Analysis of vv. 1-2:

1)     The author sets the timeframe of the book with his opening statement, “Now it came about in the days when the judges governed” (lit: “in the days of the judging of the judges”).

2)     There was a “famine” in the land (msn, b['r, raab, famine, hunger).

3)     No causes are given for the famine in the text. Some possibilities:

a)     Since this was during the period of the judges, the famine may have been caused by the depredations of the Midianites and their allies prior to Gideon’s judgeship (Judges 6:1ff).

b)     This in turn had been brought about because of Israel’s apostasy and persistent idolatry.

c)     In other passages famines were sent upon the land by God as judgment for sin (e.g. idolatry, 1 Kings 16:30-17:1, Jer. 44:27 cf. Deut. 28:48, 32:24, 2 Kings 8:1, Jer. 11:22).

d)     In light of the prevailing apostasy in Israel during this period, disobedience to God is evidently the primary cause of the famine.

4)     Due to the famine, a man and his family left Bethlehem in Judah in order to sojourn in the land of Moab.

5)     Presumably, Moab was unaffected by the famine or least not as severely.

6)     The man’s family included his wife and two sons.

7)     The phrase translated “in the land” refers to fields, pastures or territories of a tribe or of a people (ydEäf.B, bisadey- plural form).

8)     Here the author uses it as a generic reference and not a specific location in Moab.

9)     The basic meaning of the term translated “sojourn” is to dwell as an alien or to live among people who are not blood relatives (Gen 19:9, Judges 19:1, 16).

10) This family of sojourners, since they lived among people to whom they had no blood ties or tribal association, had only the rights and status accorded them by the native populace, the Moabites.

11)Apparently at this point in time Israel and Moab were at peace (cf. Judges 3:12).

12) In v. 2 the family is identified as Elimelech, the husband, and his wife, Naomi along with their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion.

a)     Elimelech, %l,m,ylia: God is King.

b)     Naomi, ymi[\n: good, pleasant.

c)     Mahlon, !Alx.m and Chilion, !Ayl.K: meaning uncertain.

13) They are also identified as “Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah” (ytir'p.a,, Ephrathi).

14) The designation “Ephrathite” refers to the following:

a)     Members of the tribe of Ephraim (Judges 12:5, 1 Kings 11:26).

b)     Ephrath(ah) was also an alternate name for Bethlehem (Gen. 35:19, Judges 4:11).

c)     However, here the term refers a portion of people, perhaps a clan, which made up the population of Bethlehem (1 Sam. 17:12, Micah 5:2).

15)“Bethlehem in Judah” is distinguished from the lesser known town in the territory of Zebulon in Northern Israel (Josh. 19:15).

16) The author’s general introductory statements make no mention whether the move to Moab was right or wrong.

17) However the unfolding events indicate that the move to Moab certainly wasn’t blessed by God and ended in calamity.

18) Following the theme of the Judges period, Elimelech “did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

19) In this case, abandoning Israel and taking up residence in the midst of a pagan nation, even during a famine, suggests a lack of faith (cf. Psa. 33:19, 37:19). 

Ruth 1:3-5 Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she herself was left alone with her two sons. ⁴ And they married Moabite women; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. ⁵ Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; and the woman was left alone without her two children and her husband.

Analysis of vv. 3-5:

1)     V. 3 begins with death of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech.

2)     The Hebrew text is emphatic and the verb “was left” (rav, shaar) indicates the static action of surviving an elimination process.

3)     Here, Naomi survived her husband and was left alone with her two sons. Translate, “She herself was left alone with her two sons.”

4)     “And they married Moabite women.” is a translation of the Hebrew idiom, “they lifted up for themselves Moabite women.”

5)     The wives are identified as Orpah, hP'êr>[, and Ruth, tWr,  respectively.

6)     The precise meaning of their names is uncertain.

7)     Although not denounced in the text and not specifically included in Deuteronomy, marrying Moabite women or pagan women in general was not acceptable (Deut. 7:3, Ezra 9:1-2 Now when these things had been completed, the princes approached me, saying, "The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. ² "For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has intermingled with the peoples of the lands; indeed, the hands of the princes and the rulers have been foremost in this unfaithfulness." Also 1 Kings 11:1ff, Neh. 13:23).

8)     It is probable that the Hebrew form of the verb, “lived” indicates that it was the two sons and Naomi who lived there for ten years, rather than that the sons were married to the Moabite women for ten years.

9)      V. 5 opens with the unexpected and unexplained death of Naomi’s sons.

