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Ruth Chapter
One
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO RUTH 1
This
chapter treats of a family that removed from the land of Canaan to the land of
Moab on account of a famine, where the father of it and his two sons died, and
each of them left a widow, 1:1 the mother-in-law
proposed to return to her own country, and set forward with her two
daughters-in-law, whom, when they had gone a little way with her, she entreated
to go back, and expostulated with them about it, 1:6,
upon which one of them did, but the other, Ruth, the subject of this book,
resolved to go the journey with her, 1:14 and they
both came to Bethlehem, the former residence of her mother-in-law Naomi, who
was greatly taken notice of by her old friends and acquaintance, to whom she
related her present circumstances, 1:19.
Ruth
1:1 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 Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country
of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.
YLT 1And 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.
Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled,.... So that
it appears that this history is of time and things after the affair of Micah,
and of the concubine of the Levite, and of the war between Israel and Benjamin;
for in those times there was no king nor judge in Israel; but to what time of
the judges, and which government of theirs it belongs to, is not agreed on.
JosephusF15 places it in the government of Eli, but that is too late
for Boaz, the grandfather of Jesse, the father of David, to live. Some Jewish
writers, as Jarchi, say it was in the times of Ibzan, who they sayF16
is the same with Boaz, but without proof, and which times are too late also for
this history. The Jewish chronologyF17 comes nearer the truth, which
carries it up as high as the times of Eglon, king of Moab, when Ehud was judge;
and with which Dr. LightfootF18 pretty much agrees, who puts this
history between the third and fourth chapters of Judges, and so must belong to
the times of Ehud or Shamgar. Junius refers it to the times of Deborah and
Barak; and othersF19, on account of the famine, think it began in
the times the Midianites oppressed Israel, and carried off the fruits of the
earth, which caused it, when Gideon was raised up to be their judge; AltingF20
places it in the time of Jephthah; such is the uncertainty about the time
referred to:
that there was a famine in the land; the land of Canaan, that
very fruitful country. The Targum says this was the sixth famine that had been
in the world, and it was in the days of Boaz, who is called Ibzan the just, and
who was of Bethlehemjudah; but it is more probable that it was in the days of
Gideon, as before observed, than in the days of Ibzan
and a certain man of Bethlehemjudah; so called to distinguish
it from another Bethlehem in the tribe of Zebulun, Joshua 19:15 which
had its name from the fruitfulness of the place, and the plenty of bread in it,
and yet the famine was here; hence this man with his family removed from it:
and went to sojourn in the country of Moab; where there
was plenty; not to dwell there, but to sojourn for a time, until the famine was
over:
he and his wife, and his two sons; the names of each of
them are next given. par parF15 Antiqu. l. 5. c. 9. sect. 1.F16
T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 91. 1. Tzemach David, par. 1. fol. 8. 2. Jarchi &
Abendana in loc.F17 Seder Olam Rabba, c. 12. p. 33.F18
Works, vol. 1. p. 48.F19 Rambachius in loc. & Majus in ib. so
Biship Patrick. Lampe Hist. Eccl. l. 1. c. 5. p. 22.F20 Theolog.
Hist. loc. 2. p. 84.
Ruth
1:2 2 The
name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi,
and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of
Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there.
YLT 2And 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.
And the name of the man was Elimelech,.... 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; the Targum calls him a great man,
and so Jarchi; and it is very likely he was, especially if it be true what is
said the Jewish chronologyF21Seder Olam Rabba, c. 12. p. 34.
Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 8. 1. , that he was the brother of Salmon, prince of
the tribe of Judah; and it is certain that Boaz the son of Salmon was a kinsman
of his, 2:1,
and the name of his wife Naomi; which signifies
"sweet, pleasant", very likely a comely person, and of a sweet
disposition; a name of the same signification with Naamah, the sister of
Tubalcain, Genesis 4:22 and
according to the Talmudists she was Elimelech's brother's daughter; for they
sayF23T. Bab Bava Bathra, fol. 91. 1. , that Elimelech, Salmon, and
the kinsman (spoken of in this book), and the father of Naomi, were all of them
the sons of Nahshon, prince of the tribe of Judah; the same Jarchi observes on 1:22.
and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion; which seem to
have their names from weakness and consumption, being perhaps weakly and
consumptive persons; and it appears they both died young. It is a tradition of
the Jews, mentioned by Aben Ezra, that these are the same with Joash and
Saraph, who are said to have dominion in Moab, 1 Chronicles 4:22
which is not likely:
Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah: Jarchi interprets
Ephrathites by men of worth and esteem; and the Targum is,"Ephrathites,
great men of Bethlehemjudah'but no doubt they were called so, because Ephratah
was one of the names of Bethlehem, Genesis 35:19 so
called from its fruitfulness; though Aben Ezra thinks it had its name from
Ephratah the wife of Caleb; but it was so called in the time of Moses, as in
the passage referred to:
and they came into the country of Moab, and continued there; unto their
death; all excepting Naomi, who returned when she heard the famine was over.
Ruth
1:3 3 Then
Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.
YLT 3And Elimelech husband of Naomi dieth, and she
is left, she and her two sons;
And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died,.... According
to JosephusF24Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 9. sect. 1.) , 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.
Ruth
1:4 4 Now
they took 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.
YLT 4and 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.
And they took them wives of the women of Moab,.... Not
before they were proselyted to the Jewish religion, as Aben Ezra thinks, and
which seems plainly to be the case of Ruth; at least she was so afterwards, if
not before; and also of Orpah, as the same writer concludes from 1:15 though others are of a different opinion, and some
excuse their marriage, and others condemn it as unlawful, among whom is the
Targumist, who paraphrases the words,"and they transgressed the decree of
the Word of the Lord, and took to them strange wives of the daughters of
Moab;'however it was so permitted by the Lord, and ordered in Providence, that
from one of them the Messiah might spring:
and the name of the one was Orpah; she was married to
Chilion; and Alshech gathers from hence that the youngest was married first
before his brother:
and the name of the other Ruth the Targum adds,"the
daughter of Eglon, king of Moab;'and that she was his daughter, or the daughter
of his son, is a notion commonly received with the JewsF25T. Bab.
Nazir, fol. 23. 2. Sotah, fol. 47. 1. Sanhedrin, fol. 105. 2. Horayot, fol. 10.
2. Zohar in Deut. fol. 109. 2. though without any just foundation; she was
married to Mahlon, 4:10, one PhiloF26Apud
Drusium in loc. asserts these two women to be own sisters, for what reason does
not appear; and a Jewish writerF1Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 8. 1.
says they were both daughters of Eglon, king of Moab: and they dwelt there
about ten years; that is, Mahlon and Chilion, who married these women; which is
to be reckoned either from the time they came into the land, or from the time
of their marriage; the latter seems to be the case from the connection of the
words.
Ruth
1:5 5 Then
both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her
husband.
YLT 5And they die also, both of them -- Mahlon and
Chilion -- and the woman is left of her two children and of her husband.
And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them,.... As well
as their father, in the land of Moab, after they had lived with their wives in
it about ten years; the Targum is,"because they transgressed the decree of
the Word of the Lord, and joined in affinity with strange people, their days
were cut off;'or shortened:
and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband; deprived both
of her husband and her sons, which was a great affliction, aggravated by her
being in a strange country; many are the afflictions of the righteous.
Ruth
1:6 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 that the Lord had visited
His people by giving them bread.
YLT 6And 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.
Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return
from the country of Moab,.... After the death of her two sons, and having heard of the
ceasing of the famine in Israel, she had a desire to go into her own country,
where she would have better opportunities of serving the Lord; and having no
heart to stay in Moab, an idolatrous country, where she had lost her husband,
and her two sons; and therefore prepared for her journey, and set forward, and
her two daughters-in-law with her, to accompany her some part of the way; for
it does not appear to be their intention, at least at first setting out, to go
with her into the land of Canaan; and therefore it is only said, that they
arose
that she might return, &c.
for she had heard in the country of Moab: which was
near the land of Israel, the borders of it reaching to the salt sea; the Targum
says she heard it by the mouth of an angel, but it is highly probable it was by
common fame:
that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread; that he had
been kind and gracious to the people of Israel, by granting them plenty of
provisions; which might be their happy case after Gideon had vanquished the
Midianites, who came yearly, and destroyed and carried off the fruits of the
earth, which had caused a famine; see Judges 6:3. It
seems as if the famine had continued ten years, see 1:4
nor need this be thought incredible, since there was a famine in Lydia, which
lasted eighteen yearsF2Herodot Clio, sive, l. 1. c. 94. .
Ruth
1:7 7 Therefore
she went out 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.
YLT 7And 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.
Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was,.... What part
of Moab she had dwelt in, and now removed from, is not said; it is called the
country or field of Moab, she returned from; hence some have thought, that she
and her husband, and her sons, did not live in any of the cities of Moab, but
in a field; either because the Moabites would not suffer them to dwell in their
cities, only allowed them to pitch their tents in their fields; or they chose
to dwell there, that they might as much as possible avoid conversation with
them, and be preserved from their idolatry, and other corruptions:
and her two daughters in law with her; who, out of
respect to her, accompanied her some part of the way, as relations and friends
usually did:
and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah; they went
along with her to the border of the land of Judah, in her return thither; for
returning can only be said of her with any propriety, because her two daughters
had never been there; that was not the country from whence they came, and
therefore could not be said to return thither.
Ruth
1:8 8 And
Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each to her mother’s house.
The Lord
deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.
YLT 8And 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;
And Naomi said to her two daughters in law,.... When they
were come, as it is very probable, to the utmost limits of the land of Moab,
and to the borders of the land of Israel:
go, return each unto her mother's house: the mother's
house is mentioned, and not the father's, not because they had no father
living; for it is certain Ruth had a father as well as a mother, 2:11 but because mothers are most affectionate to their
daughters, and they most conversant together; and because women in those times
had apartments to themselves, and who used to take their daughters to them when
become widows; though such was the strong love of those young widows to their
mother-in-law, that they chose rather to dwell with her, while she lived in
Moab, than with their own mothers:
the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and
with me; that is, with their husbands, who were dead; as the Targum is,
that they refused to marry men after their death; or rather it respects their
affectionate care of their husbands, and behaviour towards them when living, as
well as the respect they showed to their memory, at and since their death; and
also their filial duty to her, both before and since; and particularly, as the
Targum expresses it, in that they had fed and supported her.
Ruth
1:9 9 The
Lord grant that you
may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” So she kissed them, and they
lifted up their voices and wept.
YLT 9Jehovah 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.
The Lord grant you,.... Some make a supplement here, the Targum
a perfect reward, Aben Ezra an husband; and so Josephus saysF3Antiqu.
l. 5. c. 9. sect. 1. , she wished them happier marriages than they had with her
sons, who were so soon taken from them; but a supplement seems needless, for
what follows is connected with the wish, and contains the sum of it:
that you may find rest; each of you:
in the house of her husband; that is, that they might
each of them be blessed with a good husband, with whom they might live free
from brawls and contentions, as well as from the distressing cares of life,
having husbands to provide all things necessary for them, and so from all the
sorrows and distresses of a widowhood estate:
then she kissed them; in token of her
affection for them, and in order to part with them; it being usual then as now
for relations and friends to kiss at parting:
and they lifted up their voice and wept; to think they
must part, and never see one another more; their passions worked vehemently,
and broke out in sobs, and sighs, and tears, and loud crying.
