Ruth 1:7

Ruth 1:7

KJV

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.

(Bible.cc)

Hebrew

7 וַתֵּצֵ֗א (and she departed) מִן־הַמָּקֹום֙ (from the place) אֲשֶׁ֣ר (which) הָיְתָה־שָׁ֔מָּה (she was in) וּשְׁתֵּ֥י (and two) כַלֹּתֶ֖יהָ (daughters in law) עִמָּ֑הּ (her and they) וַתֵּלַ֣כְנָה (went) בַדֶּ֔רֶךְ (on their way) לָשׁ֖וּב (to return) אֶל־אֶ֥רֶץ (to the land) יְהוּדָֽה׃ (of Judah)

(bliblos.com)

Greek Septuagint

7καὶ (and) ἐξῆλθεν (she departed) ἐκ (from) τοῦ (the) τόπου (land) οὗ (where) ἦν (she was) ἐκεῖ (there) καὶ (and) αἱ (the) δύο (two) νύμφαι (daughters in law) αὐτῆς (of her) μετ' (with) αὐτῆς (her) καὶ (and) ἐπορεύοντο (they went) ἐν (in) τῇ (the) ὁδῷ (way) τοῦ (to) ἐπιστρέψαι (turn around and go) εἰς (into) τὴν (the) γῆν (land) ιουδα (of Judah)

(bliblos.com)

Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was

This passage is taking about Naomi.

Naomi had been living in the land of Moab, fleeing from a famine that had plagued the land of Israel. And now she had found out that there was again an abundance of food in the land of Israel, she decides to return that she may dwell among her own people.

And her two daughters in law with her

The daughters in law were Orpah and Ruth who were married to Naomi’s sons who passed away in the land of Moab.

And they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.

The Greek word for “return” - ἐπορεύοντο,  is used very sparingly in the Bible, appearing only 2 times in the New Testament. It doesn’t just mean to return, but a complete turnaround, a change in direction, much like repentance, which indeed this would have been, for the Jews were not permitted to dwell among a foreign nation.

Judah was the fourth son of Jacob born to him by his wife Leah. The name Judah means “Now will I praise Yahweh” although Judah may not have been his full name, just a shortened or abridged version.

Ruth 1:6

Ruth 1:6

KJV

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.

(bible.cc)

Hebrew

6 וַתָּ֤קָם (then arose) הִיא֙ (she) וְכַלֹּתֶ֔יהָ (and her daughters in law) וַתָּ֖שָׁב (to return) מִשְּׂדֵ֣י (from the land of) מֹואָ֑ב (Moab) כִּ֤י (for) שָֽׁמְעָה֙ (she heard) בִּשְׂדֵ֣ה (in the land of) מֹואָ֔ב (Moab) כִּֽי־פָקַ֤ד (that had visited) יְהוָה֙ (the LORD) אֶת־עַמֹּ֔ו (his people) לָתֵ֥ת (giving) לָהֶ֖ם (to them) לָֽחֶם׃(bread)

(biblos.com)

Greek Septuagint

6καὶ (and) ἀνέστη (then arose) αὐτὴ (she) καὶ (and) αἱ (the) δύο (two) νύμφαι (Daughters in law) αὐτῆς (of her) καὶ (and) ἀπέστρεψαν (return) ἐξ (from) ἀγροῦ (the land of) μωαβ (Moab) ὅτι (because) ἤκουσαν (she had heard)  ἐν (in) ἀγρῷ (the land of) μωαβ (Moab) ὅτι (that) ἐπέσκεπται (visited) κύριος (the Lord) τὸν (the) λαὸν (people) αὐτοῦ (of Him) δοῦναι (giving) αὐτοῖς (to them) ἄρτους (bread) 

(biblos.com)

Then she arose with her daughters in law

“She” refers to Naomi.

The Daughters in Law were Orpah and Ruth.

Evidently Naomi felt some responsibility for the wives of her late sons, and so intended to care for them in the land of Israel.

The Greek for daughters in law is νύμφαι which interestingly is the same word used for the mythical creature a “Nymph”.

That she might return from the country of Moab

Naomi with her husband and two sons had moved to Moab as refugees from the land of Israel which was at that time ridden with a severe famine.

Moab was inhabited by the children of Moab, who were descendants of Lot, and thus were related by blood to the Israelites.

For she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.

The LORD’s people are the children of Israel.

Bread here, as is very common throughout scripture, is not merely talking about bread, but of food in general.

Ruth 1:5

Ruth 1:5

KJV

And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.

