz is certainly depicted as an old man, but
this would be extraordinary.
In our study of Matthew 1,2 we showed that genealogies often list only the most prominent
people, leaving out some names. “Begat” can mean “descended from,” not just “was the
immediate father of.” There is no question that Obed is clearly the immediate son of Boaz, and
David is the immediate son of Jesse, but there must be multiple generations between either
Salmon and Boaz, or Obed and Jesse. We cannot use the genealogy to narrow down the time.3
2 https://cyber-chapel.org/sermons/matt/notes/Matt1.pdf
3 As Steve Rudd attempts to do, https://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-timeline-date-chronology-of-
ruth-1300bc.htm

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 Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

However, the next verse may help.

that there was a famine in the land.—The book of Judges does mention an event that caused
famine in the land: the Midianite incursions in Judges 6 (chart).
Jdg 6:3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the
Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them; 4 And they
encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza,
and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. 5 For they came up with
their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and
their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it. 6 And Israel
was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto
the LORD.
God raised up Gideon about 1180 BC to defeat the
Midianites, bringing an end to this disaster. Though
the main action of Gideon’s history is in the
northern part of the country, the influence of the
Midianite invasion extended as far south as Gaza
(Jdg 6:4), well south of Bethlehem (Figure 3). We
can tentatively assign the history to this period.
And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went ‫הלך‬
to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his
wife, and his two sons.—Throughout history,
famines have led to migrations. A famine led
Abraham to Egypt (Gen 12:10), Isaac to the land of
the Philistines (Gen 26:1), and Jacob to Egypt (Gen Moab
43-46). So the move has precedent. But it is ironic.
In Hebrew, the name “Bethlehem” means “house of
bread,”4 but at this point the pantry was empty.
“Sojourn” ‫ גור‬gūr H1481 means “to live as a Figure 3: The Geography of the Book of Ruth
stranger.” This family originally intended to stay in Moab
only for a short period.
The word “country” in 1:1, 2, 6, 22 is literally “fields ‫ָׂש ֶד ה‬
sadeh H7704.” In famine, this family seeks fruitful fields to
feed them. But in Ruth, the term is loaded (Figure 4). It
peaks three times: in chapter 1 (plural) to describe “the
fields of Moab,” then in chapter 2 to describe the field of
Boaz, which actually sustains them, and finally in chapter 4,
Figure 4: "Field" in Ruth
the field of Elimelech, which Boaz restores to the family.
They sought fields in Moab, but the Lord had better fields for them back home.
Moab is about 25 miles as the crow flies from Bethlehem, across the Jordan (Figure 3), not very
far away. On a clear day, you can see the hills of Transjordan from Jerusalem or Bethlehem
(Figure 5, Figure 6, chart). The Moabites were cousins to Israel, descended from Lot by his first
daughter (Gen 19:37). When Israel returned from Egypt, they did not attack Moab, but skirted it
4 The original Canaanite etymology is uncertain. Place names in beth- “house of” typically refer to a cultic site,
but no deity Lahmu has been identified. See Cazelles in the Anchor Bible Dictionary.

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 Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

(Jdg 11:18). Nevertheless,

Balak king of Moab feared
them, and hired Balaam to
curse them (Numbers 22-
24). Early in the book of
Judges, Eglon king of Moab
smote Israel and occupied
Jericho for 18 years, but the
judge Ehud killed him,
leading to 80 years of rest
(Jdg 3:12-30). When David
was fleeing Saul, he sent his
parents to Moab for safety
(1 Sam 22:3-4).
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, Figure 5: Transjordan from Jerusalem (top) and Bethlehem
Ephrathites of (bottom). Van and Anita Parunak, 1975
Bethlehemjudah.—Hebrew
names have meanings, and these meanings are relevant
to the story. Naomi means “pleasant.” She emphasizes
the meaning when she returns to Bethlehem, and tells
her old friends,
Rut 1:20 And she said unto them, Call me not
Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt
very bitterly with me.
Elimelech means “my God is king,” and we will see
throughout the book how God is in control, overriding
what seem to be disasters. Mahlon means “sickly,” and
Chilion means “failing” (Deut 28:65) or “annihilation”
(Isa 10:22), anticipating their early deaths. (We should
be cautious about reading too much into the names of Figure 6: Moab from Keren Hayesod
people in biblical stories, but in Ruth the narrator Street in Jerusalem, looking SE. Van
appears to emphasize them.) and Anita Parunak, 1975
And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.—1:1 said that Elimelech and
his family went to “sojourn” in Moab, implying a short stay. But they became comfortable in
their new home, and forgot about returning to the land of promise.
It is easy to let the world seduce us away from God’s blessings. 1 Corinthians warns that things
not absolutely wrong in themselves may still hold us back spiritually, (chart)
1Co 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are
lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. … 10:23 all things are
lawful for me, but all things edify not.