10) Now, Naomi, referred to as “the woman,” was left alone without her children and her husband.

11) “Her children” expresses the poignancy of Naomi’s loss rather than the ordinary, “sons.”

12) Evidently her sons were without any offspring.

13) Vv. 3-5 contain parallels which highlight the theme of death and deprivation.[1]

a)     V. 3: Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left alone with her two sons.

b)     V. 5: Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; and the woman was left alone without of her two children and her husband.

14) Although there is no mention in the text that the death of Elimelech and the two sons was Divine punishment, they had pursued their own plans in disregard of God’s directive will by abandoning Israel and marrying pagan women respectively.

Ruth 1:6-7 Then she herself arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, for she had heard in the land of Moab that YHWH had visited His people in giving them food. ⁷ So she departed from 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.

Analysis of vv. 6-7:

1)     Following the unexpected deaths of her husband and sons, Naomi made preparations to leave.

2)     She intended to return to her homeland, Israel.

3)     The conjunction, “for” begins a causal clause that indicates the primary reason for Naomi’s return.

4)     While in Moab, Naomi had heard that God blessed His famished people with food.

5)     The author indicates that “YHWH had visited His people in giving them food.”

a)     The basic meaning of the term translated “visited” (dq;P’, paqad) is to exercise oversight over a subordinate, either in the form of making a careful inspection or of taking action to cause a considerable change in the circumstances of the subordinate.

b)     The change may be for better or worse. In our context the change in Israel, specifically Judah, was definitely for the better.

c)     “His people” refers to the Jews. This designation portrays the covenant relationship between God and the Jews (AMê[, ami, Gen. 17:1-9, Ex. 19:3-8, Josh. 24:1ff).

d)     They are His people and He is their God (Lev. 26:12).

e)     As far as the covenant is concerned, God has always been faithful to the Jews in spite of their unfaithfulness to Him (Lev. 26:44-45, Psa. 78:1ff).

f)      This is especially evident during the Judges period even when the nation was mired in depravity.

g)     Here, God provided them with food and in other passages, multiple deliverances from oppressors during this bleak period (Judges 2:1, 10-18).

h)     His purpose in visiting or inspecting Israel was to give them food (tteîl, la’theth, Qal inftv of purpose, “in order to give…”).

6)     Naomi departed Moab with her daughters-in-law and headed back to Judah.

7)     In vv. 6-7, the author is focusing on Naomi and not the daughter’s-in-law as she is the subject of the clauses, “she herself arose,” “she might return,” and “she had heard,” and “she departed.”

8)     Naomi’s intentions are clear, but those of Ruth and Orpah are uncertain at this point.

Ruth 1:8-10 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May YHWH deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. ⁹ "May YHWH grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband." Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. ¹⁰ And they said to her, "No, but we will surely return with you to your people."

Analysis of vv. 8-10:

1)     On their journey back to Judah, Naomi urged both Ruth and Orpah to return to their mother’s house.

2)     The usual would be a return to their father’s house. Naomi appears to emphasizing that these young widows should return to their mother’s house and not stay with their mother-in-law.

3)     Her parting wish was that YHWH would “deal kindly” with them as they had with her sons when they were alive and her.

4)     The Hebrew term translated “kindly” has a wide range of meanings (ds,x,, chesed).

5)     Depending on the context, it may also be translated as “lovingkindness, kindness, mercy, loyalty, unchanging love.”

a)     Human relationships (Gen. 47:29, Ruth 3:10).

b)     God to man (Ruth 2:20, Psa. 13:5, Lam. 3:22).

6)     To demonstrate “kindness” as did Ruth and Orpah, was commendable (Prov. 3:3).

7)     Naomi also expressed the hope that God would give them “rest” in a home with a new husband.

8)     “Rest” connotes a settled, protected and secure life (hx'Wnm., menuchah, cf. 1 Chron. 22:9).

9)     After these pronouncements, Naomi kissed them good-bye, at which point, they all began to sob loudly.

10) The Hebrew indicates all the women were crying not just the daughters-in-law.

11) It was a heart wrenching farewell for all.

12) However, in v. 10, Ruth and Orpah refused to be separated from Naomi.

13) In the Hebrew, the preposition “with you” precedes the verb, “we will return” which further emphasizes their faithfulness, ds,x,, chesed to Naomi (lit: “No, with you we will return to your people!”, cf. Gen. 17:4).

Ruth 1:11-13 But Naomi said, "Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? ¹² "Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons, ¹³ would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is exceedingly more bitter for me than for you, for the hand of YHWH has gone forth against me."