Hebrew

5 וַיָּמ֥וּתוּ (And died) גַם־שְׁנֵיהֶ֖ם (also her [Naomi’s] two [sons]) מַחְלֹ֣ון (Mahlon) וְכִלְיֹ֑ון (and Chilion) וַתִּשָּׁאֵר֙ (and was left) הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה (the woman) מִשְּׁנֵ֥י (of two) יְלָדֶ֖יהָ (sons) וּמֵאִישָֽׁהּ׃(and of her husband)

Greek Septuagint

5καὶ (and) ἀπέθανον (died) καί (and) γε (also) ἀμφότεροι (both) μααλων (Mahlon) καὶ (and) χελαιων (Chilion) καὶ (and) κατελείφθη (was left) ἡ (the) γυνὴ (woman) ἀπὸ (of) τοῦ (the) ἀνδρὸς (husband) αὐτῆς (of her) καὶ (and) ἀπὸ (from) τῶν (the) δύο (two) υἱῶν (sons) αὐτῆς (of her)

Commentary

This verse is very easy to understand and needs very little explanation.

The fact that Naomi was left without her husband and two sons meant that all property and duties fell upon her, including the farm in Moab and the responsibility of working the land, which was unseemly for a woman to do, and so it was inevitable that she would have to sell the land in Moab and return back to the land of Israel. Of which we read in the following verses.

Naomi is a Hebrew name which means “my sweetness”

Mahlon and Chilion are Hebrew names which mean “sickness” and “wasting”

Name meanings are taken from the Encyclopedia Biblica.

Ruth 1:4

Ruth 1:4

KJV                     

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.

Hebrew OT

 4 וַיִּשְׂאוּ (and they took) לָהֶם (to them) נָשִׁים (wives) מֹאֲבִיֹּות (Moabitesses) שֵׁם (the name) הָאַחַת (of one) עָרְפָּה (Orpah) וְשֵׁם (and the name) הַשֵּׁנִית (of the other) רוּת (Ruth) וַיֵּשְׁבוּ (and the lived) שָׁם (there) כְּעֶשֶׂר (ten) שָׁנִים׃ (years)

(biblos.com)

Greek Septuagint

4καὶ (and) ἐλάβοσαν (they took) ἑαυτοῖς (to themselves) γυναῖκας (wives) μωαβίτιδας (Moabites) ὄνομα (the name) τῇ (of) μιᾷ (one) ορφα (Orphah) καὶ (and) ὄνομα (the name) τῇ (of the) δευτέρᾳ (second) ρουθ (Ruth) καὶ (and) κατῴκησαν (they dwelt) ἐκεῖ (there) ὡς (thus) δέκα (ten) ἔτη (years)

(biblos.com)

And they took them wives of the women of Moab

“They” referred here, is Naomi’s sons: Mahlon and Chilion.

There have been countless warnings in the Torah (the 5 books of Moses) against the taking of a wife that is not of the children of Israel. So Naomi bringing back Ruth to Israel (later in the chapter) must have looked very bad to a lot of her kinsfolk in Israel.

The Moabites were related to the Israelites, as they were the descendants of Lot. (see notes on Ruth 1:1)

Interestingly Barnes writes in his notes on the Bible: Marriages of Israelites with women of Ammon or Moab are nowhere in the Law expressly forbidden, as were marriages with the women of Canaan Deuteronomy 7:1-3. In the days of Nehemiah the special law Deuteronomy 23:3-6 was interpreted as forbidding them, and as excluding the children of such marriages from the congregation of Israel Nehemiah 13:1-3. Probably the marriages of Mahlon and Chilion would be justified by necessity, living as they were in a foreign land.

The name of the one was Orpah

According to Wikipedia: “Orpah, meaning "mane" or "gazelle", is from the root for "nape" or "back of the neck",”

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Ruth)

The following is another interesting article explaining the meaning of the name Orpah: http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Orpah.html#.TuDzUmOXOr0

And the name of the other Ruth

The name Ruth probably means “Friend” or “Companion”

(http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Ruth.html#.TuD0LGOXOr0)

And they dwelled there about ten years

“About”… This word does not appear in the original Hebrew, instead there is a “Kaph” prefix, which is usually translated “as” or “thus”. The Greek Septuagint mirrors this by using ὡς (usually translated “thus”). 

Ruth 1:3

Ruth 1:3

KJV

3And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. 