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 Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.—Then disaster
strikes. Elimelech dies. Perhaps Naomi will take her sons back to Bethlehem so that they can
build lives among the covenant people. But they have “gone native” in Moab, forgetting the land
that God had given to their fathers.
4 And they took them wives of the women of Moab;—The sons have developed social
connections among the Moabites, and they marry some nice Moabite girls.
The status of these marriages is ambiguous. Israelites were forbidden to marry the nations whom
they drove out from Canaan.
Deu 7:1 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess
it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the
Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites,
seven nations greater and mightier than thou; 2 And when the LORD thy God shall deliver
them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no
covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: 3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with
them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy
son.
But the Moabites, living on the other side of Jordan, were not among those nations. They were
after all Israel’s cousins, descended from Lot, Abraham’s nephew. In spite of that relationship,
they and the Ammonites, from Lot’s other son, were excluded from the congregation:
Deu 23:3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even
to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:
Probably, the restrictions of Deuteronomy 7 and 23 do not apply to proselytes; Uriah the Hittite
is one of David’s 37 “mighty men” (2 Sam 23:8, 39). But Orpah and Ruth are not proselytes.
Mahlon and Chilion have settled in Moab, and if anyone has been converted, it is they.
the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth:—The meaning of “Orpah”
is uncertain. It might refer to thick black hair, or perfume, or the gazelle, all emphasizing her
sensual attractiveness to Chilion.5 Or it might be understood in terms of the Hebrew word for
back of the neck, indicating her decision to turn back from Naomi. Ruth probably means
“refreshment, satiation,” anticipating the joy that she will bring to Naomi.
We are not to forget that it was women of Moab who led Israel into idolatry when they first
arrived at the plans of Moab, on their way to the promised land:
Num 25:1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the
daughters of Moab. 2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the
people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
and they dwelled ‫ יׁשב‬yashab H3427 there about ten years.—First the family came “to
sojourn,” to visit as aliens (1:1). Then they “continued” (1:2). Now they settle down, literally,
“sit down.” The little family appears to have forgotten their Israelite identity entirely. With two
men to support their widowed mother, everything is stable.
5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons
and her husband.—But again disaster strikes. Both of the sons perish, fulfilling their ominous
names. Now all three women are destitute, though the narrator focuses on Naomi. Without a
5 4:10 will reveal that Ruth was Mahlon’s wife.

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 Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

source of support, her only hope is that someone back in 1:1 a certain man … went to sojourn
Bethlehem might give them charity. 1:2 they … continued there
1:4 they dwelled [sat] there
6 Then she arose with her daughters in law,—The verbs of 1:6 she arose to return
motion in 1:1-7 form an ABC-CBA chiasm, and this verse 1:7a she went forth
turns the corner. “Arise” ‫ קּום‬qūm H6965 is the opposite of 1:7b they went to return
“dwell, sit down,” the verb that described their final condition
in 1:4, after “sojourning” (1:1) and “continuing” (1:2). Figure 7: Motion verbs in 1:1-7
that she might return ‫ ׁשוב‬shūb H7725 from the
country of Moab:—This verb and ‫ הלך‬halak H1980 “to
go” dominate the rest of the chapter (Figure 8). The long
period of complacency is over, and Naomi is leading the
remnant of her family back where they should be.
for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the
LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.—
We will trace the Lord’s acts as we read through the book. Figure 8: Return and Go in Ruth
This is the first time he is mentioned (Figure 9). But he is
working behind the scenes. He sends Elimelech into Moab
to get a wife for Boaz, who will be in the line of the
Messiah. He takes away Elimelech and his sons, to prompt
Naomi to return to Bethlehem. Over and over we will see
him working in mysterious ways, to achieve his purposes.
7 Wherefore she went forth ‫ יצא‬out of the place where
she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and Figure 9: LORD (YHWH) in Ruth
they went ‫ הלך‬on the way to return ‫ ׁשוב‬unto the land of Judah.—As “arose” in v. 6 reverses
“dwelled” in v. 4, “went forth” reverses “continue” in v. 2, and “went” and “return” reverse
“went to sojourn” in v. 1. This A: 1:1 Now it came to pass in the days
A’: for she had heard in the
verse repeats the main elements when the judges ruled, that there was a country of Moab how that the
LORD had visited his people
of 6a (she with her daughters in famine in the land. in giving them bread.
law, arose → went forth, Moab B: And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah B’: 6 Then she arose with
→ the place where she was, went to sojourn in the country of her daughters in law, that
Moab, he, and his wife, and his two she might return from the
return → return unto the land of sons. country of Moab:
Judah). 2 And the name of the man was B’’: 7 Wherefore she went
Elimelech, and the name of his wife forth out of the place where
This first paragraph is a Naomi, and the name of his two sons she was, and her two
Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of daughters in law with her;
beautiful chiasm, AB-C-D-C’- Bethlehemjudah. [external inclusio] and they went on the way to
B’A’ B’’ (Figure 10, chart).6 The And they came into the country of return unto the land of
correspondences highlight the Moab, and continued there. Judah.
C’: 5 And Mahlon and Chilion
main points of the introduction. C: 3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband
died also both of them; and
died; and she was left, and her two
the woman was left of her
A: The judges cannot protect the sons.
two sons and her husband.
people from famine, but the D: 4 And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one
Lord gives them bread. Our was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about
ten years.
confidence must be in him, not
in human rulers. Figure 10: Chiasm in Ruth 1:1-7