Ruth
1:10 10 And
they said to her, “Surely we will return with you to your people.”
YLT 10And they say to her, `Surely with thee we go
back to thy people.'
And they said unto her,.... When they had eased
themselves in cries and tears, and had recovered their speech:
surely we will return with thee unto thy people; to be
proselyted, as the Targum; not only to dwell with them, but to worship with
them.
Ruth
1:11 11 But
Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there
still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
YLT 11And 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?
And Naomi said, turn again, my daughters,.... Supposing
this resolution of theirs only arose from a natural affection, and not from any
love to the God or people of Israel; at least doubting whether it was so or
not, and willing to try whether anyone, or both of them, were really from a
principle of religion inclined to go with her; and desirous that they would
thoroughly consider what they did, lest they should repent and apostatize, and
bring a reproach upon the true religion:
why will ye go with me? what reason can you
give? this she said in order to get out of them if there was any real
inclination in them to the true worship and service of God; though she keeps
out that from her own questions put to them as follows, that it might come
purely from themselves:
are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? is there any
likelihood that I should ever have any sons to be instead of husbands, or
really husbands to you? can it be thought that at my age, supposing I had an
husband, or an husband's brother to marry me, that there is in me a natural
power of conceiving and bearing children? this therefore can surely be no
inducement to you to go along with me; for some, as Jarchi, think she refers to
the law of a husband's brother marrying his widow, and raising up seed to him,
which was known among the Gentiles before it was given to Israel; see Genesis 38:8, to
which Aben Ezra rightly objects, that that law respects a brother by the
father's side, and not by the mother's only; to which may be added, that this
law was not binding on a brother unborn, but on one that was living before the
death of his brother; besides if this law had been in her mind, it would rather
have furnished out an encouraging reason them to go with her, since there were
kinsmen of her sons, to whom they might be married, as one of them afterwards
was.
Ruth
1:12 12 Turn
back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I
have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons,
YLT 12Turn 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:
Turn again, my daughters, go your way,.... This she
repeated still to try their affections to her, and especially whether there was
any real love to the God of Israel, his people, and worship, but still proceeds
upon the same topic:
for I am too old to have an husband; and can never think of
marrying again on account of age, nor can you surely ever think I should, at
these years I am now arrived to:
if I should say I have hope; of marrying, and bearing
children; suppose that:
if I should have a husband also tonight; be married to
a man directly, suppose that:
and should also bear sons; conceive and bear, not
female but male children, allow that; all which are mere suppositions, and,
could they be admitted, would not furnish out any reason why you should be
desirous of going with me.
Ruth
1:13 13 would
you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from
having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes
that the hand of the Lord
has gone out against me!”
YLT 13for 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.'
Would you tarry for them till they were grown?.... It is not
to be thought that they would tarry till she was married and had children, and
then till these infants were grown up to men's estate, and be marriageable; for
though Tamar tarried for Shelah, yet he was born, and of some years of age,
though not a grown man, Genesis 38:11.
would ye stay for them from having husbands? they were
young widows, and it was fit they should marry again; and it could not be
imagined that they would deny themselves having husbands, in expectation of any
sons of her's:
nay, my daughters; I am well satisfied you will never tarry
for them, nor deprive yourselves of such a benefit; it is unreasonable to
suppose it:
for it grieveth me much for your sakes; that she
could be of no manner of service to them, either to give them husbands, or to
support and maintain them, should they go with her; or "I have exceedingly
more bitterness than you"F4מר לי מאד מכם
"amaritudo mihi (est) valde prae nobis", Montanus, Rambachius; so
Pagninus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius. ; her condition and
circumstances were much worse than theirs; for though they had lost their
husbands, she had lost both husband and children: or it was more bitter and
grievous to her to be separated from them, than it was for them to be separated
from her; her affection to them was as strong, or stronger than theirs to her;
or they had friends in their own country that would be kind to them, but as for
her, she was in deep poverty and distress, and when she came into her own
country, knew not that she had any friends left to take any notice of her:
that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me; in taking
away her husband and children, and reducing her to a low estate, penniless and
friendless; so poor, as it appears, that her daughter-in-law, when come to the
land of Canaan, was obliged to glean for the livelihood of them both, as in the
next chapter.