Analysis of vv. 11-13:

1)     Even after their pledge of loyalty, Naomi again instructs her daughters-in-law to return to their families.

2)     She immediately poses some arguments to dissuade them.

3)     Naomi’s arguments assume the law of the levirate marriage.

4)     The levirate law provided for the marriage of a childless widow to a brother-in-law or to the closest male relative (Deut. 25:5-10, Ruth 4:1ff).

5)     Naomi rhetorically points out that she is not pregnant with sons who, as the younger siblings of Mahlon and Chilion, would be obligated to marry their widowed sisters-in-law according to the levirate law (cf. Luke 20:28).

6)     Yet again in v. 12, she forcefully orders them, “Return my daughters! Go…”

7)     She asserts, “I am too old to have a husband.” That is, she is past the age of childbearing.

8)     In order to reinforce her statement, she poses an impossible scenario in order stress why they should leave her.

9)     Even if she was married and gave birth to sons that very night, did Ruth and Orpah really intend to wait and remain unmarried until the sons were grown? Of course not.

10) Her point was that it would be absurd to wait.

11) Furthermore, she concluded that her circumstances were far harder than that of her daughters-in-law.

12) “Harder for me” is literally “exceedingly more bitter for me.” The latter translation more accurately reflects Naomi’s mental attitude (cf. Ruth 1:20).

13) Additionally she attributed her current predicament to “the hand of YHWH” which is a figurative expression for Divine punishment (Deut. 2:15, 1 Sam. 12:15).

14) She viewed Him as sovereign and actively involved in her circumstances, but not in a positive sense.

15)Naomi appears insensitive to their grief. They had, after all, been recently widowed.

16) However due to their youth, they could expect to remarry and bear children.

Ruth 1:14-18 And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. ¹⁵ Then she said, "Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law." ¹⁶ But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following 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, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may YHWH do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me." ¹⁸ When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

Analysis of vv. 14-18:

1)     The women cried following the hopeless situation Naomi had just described to them.

2)     The idiom “lifted up their voices and wept” also in v. 9, means to sob or cry loudly.

3)     The adverb translated “again” does not mean that the women had once more resumed crying. Rather it stresses the continuance of their crying. Translate, “still more.”[2]

4)     Orpah decided to leave and gave a farewell kiss to Naomi.

5)     However Ruth “clung” to her mother-in-law.

6)     The Hebrew word order which places “Ruth” before the verb “clung,” expresses the simultaneous actions of the daughters-in-law as well as contrasting their responses.

7)     That is, while Orpah bid farewell and left, Ruth physically embraced, “clung” to Naomi and remained.

8)     Our term “clung” also carries the sense of clinging to someone in affection and loyalty (qb;D’, dabaq, Gen. 2:24, loyalty to God: Deut. 10:20, 11:22).

9)     Naomi urged Ruth to follow her sister-in-law’s example and return to her people and gods.

10) The term translated “sister-in-law” occurs five times and may also used as a technical term to mean “brother’s widow or wife” in connection with the law of the levirate (tm,bey, yebemeth, Deuteronomy 25:7-9 “But if the man does not desire to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to establish a name for his brother in Israel; he is not willing to perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ ⁸ “Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak to him. And if he persists and says, ‘I do not desire to take her,’ ⁹ then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the sight of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face; and she shall declare, ‘Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.).

11) This was hardly sound advice by Naomi, who at this point was consumed with bitterness.

12) To return to her family and the worship of idols, here referred to as “gods,” was not in Ruth’s best interests.

13) Clearly Naomi wasn’t making any effort to proselytize Ruth.

14) In response to the erroneous advice, Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you.”

15) Furthermore, Ruth expressed her complete commitment and devotion by swearing an oath.

16) She pledged her future with Naomi to share her home and circumstances, not just until their return to Bethlehem, but after as well.

17) She confessed allegiance to the people of Israel and to God thereby renouncing her Moabite heritage and pagan worship (“Your people, my people and your God, my God).

18) She was making a complete break from the past and everything that was familiar to her.

19) Her allegiance to God is a statement of saving faith.

20)She made this decision without any encouragement from Naomi. In fact, the decision was made despite Naomi’s strenuous encouragement to do the opposite.

21) In addition to committing her life to Naomi until death, Ruth included the place of burial (“Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried”).

22) To conclude the oath, Ruth calls down judgment upon herself from her “new” God, YHWH, if she leaves Naomi except by death.

23) The implication is that the judgment would be severe.