6 Based on Murray D. Gow, “The Significance Of Literary Structure For The Translation Of The Book Of Ruth.”
The Bible Translator 35:3, 309-320.

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 Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

B: Elimelech journeys to Moab, ostensibly for a short time, but neglects to return. Finally, under
pressure from the death of her husband and sons, Naomi comes back with Ruth.
Two technical details are worth noting here.
1. 1:1b and 2a mention the trip to Moab twice, forming an external inclusio around the names
of Elimelech and his family. This marks the list of names as a footnote, preserved perhaps for
their symbolic value.
2. The elements AB in 1:1-2 are unfolded into BAB in 6-7.7 The effect is to emphasize the
return journey, and leave the last clause as a parallel to 1:19:
19 So they two went ‫ הלך‬until they came ‫ בוא‬to Bethlehem.
C: The men die, first Elimelech, then the sons, and in both cases Naomi is left.
D: The center element is the marriage, introducing Ruth to the story. The central element in a
chiasm with an unmatched center is the point of emphasis, suggesting here that the purpose of
the famine is to send someone to Moab to get Ruth.
80
70
8-19a, Dialog on the Road 60

Leaves
50

Orpah
The next section is a dialog between Naomi and her

Words
40
daughters in law (Figure 11, chart). Naomi speaks twice at 30
length, urging the girls to return home to Moab. They 20
respond briefly to each speech, and Orpah goes back. 10

Naomi then briefly exhorts Ruth to return to Moab, but 0

Naomi Girls Naomi Girls Naomi Ruth
Ruth closes with a beautiful, longer statement of her Speaker
resolve to follow Naomi. The relative lengths of the Figure 11: Dialog between Naomi
sections shows the shift in emphasis from Naomi to Ruth. and the Girls

8-9a, Naomi’s Proposal: Go Back and Get Married

8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go ‫ הלך‬halach H1980, return ‫ שׁוב‬shūb
H7725—Naomi repeats the two verbs from 1:7, but changes the destination. She “goes” and
“returns” to Bethlehem, but she urges the girls to “go” and “return” to Moab. This whole
paragraph plays with these two opposite directions of “return.”
Through the death of her husband and sons, the Lord has finally taught her that her place is in
Bethlehem. But she generalizes this lesson to her daughters in law. If her place is where she was
born, their place must be where they were born.
When the Lord has finally taught us a difficult lesson, we often try to extend it to other people.
Compare Peter’s attitude when the Lord revealed that he would die under persecution:
Jhn 21:21 Peter seeing [John] saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22 Jesus saith
unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.
Paul emphasizes that each of us must stand or fall before God individually:
Rom 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or
falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

7 I discuss this mechanism in my dissertation on Ezekiel, pp. 105-108, which identifies many instances.

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 Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