Ruth
1:14 14 Then
they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law,
but Ruth clung to her.
YLT 14And they lift up their voice, and weep again,
and Orpah kisseth her mother-in-law, and Ruth hath cleaved to her.
And they lifted up their voice, and wept again,.... Not being
able to bear the thought of parting, or that they must be obliged to it:
and Orpah kissed her mother in law; gave her the parting
kiss, as the JewsF5Bereshit Rabba, sect. 70. fol. 62. 4. Shemot,
sect. 5. fol. 94. 4. call it; and which was used by other peopleF6"----discedens
oscula nulla dedi". Ovid. ep. 3. ver. 14. ; but not without affection to
her, and took her leave of her, as her kiss testified, since it must be so; and
being moved by her reasons, and having a greater inclination to her own country
than Ruth had; of the kiss at parting, see Genesis 31:28.
but Ruth clave unto her; hung about her, would
not part from her, but cleaved unto her in body and mind; forsaking her own
people, and her father's house; neither the thought of them, nor of her native
country, nor of not having an husband, or any likelihood of it, nor of poverty
and distress, had any manner of influence upon her, but determined she was to
go and abide with her.
Ruth
1:15 15 And
she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her
gods; return after your sister-in-law.”
YLT 15And 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.'
And she said,.... That is, Naomi to Ruth, after Orpah was
gone:
behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto
her gods; meaning Orpah, who was the wife of her husband's brother, as the
word used signifies; she was not only on the road turning back to her own
country and people, but to the gods thereof, Baalpeor or Priapus, and Chemosh, Numbers 21:29 from
whence Aben Ezra concludes, that she had been a proselyte to the true religion,
and had renounced the gods of her nation, and retained the same profession
while her husband lived, and unto this time, and now apostatized, since she is
said to go back to her gods; and in this he is followed by some Christian
interpretersF7Clericus & Rambachius. , and not without reason:
return thou after thy sister in law: this she said, not that
in good earnest she desired her to return, at least to her former religion,
only relates, though not as approving of, the conduct of her sister, rather as
upbraiding it; but to try her sincerity and steadfastness, when such an
instance and example was before her.
Ruth
1:16 16 But
Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following
after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will
lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.
YLT 16And 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.
And Ruth said, entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from
following after thee,.... Do not make use of any arguments to persuade me to go back:
or "do not meet me", or "be against me"F8על תפגעי בי
"ne occurras mihi", Vatablus, Rambachius; "ne obstes me",
Tigurine version; "ne adverseris mihi", V. L. Drusius; so Junius
& Tremellius, Piscator. ; do not meet me with objections, or be in my way,
or an hinderance to me, in going along with thee; do not be against it, for to
be against that was to be against her inclination, desires, and resolutions,
and against her interest:
for whither thou goest I will go: let the country she was
going to be what it would, though unknown to her, and though she should never
see her own country any more:
and where thou lodgest I will lodge; though in ever so mean a
cottage, or under the open air:
thy people shall be my people; whom I shall choose to
dwell among, and converse with; whose religion, laws, and customs she should
readily comply with, having heard much of them, their wisdom, goodness, and
piety, of which she had a specimen and an example in Naomi, and by whom she
judged of the rest:
and thy God my God; not Chemosh, nor Baalpeor, nor other gods
of the Moabites, be they what they will, but Jehovah, the God of Naomi, and of
the people of Israel. So a soul that is truly brought to Christ affectionately
loves him, and heartily cleaves unto him, resolves in the strength of divine
grace to follow him, the Lamb, whithersoever he goes or directs; and is
desirous to have communion with none but him, and that he also would not be as
a wayfaring man, that tarries but a night; his people are the excellent of the
earth, whom to converse with is all his delight and pleasure; and Christ's God
is his God, and his Father is his Father: and, in a word, he determines to have
no other Saviour but him, and to walk in all his commands and ordinances.
