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Ruth 1

Ruth binds herself to Naomi and to Naomi’s God as they return to Bethlehem under the weight of bereavement.

A famine drives Elimelech’s family from Bethlehem to Moab during the days of the judges. There Naomi loses her husband and both sons, leaving her with two Moabite daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth. Hearing that YHWH has provided food for his people, Naomi sets out for Judah and urges the women to return home. Orpah leaves with tears; Ruth pledges to stay. Naomi reaches Bethlehem speaking of bitter loss, with Ruth beside her as barley harvest begins.

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1In the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to live in the country of Moab with his wife and his two sons.
2The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Judah. They came into the country of Moab and lived there.
3Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons.
4They took for themselves wives of the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other was Ruth. They lived there about ten years.
5Mahlon and Chilion both died, and the woman was bereaved of her two children and of her husband.
6Then 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 the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.
7She went out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her. They went on the way to return to the land of Judah.
8Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.
9May the LORD 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 voices, and wept.
10They said to her, “No, but we will return with you to your people.”
11Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
13would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from having husbands? No, my daughters, for it grieves me seriously for your sakes, for the LORD’s hand has gone out against me.”
14They lifted up their voices and wept again; then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth stayed with her.
15She said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god. Follow your sister-in-law.”
16Ruth said, “Don’t urge me to leave you, and to return from following you, for where you go, I will go; and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God.
17Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.”
18When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
20She said to them, “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
21I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”
22So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Ruth 1:15Naomi’s final appeal makes clear that Ruth’s choice concerns allegiance to a people and a god as well as home.
Ruth 1:16Ruth joins her future to Naomi’s, declaring that Naomi’s people and God will be her own.
Ruth 1:17Ruth extends her pledge through death and burial, calling on YHWH to hold her to it.
Where this chapter reaches

The famine-driven move to Moab shares with Genesis the pattern of families leaving home in search of food. Naomi’s account of loss shares with Job the speech of a bereaved sufferer who understands affliction in relation to God’s rule.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What do you notice about Naomi’s prayers for her daughters-in-law alongside her account of God’s hand against her?

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How does Ruth’s presence shape your reading of Naomi’s statement that she has come home empty?

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Questions people ask about Ruth 1

Why does Naomi ask to be called Mara?

Naomi connects the name Mara, meaning bitter, with her conviction that the Almighty has dealt bitterly with her. Her name Naomi is associated with pleasantness. After losing her husband and sons, she asks Bethlehem’s women to address her with a name that reflects how she understands her losses.

What does Ruth 1:16 mean?

Ruth refuses Naomi’s request to return to Moab. She commits to sharing Naomi’s home and people, and declares allegiance to Naomi’s God. The next verse extends that commitment to death and burial with an oath before YHWH. These words are spoken by a daughter-in-law to her widowed mother-in-law.

Was God punishing Naomi’s family in Ruth 1?

The narrator reports famine and the deaths of Naomi’s husband and sons without naming a sin or explaining why they died. Naomi says YHWH’s hand has gone out against her and describes herself as afflicted by the Almighty. The chapter records her judgment without identifying a specific offense behind these losses.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).