Naomi has overgeneralized the lesson. The Lord’s message to her is not that each person should
stay where she is born, but that the land of promise and the people of God are special. Naomi and
her family have not valued Bethlehem as they ought. Going home there is not the same as going
home to a Moabite village. Ruth is the only one among the three women who realizes this.
each to her mother's house:—This is an unusual expression. 149X in the OT we read of the
“father’s house,” but only three other times of the mother’s house. Two are in Canticles (3:4;
8:2), where the girl invites the beloved into her mother’s house to enjoy her intimacy. The other
is in describing Rebekah’s reaction to Elimelech’s visit, seeking her as a bride for Isaac:
Gen. 24:28 And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s house these things.
Compare Isaac’s behavior when he marries her:
Gen. 24:67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she
became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
The parallels with Canticles suggest that this is an encouragement to seek other husbands. The
mother’s house or tent is the place to arrange nuptials.
Now she prays two prayers for them, a general one and a specific request.
the LORD deal kindly ‫ עשׂה חסד‬with you,—“Kindly” here is ‫ חסד‬chesed H2617, the word that
describes loyal love, usually translated “mercy” or “lovingkindness.” It is the crowning facet of
the Lord’s description of his love for his people in Exodus 34:
Exo 34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD
God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping
mercy for thousands, …
The word appears 250x in the OT, mostly (129x) in Psalms, as a motive for Israel’s praise, e.g.,
Psa 118:1, 29; 136:1; etc. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy
endureth for ever. [last clause 5x in Ps 118; 26x in Psalm 136, 41x in the OT]
Ex 34:6 makes this a core article of faith for believers. This is God’s name, and if we call
ourselves his people we must acknowledge this as his character. Naomi prays that the Lord
would bestow this loyal love on Ruth and Orpah. But we will see that her prayer is hollow, for
she does not believe that the Lord has shown this love to her.
Later, she will recognize that in Ruth’s case, the Lord answered her prayer. When Ruth “haps to
light” on the field of Boaz and returns to Naomi with bountiful gleanings, Naomi comments,
Ruth 2:20 And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath
not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead.
as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.—God is not the only one who exhibits loyal
love. Both Ruth and Orpah have demonstrated ‫ חסד‬in their conduct toward Naomi, her sons, and
her husband. This was a happy family.
The story does not condemn Orpah. Naomi describes her, as well as Ruth, as showing loyal love.
In returning to Moab she is simply doing what Naomi has urged her to do. Both girls are loyal
daughters in law, but Ruth excels.
The word appears once more in the book, again applied to Ruth. When she goes to Boaz on the
threshing floor and asks his protection, he replies,

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 Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

Ruth 3:10 And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed
more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young
men, whether poor or rich.
Now Naomi makes a specific request.
9 The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband.—
She asks the Lord provide them with husbands.
This continues to be Naomi’s concern for Ruth, even after they return to Bethlehem.
Ruth 3:1 Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for
thee, that it may be well with thee?
9b-10, Girls’ First 14, Girls’ Second
9b-10, The Girls’ First Responses Response Response
14c but Ruth clave unto
Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, her.
14b and Orpah kissed her
and wept.—The girls respond to each of Naomi’s long 9b Then she kissed them;
mother in law;
speeches. The beginnings of the responses are chiastic and they lifted up their 14a And they lifted up their
(Table 2, chart), suggesting that this is all that they voice, and wept. voice, and wept again:
have to say to her detailed exhortations. 10 And they said unto her,
Surely we will return with
Their first response states their commitment to join thee unto thy people.
themselves to Naomi’s people: Table 2: The Girls' Responses to Naomi
10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return ‫ שׁוב‬with thee unto thy people.—“Return”
changes direction again. They both want to return to her people, but something is missing. In
1:16, Naomi will recognize that their decision must involve not only people, but also gods, when
she says to Ruth,
Ruth 1:15 Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods:
and Ruth’s response will include both,
Ruth 1:16: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.
But at this point their focus is on the cultural shift, not the spiritual one.

11-13, Naomi’s Reasons for her Proposal

11 And Naomi said, Turn again ‫שׁוב‬, my daughters: why will ye go ‫ הלך‬with me?—Naomi
reverses the direction yet again. “Don’t return with me to Bethlehem; return to your country.”
She gives two reasons, both based on the need for the girls to get husbands, the only source of a
woman’s security in that culture.
Her first reason is that the usual resource for providing for a childless widow, the levirate8
marriage, is no longer possible.
are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 Turn again
‫שׁוב‬, my daughters, go ‫ הלך‬your way; for I am too old to have an husband.—In levirate
marriage, the brother of a husband who dies childless marries his wife. Genesis 38 gives an
example of the custom, and Deut 25:5-10 regulates it. It is reflected in the marriage of Ruth and
Boaz in ch. 4, though in slightly different circumstances than outlined in Deuteronomy.