Ruth
1:17 17 Where
you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me,
and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.”
YLT 17Where 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.'
Where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried,.... She was
determined to abide with her unto death, and not only was desirous to die as
she did, but where she should die; in the same country, cottage, and bed, and
be laid in the same grave, in hope of rising together at the resurrection of
the just; having no regard at all to the sepulchres of her fathers, which
people in all ages and countries have been fond of being laid in, as an honour
and happiness. So with the Greeks and Romans, not only relations, but intimate
friends, and such as had a strong affection for each other, were sometimes
buried in the same grave, as Crates and PolemonF9LaYrt. in Vita
Cratet. , Paris and OenomeF11Strabo. Geograph. l. 13. p. 410. , and
othersF12Vid. Kirchman. de Funer. Roman. l. 3. c. 14. p. 433. ; see Galatians 2:20,
the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee
and me; this is the form of oath she used for confirmation of what she
had said, and to put an end to the debate on this subject; what she imprecates
upon herself is not expressed, should she otherwise do than what she swears to;
leaving Naomi to supply it in her own mind, and as being what was not fit to be
named, and the greatest evil that could be thought to befall a perjured person.
Ruth
1:18 18 When
she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.
YLT 18And she seeth that she is strengthening
herself to go with her, and she ceaseth to speak unto her;
When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her,.... That she
was strong in her resolutions, and steadfast in her determinations not to go
back to her own country, but to go forward with her; and nothing could move her
from the firm purpose of her mind, which was what Naomi wanted to make trial
of:
then she left speaking unto her: that is, upon that head
of returning home; otherwise, no doubt, upon this a close, comfortable,
religious conversation ensued, which made their journey the more pleasant and
agreeable.
Ruth
1:19 19 Now
the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they
had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the
women said, “Is this Naomi?”
YLT 19and 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?'
So they two went until they came to Bethlehem,.... Went on
their way directly till they came to it, without lingering or staying by the
way, at least not unnecessarily, and not for any time; and they kept together,
though Ruth was a younger woman, and could have gone faster, yet she kept
company with her ancient mother, and was no doubt very much edified and
instructed by her pious conversation; and it seems that they were alone, only
they two; for as they had no camels nor asses to ride on, but were obliged to
travel on foot, so they had no servants to wait upon them, and assist them in
their journey, such were their mean circumstances:
and it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem; had entered
the city, and were seen by some that formerly had known Naomi, or at least to
whom she made herself known:
that all the city was moved about them; the news of
their arrival was soon spread throughout the place, and the whole city rang of
it; so the Septuagint version, "all the city sounded"; it was all the
talk every where, it was in everybody's mouth, that Naomi, who had been so long
out of the land, and thought to be dead, and it was not expected she would
never return again, was now come; and this drew a great concourse of people in
a tumultuous manner, as the word signifies, to see her; and as it may denote a
corporeal motion of them, so the inward moving and working of their passions
about her; some having pity and compassion on her to see such a change in her
person and circumstances; others treating her with scorn and contempt, and
upbraiding her for leaving her native place, and not content to share the
common affliction of her people, intimating that she was rightly treated for
going out of the land at such a time into a strange country; and others were
glad to see their old neighbour again, who had always behaved well among them;
so the Syriac and Arabic versions, "all the city rejoiced"; many no
doubt knew her not, and would be asking questions about her, and others
answering them, which is commonly the case of a crowd of people on such an occasion:
and they said, is this Naomi? that is, the women of
the place said so, for the word is feminine; and perhaps they were chiefly
women that gathered about her, and put this question in a way of admiration; is
this Naomi that was so beautiful, and used to look so pleasant and comely, and
now so wrinkled and sorrowful, who used to dress so well, and now in so mean an
habit! that used to be attended with maidens to wait on her, and now alone!
for, as Aben Ezra observes, this shows that Elimelech and Naomi were great
personages in Bethlehem formerly, people of rank and figure, or otherwise there
would not have been such a concourse of people upon her coming, and such
inquiries made and questions put, had she been formerly a poor woman.