(bible.cc)

Greek Septuagint

3καὶ (and) ἀπέθανεν (he died) αβιμελεχ (Abimelech [or Elimelech]) ὁ (the) ἀνὴρ (husband) τῆς (of) νωεμιν (Naomi) καὶ (and) κατελείφθη (she was left) αὐτὴ (her) καὶ (and) οἱ (the) δύο (two) υἱοὶ (sons) αὐτῆς (of her)

(biblos.com)

Hebrew OT

3 וַיָּמָת (and he died) אֱלִימֶלֶךְ (Elimelech) אִישׁ (the husband of) נָעֳמִי (Naomi) וַתִּשָּׁאֵר (and she was left) הִיא (she) וּשְׁנֵי (and the two) בָנֶיהָ׃ (of her sons)

(biblos.com)

And Elimelech Naomi's husband died

Elimelech means “My God is King”. Naomi means “pleasant”. (see notes on Ruth 1:2)

Interestingly, the Greek for Elimelech (Abimelech) means “My Father is King”. Notice that in the Lord’s Prayer God is called “Our Father”. And so we are led to believe that the concept of the peternal God is in no way a new concept.

Gill writes in his exposition: “According to Josephus (x), after he had dwelt in the land ten years, and had married his two sons to Moabitish women; but, as Alshech observes, the text shows that while he was living they were not married to them, but after his death; and it is said of them only that they dwelt there about ten years; so that it is most probable that their father died quickly after he came into the land of Moab: and she was left, and her two sons; in a strange land, she without a husband, and they without a father.” (bible.cc)

And she was left, and her two sons

Naomi was left alone with her two sons. Presumably Elimelech, before he died, bought a field in the land of Moab (he was a wealthy man, as we will find out in the proceeding chapters), and now that he is dead, it falls into the hands of his sons to keep and to work the land.

Ruth 1:2

Ruth 1:2

KJV                 

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.

(Bible.cc)

Hebrew Bible

 2 וְשֵׁם (The name)   הָאִישׁ (of the man) אֱ‍לִימֶלֶךְ (Elimelech) וְשֵׁם (and the name) אִשְׁתֹּו (of his wife) נָעֳמִי (Naomi) וְשֵׁם (and the name) שְׁנֵי־בָנָיו (of his two sons) ׀ מַחְלֹון (Mahlon) וְכִלְיֹון (and Chillion) אֶפְרָתִים (Ephrathites) מִבֵּית (from Beth-) לֶחֶם (lehem) יְהוּדָה (Judah)  וַיָּבֹאוּ (entered) שְׂדֵי־מֹואָב (the land of Moab) וַיִּהְיוּ־שָׁם (and remained there)׃

(biblos.com)

Septuagint (Greek)

2καὶ ὄνομα τῷ ἀνδρὶ αβιμελεχ καὶ ὄνομα τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ νωεμιν καὶ ὄνομα τοῖς δυσὶν υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ μααλων καὶ χελαιων εφραθαῖοι ἐκ βαιθλεεμ τῆς ιουδα καὶ ἤλθοσαν εἰς ἀγρὸν μωαβ καὶ ἦσαν ἐκεῖ 

(biblos.com)

And the name of the man was Elimelech

Gill writes in His commentary of the Bible: “And the name of the man was Elimelech, [Eli = God, Melech = King] .... Which signifies "my God is King", as he was King over Israel. In the times of the judges, the government was a theocracy; the judges were raised up immediately by the Lord, and ruled under him;”

Notice that the word “was” in our Bibles is usually written in italics which indicates that it is not found in the original language of Scripture. This is because that unlike English and Greek, the Hebrew language does not have and word for the verb “to be” of and derived words, including the word “was” which is the past tense of “to be”.

Also of note, is that the word “was” is not found in the Septuagint which takes on the exact sentence form as the original Hebrew.

And the name of his wife Naomi

According to Clarke, the name Naomi means “Beautiful” or “Pleasant”. We will find later in the chapter that Naomi changes her name to “Mara” which means bitter, which is in direct contrast to her name on Naomi.

And the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion

Mahlon - Infirmity.

Chilion - Finished, completed.

(Clarkes commentary)

And according to the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary: “Mahlon and Chilion, are supposed to be the same as Joash and Saraph (1Ch 4:22)”. Although this is only based on the association with the land of Moab.

Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah

Ephrath is just another name for Bethlehem. Also known as Bethlehem Ephrathah.

This is the Bethlehem where our Lord Jesus Christ was born. (see commentary on Ruth 1:1)

And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

The Moabites were related to the Israelites, as they were descendants of Lot. (see commentary on Ruth 1:1)