8 From the Latin word levir, meaning “husband’s brother”

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 Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

The patriarchs recognized this practice. Judah’s family furnishes an extreme example that
emphasizes the obligation of the husband’s family to care for the widow in this way.
Gen 38:6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. 7 And Er,
Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him. 8 And
Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to
thy brother. … 10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him
also. 11 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's house, 9
till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did.
And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house. … 26 And Judah acknowledged them, and
said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son.
Later, God included the practice in the law he gave to Israel through Moses:
Deu 25:5 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the
dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and
take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. 6 And it shall
be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is
dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.
Naomi acknowledges this provision for the girls, but observes that in her case, it is biologically
infeasible, since she has no other sons, and she is past the age of childbearing.
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?—Her second reason is the time involved, even if she could conceive. By the time
these new husbands were ready, the girls themselves would have passed the age of marriage.
nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much ‫ ַמר־ִלי ְמֹאד‬for your sakes that the hand of the
LORD is gone out against me.—Literally, “I have great bitterness.” Her language sets the stage
for her report to the townswomen in 1:20, asking them to call her “Mara” “bitter” instead of
“Naomi” “pleasant.”
Naomi is spiritually defeated. She feels attacked by the Lord. She has prayed that the Lord
would show loyal love to the girls, but she accuses him of abandoning that love toward her. We
usually think of the book as focused on Ruth and her incorporation into the family that leads to
king David, but it is at least as much about the restoration of a crushed saint.
We know from 1:6 that “the Lord had visited his people,” but from Naomi’s perspective, he has
become their enemy—or at least, hers.

14, The Girls’ Response

14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law;—
These clauses chiastically close off the girls’ first response in 1:9b-10. We expect that the
discussion is over. But then something else happens:
but Ruth clave unto her.—This clause has no counterpart in 9b-10, and is marked in Hebrew as
disjunctive, breaking the flow of the story. The narrator is saying, “Wait a minute. Something
unexpected is about to happen.” That is, that Ruth cleaves to Naomi.
9 Note the contrast with 1:8, the “mother’s house” to which Naomi wants Ruth and Orpah to return, in order to
seek another husband. Tamar is not available for open marriage, and so she returns simply to her original family,
her “father’s house.”

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 Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

“Cleave” ‫ דבק‬dabaq H1692 appears for the first time in the Bible in the creation history, when
God institutes marriage and thus the family relation (chart):
Gen. 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his
wife: and they shall be one flesh.
We will see it again in Ruth, but for now, we should recognize the echo of Genesis. By cleaving
to Naomi, Ruth declares that her family from now on is with Naomi and the people of the Lord.

15, Naomi
Naomi’s next speech is uncharacteristically brief.
15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back ‫ שׁוב‬unto her people, and unto her
gods:—Naomi recognizes that Orpah’s decision is not only social (“her people”), but also
theological (“her gods”), which is good. But she encourages Ruth to take the same course, which
is bad. Naomi is willing to urge Ruth to go after pagan gods, because she feels that her God has
proven himself unreliable. This recommendation reminds us how low Naomi has fallen.
The dominant deity in Moab was a demon named Chemosh, named in Israel’s celebration of
victory over Sihon king of the Amorites
Num 21:29 Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his
sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites.
Chemosh was among the deities of his wives whom Solomon honored in Jerusalem:
1Ki 11:6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD,
as did David his father. 7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the
abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination
of the children of Ammon.
He is called an “abomination,” and his worship included human sacrifice. When the armies of
Jehoram of Israel and Jehoshaphat of Judah rout Mesha, king of Moab, in 2 Ki 3, we read,
2Ki 3:27 Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him
for a burnt offering upon the wall.
This abomination is the chief of the gods to whom Orpah choses to return.
return thou ‫ שׁוב‬after thy sister in law.—Naomi will return to Israel; Ruth should return to
Moab.

16-17, Ruth
Now Ruth takes the spotlight in the conversation. She expresses her resolve to remain with
Naomi by encompassing it within two request. The first (1:16a) is a request to Naomi, not to do
something: “intreat me not.” The second (1:17b) is a request to the Lord to hold her accountable:
“The LORD do so to me.” Between these two requests is a series of promises.
16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return ‫ שׁוב‬from following after thee:
—The first request is to Naomi, that she would stop urging Ruth to leave her.
for whither thou goest ‫הלך‬, I will go ‫—;הלך‬She does not simply say, “I will go to Bethlehem
with you,” but commits herself wherever the vicissitudes of life may take Naomi. Should