Ruth
1:20 20 But
she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi;[a] call me
Mara,[b] for the
Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
YLT 20And she saith unto them, `Call me not Naomi;
call me Mara, for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly to me,
And she said, call me not Naomi, call me Mara,.... The one
signifying "prosperity", according to JosephusF13Antiqu.
l. 5. c. 9. sect. 2. , and the other "grief"; but he is not always
correct in his interpretation of Hebrew words, or to be depended on; by this
indeed her different states are well enough expressed, and he rightly observes,
that she might more justly be called the one than the other; but the words
signify, the one "sweet" and pleasant, and the other "bitter",
see Exodus 15:23, and
the reason she gives confirms it:
for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me; had wrote
bitter things against her, brought bitter afflictions on her, which were very
disagreeable to the flesh, as the loss of her husband, her children, and her
substance; see Lamentations 3:15.
Ruth
1:21 21 I
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?”
YLT 21I 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?'
I went out full,.... Of my husband and children, as the
Targum; of children and riches, as Aben Ezra and Jarchi; wherefore some Jewish
writers blame her and her husband for going abroad at such a time, and ascribe
it to a covetous disposition, and an unwillingness to relieve the poor that
came to them in their distress, and therefore got out of the way of them, on
account of which they were punished, so Jarchi on 1:1,
see Judges 2:15 but
this is said without any just cause or reason that appears:
and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: deprived of
her husband, children, and substance; she acknowledges the hand of God in it,
and seems not to murmur at it, but to submit to it quietly, and bear it
patiently:
why then call ye me Naomi; when there is nothing
pleasant and agreeable in me, nor in my circumstances:
seeing the Almighty hath testified against me, and the Almighty
hath afflicted me? had bore witness that that was not a name suitable for her; or
that she had sinned, and had not done what was well pleasing in his sight, as
appeared by his afflicting her; she seemed therefore to be humbled under a
sense of sin, and to consider afflictions as coming from the Lord on account of
it, and submitted to his sovereign will; the affliction she means was the loss
of her husband, children, and substance; see Job 10:17.
Ruth
1:22 22 So
Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who
returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning
of barley harvest.
YLT 22And 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.
So Naomi returned,.... Aben, Ezra thinks this is to be
understood of her returning at another time; but it is only an observation of
the writer of this history, to excite the attention of the reader to this
remarkable event, and particularly to what follows:
and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter in law with her, which
returned out of the country of Moab; to Bethlehem, the birth
place of the Messiah, and who was to spring from her a Gentile; and which, that
it might be the more carefully remarked, she is called a Moabitess, and said to
return out of the country of Moab:
and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest; which began
on the second day of the feast of unleavened bread, on the
"sixteenth" of Nisan, which answers to our March, and part of April,
when they offered the sheaf of the firstfruits to the Lord, and then, and not
till then, might they begin their harvest; see Gill on Leviticus 23:10;
see Gill on Leviticus 23:14,
hence the Targum here is,"they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the
day of the passover, and on that day the children of Israel began to reap the
wave sheaf, which was of barley.'So the Egyptians and Phoenicians, near
neighbours of the Jews, went about cutting down their barley as soon as the
cuckoo was heard, which was the same time of the year; hence the comedianF14Aristoph.
in Avibus, p. 565. calls that bird the king of Egypt and Phoenicia. This
circumstance is observed for the sake of the following account in the next
chapter.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)