Ruth 1:15-16

1:15 So Naomi ¹  said, “Look, your sister-in-law is returning to her people and to her god. ²  Follow your sister-in-law back home!” 1:16 But Ruth replied,

“Stop urging me to abandon you! ³ 

For wherever you go, I will go.

Wherever you live, I will live.

Your people will become my people,

and your God will become my God.

Ruth 1:2

1:2 (Now the man’s name was Elimelech, ⁴  his wife was Naomi, ⁵  and his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. ⁶  They were of the clan of Ephrath ⁷  from Bethlehem in Judah.) They entered the region of Moab and settled there. ⁸ 

Ruth 1:19-20

1:19 So the two of them ⁹  journeyed together until they arrived in Bethlehem. ¹⁰ 

Naomi and Ruth Arrive in Bethlehem

When they entered ¹¹  Bethlehem, ¹²  the whole village was excited about their arrival. ¹³  The women of the village said, ¹⁴  “Can this be Naomi?” ¹⁵  1:20 But she replied ¹⁶  to them, ¹⁷  “Don’t call me ‘Naomi’! ¹⁸  Call me ‘Mara’ ¹⁹  because the Sovereign One ²⁰  has treated me very harshly. ²¹ 

John 6:67-68

6:67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?” ²²  6:68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.

[1:15]  ¹ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Naomi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:15]  ² tn Or “gods” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, CEV, NLT), if the plural form is taken as a numerical plural. However, it is likely that Naomi, speaking from Orpah’s Moabite perspective, uses the plural of majesty of the Moabite god Chemosh. For examples of the plural of majesty being used of a pagan god, see BDB 43 s.v. אֱלֹהִים 1.d. Note especially 1 Kgs 11:33, where the plural form is used of Chemosh.

[1:16]  ³ tn Heb “do not urge me to abandon you to turn back from after you.” Most English versions, following the lead of the KJV, use “leave” here. The use of עזב (“abandon”) reflects Ruth’s perspective. To return to Moab would be to abandon Naomi and to leave her even more vulnerable than she already is.

[1:2]  ⁴ sn The name “Elimelech” literally means “My God [is] king.” The narrator’s explicit identification of his name seems to cast him in a positive light.

[1:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “and the name of his wife [was] Naomi.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “and the name[s] of his two sons [were] Mahlon and Kilion.”

[1:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “[They were] Ephrathites.” Ephrathah is a small village (Ps 132:6) in the vicinity of Bethlehem (Gen 35:16), so close in proximity that it is often identified with the larger town of Bethlehem (Gen 35:19; 48:7; Ruth 4:11; Mic 5:2 [MT 5:1]; HALOT 81 s.v. אֶפְרָתָה); see F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 64. The designation “Ephrathites” might indicate that they were residents of Ephrathah. However, the adjectival form אֶפְרָתִים (ephratim, “Ephrathites”) used here elsewhere refers to someone from the clan of Ephrath (cf. 1 Chr 4:4) which lived in the region of Bethlehem: “Now David was the son of an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah whose name was Jesse” (1 Sam 17:12; cf. Mic 5:2 [MT 5:1]). So it is more likely that the virtually identical expression here – “Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah” – refers to the clan of Ephrath in Bethlehem (see R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth [NICOT], 91).

[1:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “and were there”; KJV “continued there”; NRSV “remained there”; TEV “were living there.”

[1:19]  ⁹ tn The suffix “them” appears to be masculine, but it is probably an archaic dual form (E. F. Campbell, Ruth [AB], 65; F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 75-76).

[1:19]  ¹⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[1:19]  ¹¹ tn The temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi, “and it was”) here introduces a new scene.

[1:19]  ¹² map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[1:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “because of them” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “excited to see them.”

[1:19]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “they said,” but the verb form is third person feminine plural, indicating that the women of the village are the subject.

[1:19]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Is this Naomi?” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). The question here expresses surprise and delight because of the way Naomi reacts to it (F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 92).

[1:20]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “said.” For stylistic reasons the present translation employs “replied” here.

[1:20]  ¹⁷ tn The third person feminine plural form of the pronominal suffix indicates the women of the village (see v. 19) are the addressees.

[1:20]  ¹⁸ sn The name Naomi means “pleasant.”

[1:20]  ¹⁹ sn The name Mara means “bitter.”

[1:20]  ²⁰ tn Heb “Shaddai”; traditionally “the Almighty.” The etymology and meaning of this divine name is uncertain. It may be derived from: (1) שָׁדַד (shadad, “to be strong”), cognate to Arabic sdd, meaning “The Strong One” or “Almighty”; (2) שָׁדָה (shadah, “mountain”), cognate to Akkadian shadu, meaning “The Mountain Dweller” or “God of the Mountains”; (3) שָׁדַד (shadad, “to devastate”) and שַׁד (shad, “destroyer”), Akkadian Shedum, meaning “The Destroyer” or “The Malevolent One”; or (4) שֶׁ (she, “who”) plus דִּי (diy, “sufficient”), meaning “The One Who is Sufficient” or “All-Sufficient One” (HALOT 1420-22 s.v. שַׁדַּי, שַׁדָּי). In terms of use, Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is presented as the sovereign king/judge of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he blesses/protects and also takes away life/happiness. In light of Naomi’s emphasis on God’s sovereign, malevolent deprivation of her family, one can understand her use of this name for God. For discussion of this divine name, see T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72.

[1:20]  ²¹ tn Or “caused me to be very bitter”; NAB “has made it very bitter for me.”

[6:67]  ²² tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here it is “do you?”).