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 Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

another famine arise and should Naomi move yet again, Ruth will accompany her. Her loyalty is
not to a place, whether Moab or Israel, but to a person, her mother-in-law.
and where thou lodgest, I will lodge:—The primary meaning of the verb used here (‫ לין‬līn
H3885) is to spend the night. As in the first pair of verbs, she does not require a fixed residence.
She would be content to travel every day and sleep in a different bed every night, so long as she
can be with Naomi.
These two pairs challenge Naomi’s insistence (1:9) that they should seek “rest, each of you in
the house of her husband.”10
thy people shall be my people,—Orpah shared this desire, 1:10, but Ruth goes one step further:
and thy God my God:—Compare Ruth with the Israelite slave of Naaman the Syrian in 2
Kings 5.
2Ki 5:1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his
master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was
also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out by
companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she
waited on Naaman's wife. 3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with
the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.
In both cases, the socially inferior person is encouraging the socially superior but spiritually
impoverished person to look to the Lord.11
In 2 Kings 5, we are not surprised to find an Israelite pointing a Gentile to the Lord. But here
Ruth, a Gentile, is encouraging Naomi, an Israelite whose faith has faltered, just as today the
gospel comes to the Jews, who think that God has forsaken them, through Gentiles.
17 Where thou diest, will I die,—Her commitment is as long as either of them lives. Certainly
she expects Naomi to die before she does, but even then she will not move away from her, but
remain to honor her memory.
and there will I be buried:—Even in the grave, she does not want Naomi to be alone.
Ruth concludes with a second request, a conventional Hebrew oath formula, solemnly binding
her to all that she has said.
the LORD do so to me, and more also,—As often in such an oath, just what it is that God will
do is not specified. The formula is stereotyped, and may have originated with a ceremony in
which an animal was slain.12 The person swearing calls on God to do something bad if he does
not satisfy the promise.
This formula appears ten times in the OT. Eight times the divine element is simply “God,” 13
including oaths by official figures (Eli, Saul, David, Abner, Solomon, Joram). The only two

10 The contrast between “lodge” and “rest” is clear in Josh 4:3, where Joshua command the people to take stones
from the bed of Jordan and “leave them ‫ נוח‬whee ye shall lodge ‫ לין‬this night.”
11 It is interesting that Naaman’s name means “beautiful, pleasantness,” just as does Naomi, both coming from the
same Semitic root ‫נעם‬.
12 B. Conklin, Oath Formulas in Biblical Hebrew. Linguistic Studies in Ancient West Semitic v. 5. Eisenbrauns:
Winona Lake, 2011, 22ff.
13 Eli, 1 Sam 3:17; Saul, 1 Sam 14:44; David, 1 Sam 25:22; 2 Sam 3:35; 19:14; Abner, 2 Sam 3:9; Solomon, 1
Kings 2:23; Joram of Israel, 2 Ki 6:31

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 Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

times LORD (‫ )יהוה‬is used, it is by private individuals: Jonathan (1 Sam 20:13) and Ruth. She
clearly wants to emphasize just which God she is invoking to guarantee her promise.
if ought but death part thee and me.14—She will be Naomi’s stedfast companion and support
as long as they both live.

18-19, Finishing the Journey

18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go ‫ הלך‬with her, then she left speaking
unto her.—The solemn oath marks an end to the discussion (chart).
Heb 6:16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end
of all strife.
19 So they two went ‫ הלך‬until they came ‫ בוא‬to Bethlehem.—Picks up the v. 7, emphasized
there by folding.

19b-22, Naomi’s Report

19b And it came to pass,15 when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved
about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?—It has been more than ten years since Naomi left
Bethlehem with her husband and sons. Now she returns without the men, and with a strange girl.
The meaning they intend by their question uses “Naomi” simply as an identifier, to distinguish
her from other women. But the name has a meaning, “pleasant,” and one could understand their
question to mean, “Is this person pleasant?” It is to this meaning that Naomi replies:
20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara:—The name “Mara” comes
from the Hebrew root meaning “bitter,” the one that Naomi used in v. 13 when she said, “it
grieveth me much.”
This woman had prayed for the Lord’s mercy (‫ ֶחֶסד‬xesed H2617, loyal love) upon Ruth and
Orpah (1:8). But her own testimony views the Lord very differently. In 1:13, she said, “the hand
of the Lord is gone out against me” (chart). Now she adds four more accusations, organized
chiastically by the divine names that they use.
The middle two names (LORD in all capital letters) are God’s covenant name, Jehovah (‫יהוה‬
Yahweh H3068). But Naomi’s accusations show doubts about his covenant faithfulness.
The first and last names in the chiasm accuse God under his name ‫ שׁדי‬shadday H7706,
translated “Almighty” in the KJV (following the dominant LXX translation παντοκράτωρ 16). The
name is short for El Shaddai, usually translated “Almighty God.” The name is ancient, going
back to God’s revelation of himself to Abram:
Gen 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram,
and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
It is most common in Job, also set in the time of the patriarchs. Its appearances can all be
associated with a basic plot: God promises land and offspring to his children, then delivers them