24) Her words provide one of the most striking examples of love and sacrifice, for she cast aside concern for her own future and security.

25) Bear in mind that two widows on their own didn’t face a future brimming with options.

26) In response to Ruth’s unselfish promise of devotion, the expected response from Naomi would be gratitude and thanksgiving. This was far from what transpired.

27) Not only did Naomi fail to express gratitude, she didn’t say a word and silently acquiesced in the face of Ruth’s determination.

28) The lack of reaction to Ruth’s commitment clearly manifests that Naomi is overcome by bitterness.

29) At this point she cannot appreciate the significance of her daughter-in-law’s commitment.

Ruth 1:19-22 So they both went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came about when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was stirred because of them, and the women said, “Is this Naomi?” ²⁰ And she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. ²¹ “I went out full, but YHWH has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since YHWH has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?” ²² So Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

Analysis of vv. 19-22:

1)     Naomi and Ruth resumed their journey and traveled to Bethlehem in Judah.

2)     When they arrived at Bethlehem, “all the city was stirred because of them.”

a)     “All the city” is a synecdoche, a figure of speech in which the whole stands for a part or vice versa.

b)     The author refers to a large part of the inhabitants, specifically to the women of Bethlehem.

c)     This is demonstrated by use of the feminine form in the following Hebrew verb correctly translated, “the women said.”

d)     The term “stirred” used to describe the reaction of the town is “to murmur, be in an uproar, to make a great noise” (1 Sam. 4:5, Micah 2:12).

e)     The term conveys delighted excitement at Naomi’s homecoming.

3)     The question, “Is this Naomi?” expresses a surprised and joyous recognition in the sense of “Can this really be Naomi?” or “Why, it’s Naomi!”

4)     To the women she retorted, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara…”

5)     Here Naomi engages in a play on words. “Naomi” means “pleasant”, while “Mara” means “bitter.”

6)     An alternate translation is “Don’t call me ‘Pleasant’; call me ‘Bitter’!”

7)     Her reason was that the “Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”

a)     As a synonym for YHWH, Naomi uses the name, “Almighty” (yD;v, Shaddai).

b)     The Divine title in our context connotes judgment and power (cf. Job 5:17, 40:2, Joel 1:15).

c)     She has expanded upon her complaint. In v. 13 Naomi attributes the cause of her complaint somewhat obliquely to God.

d)     In our verse, the verb “to be bitter” is in the causative form with “Almighty” as the subject.

e)     She is now directly charging God with causing her life to be very bitter (cf. Job 27:2 where Job makes a similar accusation).

8)     Naomi becomes more specific in her complaint against God in v. 21.

9)     She begins by contrasting her former and current states, “I went out full, but YHWH has brought me back empty.”

a)     The word “full” figuratively refers to having a husband, sons and being satisfied with life.

b)     Whereas “empty” means she was a widow, without family and in a state of anguish.

c)     Further, she viewed God as the cause of her emptiness.

10) Portraying herself as a defendant in a legal case, Naomi insisted that she not be called “Pleasant” since YHWH had “witnessed” against her and “the Almighty has afflicted me.”

11) “Witnessed” is used technically and means “to give evidence or testify against” someone (hn”[, anah, Ex. 23:2).

12) “Afflicted” often designates experiences that entail physical harm and/or emotional pain with the latter applying to Naomi ([[;r', raa, cf. Gen 43:6, Num. 11:10-11, 1 Kings 17:20).

13) As the subject of “witnessed” and “afflicted”, Naomi portrays God as giving irrefutable testimony against her and then executing judgment on her.

14) Interestingly, Naomi doesn’t rail against fate or chance.

15) Rather she lays the responsibility for her seemingly “empty” life at God’s feet.

16) She ascribes full sovereignty to God and openly even forcefully voices her complaint.

17) Additionally, she was completely absorbed in misery that she fails even to acknowledge the presence of Ruth, the one who had just devoted her life to her.

18)In Ruth we see an admirable example of self-sacrifice, who placed the needs of another above her own, even thought is wasn’t particularly appreciated.

19) This is certainly is a quality we ought to emulate as believers (Rom. 12:1, 13, Titus 3:14, Heb. 13:16 cf. 1 John 3:17).

20) V. 22 summarizes the preceding events of the first chapter with the additional fact that their return coincided with the beginning of the barley harvest (i.e. March-April).

21) This sets the stage for the events that follow in the harvest field in the next chapter.

End: Chapter 1.

[2] Frederic Bush, Word Biblical Commentary: Ruth/Esther (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996), 81.