14 Conklin agrees with this translation (p. 49) over the alternative “not even death will separate thee and me.”
15 Marks a section break; “nodalizer”
16 The two instances in Ruth, and three others in Job 21:15; 31:2; 40:2 are translated ἱκανὸς hikanos G2425, “the
sufficient one,” which is slightly more dedicated than παντοκράτωρ. See note.

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 Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

when this purpose appears to be frustrated.17 The name is certainly appropriate to the book of
Ruth, which fits this storyline. But Naomi accuses this God of promise and progeny of turning
against her.
for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me ‫[ ִּכי־ֵהַמר ַׁש ַּד י ִלי ְמֹאד‬mar li meod].—Picking
up on the root ‫ מרר‬marar H4843 used in 13 and 20a, she accuses God of causing her bitterness.
Job makes the same accusation:
Job 27:2 As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath
vexed my soul ‫;ְוַׁש ַּד י ֵהַמר ַנְפִׁש י‬
But we know the back story of Job, how the Lord is using him to discredit Satan. The Lord’s
promise is that he will tenderly care for his people:
Isa 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and
carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
And ultimately he rewards his faithful servant Job.
21 I went out full,—Really? Is she forgetting that her family left Bethlehem because there was
no food?
and the LORD hath brought me home again empty:—She has indeed lost her husband and
sons, but she seems at this point ignorant of the faithful daughter in law who stands at her side.
How must Ruth, whose name means “satiation, fullness,” have felt when she heard this?
In Ruth’s exchanges with Boaz, she will bring back abundant food, erasing the famine:
Rut 2:17 So she … beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah [more than a
bushel, food for ten days] of barley.
Rut 3:17 And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not
empty unto thy mother in law.
And by the end of the story, she will restore the missing family line by bearing a son to be the
heir of Elimelech and Mahlon.
why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me,—Testifying is
something that a witness does in court.18 But the Lord is the supreme judge. She imagines the
hopeless case of one against whom the judge himself bears witness. There is no hope.
Sometimes the Lord did testify against his people, in the OT. The prophets offer many examples
of the covenant lawsuit, or rîb, in which the Lord accuses his people of breaking his covenant
with them. A good example is Isaiah 1,
Isa 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished
and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
Perhaps she feels that the death of her husband and sons is punishment for their settling in Moab.
But when the Lord judges his people, it is with an aim of bringing them back into fellowship
with himself. If she does feel guilty over the family’s extended stay in Moab, she should now
rejoice in her return to the land of promise. And in the revelation of the Messiah, God sets us
free from any fear of divine vengeance:
17 Lau calls attention to this scheme, which is proposed by T.R. Wardlaw Jr., “Shaddai, Providence, and the
Narrative Structure of Ruth,” JETS 58/1 (2015) 31-41.
18 The construction ‫ ענה ב־‬is the one used in Exod 20:16, forbidding bearing false witness against one’s neighbor.

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 Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

Rom 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
and the Almighty hath afflicted me ‫—?ְוַׁש ַּד י ֵהַר ע ִלי‬Coming back to God as the one who
protects the line and land of his people, she avows that he has resolved to do evil [‫ רעע‬C hēra(
H7489] to her.
Moses brought this same accusation against God. God sent him to tell Pharaoh to let the people
go. In response, Pharaoh increased their burden, the people accused Moses of meddling, and
Moses complained to the Lord,
Ex. 5:22 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil
entreated this people ‫?ֲא ֹדָני ָלָמה ֲהֵר ֹעָת ה ָלָעם ַהֶּזה‬
But in fact, God was preparing to bring great judgments on Pharaoh, in order to lead Israel out of
bondage.
Naomi’s depression is an example of focusing on our immediate circumstances rather than the
Lord as he has revealed himself to us. This world’s circumstances are always depressing, but
God has pledged his love and faithfulness to us, and if we focus on that, we can see life’s
irregularities as stepping stones to blessing, as unpleasant to us as they may seem.
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which
returned out of the country of Moab:—“Which” is feminine singular, and the nearest
antecedent is “Ruth the Moabitess.” But how can Ruth be said to “return” to a land that she had
never visited? Perhaps19 the point is that the families of Abraham and Lot, separated in Genesis
13, are now reunited in Ruth and Boaz.
and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.—The barley harvest is the
first of the grain harvests (chart):
Exo 9:31 And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax
was bolled. 32 But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up.20
Every spring, a sheaf of first-cut grain was offered at the Nisan
sanctuary on the first Sabbath after Passover (Figure 12). Sun Mon Tues Weds Thrs Fri Sat
1 2
Lev 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
the LORD'S passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the 10 11 12 12 14 15 16
Pass- Un- bread
same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the over lea-
LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. … 10… vened
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto First
Fruits
the priest: 11 And he shall wave the sheaf before the 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the
sabbath the priest shall wave it. Figure 12: The Spring Festivals
It may help to remember that both Passover and Firstfruits are types of Christ:
1Co 5:7 Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that
slept.
19 Fisch, “Ruth and the Structure of Covenant History,” VT 32:4 (1982) 425-437, cited by Hubbard.
20 I am grateful for Dave Nelson for pointing out this intra-biblical summary of the agricultural seasons, also
testified in the Gezer calendar (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gezer_calendar). This is an excellent example of
how the Bible explains itself.

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 Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

This means that Naomi and Ruth are returning at Passover time,21 just when the town would
have been celebrating the return of Israel from Egypt. But the hopefulness of this parallel is lost
on Naomi. The city is rejoicing, but she is deeply depressed.

Lessons from Ruth 1

Let’s summarize some practical lessons from Ruth 1 (chart).
God works in mysterious ways. The sweep of Scripture shows that he wants a Moabite, Ruth,
in the ancestry of the Messiah, and this book shows how he achieves this end.
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how
unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Our liberty must be used cautiously, lest it lead to worldliness. Elimelech had biblical
precedent for seeking refuge elsewhere in time of famine. But it was not necessary, as the
example of other Bethlehemites shows. And his intent to sojourn in Moab led to growing
assimilation with the pagan culture.
1Co 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful
for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
We should treasure being with the Lord’s people. Elimelech and his family do not adequately
value the land that God promised their fathers, and the society structured around God’s worship
that he had established there.
Zec 8:23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall
take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a
Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
The Lord can use disaster to guide us. To get the family back to Bethlehem, God must remove
first Elimelech, then the sons.
Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for
thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
We should not confuse God’s direction with his wrath. Naomi badly misunderstands the
events in her family’s life, to the point of accusing the Lord of malice toward her.
Pro 3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he
delighteth.
A socially inferior person can give spiritual help and encouragement to a social superior.
Ruth, a foreigner, supports Naomi in her hour of spiritual doubt.
Psa 119:99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my
meditation.

21 The Targum of 1:22 makes this explicit, reading, “they entered Bethlehem on the eve of Passover.”

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 Ruth: Overview and Chapter 1

Notes
End of First Paragraph
1:6 or 1:7? Gow suggests a chiasm here.
Rut 1:6 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.

Translations of ‫שׁדי‬
The rendering ἱκανὸς hikanos G2425 used in Ruth is more ‫שׁדי‬ Total
dedicated (0.11 > 0.08) than the dominant παντοκράτωρ
pantokratōr G3841 (Table 3). παντοκράτωρ 15 (0.08) 181
ἱκανὸς 5 (0.11) 46
Parsing of ‫ ענה בי‬in 1:21 θεός 11 3777
MT parses ‫ ענה‬as Qal, and the expression as used in Exod κύριος 10 8298
20:16, “to bear witness against.” But the OG, Syriac, and ?
Vg read it as Piel, in the sense “Afflict,”22 a reading that
Total 48
has attracted some loyalty. Moore claims that “In the
Hebrew Bible, moreover, the preposition ‫ ב‬never follows Table 3: LXX Translations of ‫שׁדי‬
‫ ענה‬when ‫ ענה‬is in the piel.” (Actually, the statement should
be, “never governs its patient through ‫ ;ב‬the preposition does specify the location case, Ezek.
22:10-11; 102:24; or means, Psa. 35:13; 105:18.) KD note ‫( ענה ב‬G) in the sense “trouble
oneself with” in Eccl 1:13. It seems best to stay with the Massoretes.

22 M. Moore, “Two Textual Anomalies in Ruth,” CBQ 59:2 (1997) 234-243

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