Discovery BoxRuth 1:5
Context1:5 Then Naomi’s two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, also died. 1 So the woman was left all alone – bereaved of her two children 2 as well as her husband!
Ruth 1:3
Context1:3 Sometime later 3 Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, so she and her two sons were left alone.
Ruth 1:7-8
Context1:7 Now as she and her two daughters-in-law began to leave the place where she had been living to return to the land of Judah, 4 1:8 Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Listen to me! Each of you should return to your mother’s home! 5 May the Lord show 6 you 7 the same kind of devotion that you have shown to your deceased husbands 8 and to me! 9
Ruth 1:19
Context1:19 So the two of them 10 journeyed together until they arrived in Bethlehem. 11
When they entered 12 Bethlehem, 13 the whole village was excited about their arrival. 14 The women of the village said, 15 “Can this be Naomi?” 16
Ruth 1:1-2
Context1:1 During the time of the judges 17 there was a famine in the land of Judah. 18 So a man from Bethlehem 19 in Judah went to live as a resident foreigner 20 in the region of Moab, along with his wife and two sons. 21 1:2 (Now the man’s name was Elimelech, 22 his wife was Naomi, 23 and his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. 24 They were of the clan of Ephrath 25 from Bethlehem in Judah.) They entered the region of Moab and settled there. 26
Ruth 4:11
Context4:11 All the people who were at the gate and the elders replied, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is entering your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built up the house of Israel! May 27 you prosper 28 in Ephrathah and become famous 29 in Bethlehem. 30
[1:5] 1 tn Heb “and the two of them also died, Mahlon and Kilion.”
[1:5] 2 tn The term יֶלֶד (yeled, “offspring”), from the verb יָלַד (yalad, “to give birth to”), is used only here of a married man. By shifting to this word from the more common term בֵּן (ben, “son”; see vv. 1-5a) and then using it in an unusual manner, the author draws attention to Naomi’s loss and sets up a verbal link with the story’s conclusion (cf. 4:16). Although grown men, they were still her “babies” (see E. F. Campbell, Ruth [AB], 56; F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 66).
[1:3] 3 tn Heb “And Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died.” The vav (ו) functions in a consecutive sense (“then”), but the time-frame is not explicitly stated.
[1:7] 5 tn Heb “and she went out from the place she had been, and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.”
[1:8] 7 tn Heb “each to the house of her mother.” Naomi’s words imply that it is more appropriate for the two widows to go home to their mothers, rather than stay with their mother-in-law (see F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 75).
[1:8] 8 tc The MT (Kethib) has the imperfect יַעֲשֶׂה (ya’aseh, “[the
[1:8] 9 tn Heb “do with you”; NRSV “deal kindly with you”; NLT “reward you for your kindness.” The pronominal suffix “you” appears to be a masculine form, but this is likely a preservation of an archaic dual form (see E. F. Campbell, Ruth [AB], 65; F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 75-76).
[1:8] 10 tn Heb “the dead” (so KJV, NRSV); NLT “your husbands.” This refers to their deceased husbands.
[1:8] 11 tn Heb “devotion as you have done with the dead and with me.” The noun חֶסֶד (khesed, “devotion”) is a key thematic term in the book of Ruth (see 2:20; 3:10). G. R. Clark suggests that חֶסֶד “is not merely an attitude or an emotion; it is an emotion that leads to an activity beneficial to the recipient”; an act of חֶסֶד is “a beneficent action performed, in the context of a deep and enduring commitment between two persons or parties, by one who is able to render assistance to the needy party who in the circumstances is unable to help him – or herself” (The Word Hesed in the Hebrew Bible [JSOTSup], 267). HALOT 336-37 s.v. II חֶסֶד defines the word as “loyalty” or “faithfulness.” Other appropriate glosses might be “commitment” and “devotion.”
[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).
[1:1] 11 tn Heb “in the days of the judging of the judges.” The LXX simply reads “when the judges judged,” and Syriac has “in the days of the judges.” Cf. NASB “in the days when the judges governed (ruled NRSV).”
[1:1] 12 tn Heb “in the land.” The phrase “of Judah” is supplied in the translation to clarify the referent.
[1:1] 13 sn The name Bethlehem (בֵּית לֶחֶם, bet lekhem) is from “house, place” (בֵּית) and “bread, food” (לֶחֶם), so the name literally means “House of Bread” or “Place of Food.” Perhaps there is irony here: One would not expect a severe famine in such a location. This would not necessarily indicate that Bethlehem was under divine discipline, but merely that the famine was very severe, explaining the reason for the family’s departure.
[1:1] 14 tn Or “to live temporarily.” The verb גּוּר (gur, “sojourn”) may refer to (1) temporary dwelling in a location (Deut 18:6; Judg 17:7) or (2) permanent dwelling in a location (Judg 5:17; Ps 33:8). When used of a foreign land, it can refer to (1) temporary dwelling as a visiting foreigner (Gen 12:10; 20:1; 21:34; 2 Kgs 8:1-2; Jer 44:14) or (2) permanent dwelling as a resident foreigner (Gen 47:4; Exod 6:4; Num 15:14; Deut 26:5; 2 Sam 4:3; Jer 49:18,33; 50:40; Ezek 47:22-23). Although Naomi eventually returned to Judah, there is some ambiguity whether or not Elimelech intended the move to make them permanent resident foreigners. Cf. NASB “to sojourn” and NIV “to live for a while,” both of which imply the move was temporary, while “to live” (NCV, NRSV, NLT) is more neutral about the permanence of the relocation.
[1:1] 15 tn Heb “he and his wife and his two sons.” The LXX omits “two.”
[1:2] 13 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] 14 tn Heb “and the name of his wife [was] Naomi.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[1:2] 15 tn Heb “and the name[s] of his two sons [were] Mahlon and Kilion.”
[1:2] 16 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] 17 tn Heb “and were there”; KJV “continued there”; NRSV “remained there”; TEV “were living there.”
[4:11] 15 tn Following the jussive, the imperative with prefixed vav indicates purpose or result.
[4:11] 16 tn The phrase וַעֲשֵׂה־חַיִל (va’aseh-khayil, literally, “do strength”) has been variously translated: (1) financial prosperity: “may you become rich” (TEV), “may you be a rich man” (CEV), “may you achieve wealth” (NASB), “may you prosper” (NKJV, NJPS); (2) social prominence: “may you become powerful” (NCV), “may you have standing” (NIV), “may you be great” (NLT), “may you do well” (NAB); (3) reproductive fertility: “may you produce children” (NRSV); and (4) social activity: “may you do a worthy deed” (REB).
[4:11] 17 tc Heb “and call a name.” This statement appears to be elliptical. Usually the person named and the name itself follow this expression. Perhaps וּקְרָא־שֵׁם (uqÿra’-shem) should be emended to וְיִקָּרֵא־שֵׁם (vÿyiqqare’-shem), “and your name will be called out,” that is, “perpetuated” (see Gen 48:16, cf. also Ruth 4:14b). The omission of the suffix with “name” could be explained as virtual haplography (note the letter bet [ב], which is similar to kaf [כ], at the beginning of the next word). The same explanation could account for the omission of the prefixed yod (י) on the verb “call” (yod [י] and vav [ו] are similar in appearance). Whether one reads the imperative (the form in the MT) or the jussive (the emended form), the construction indicates purpose or result following the earlier jussive “may he make.”
[4:11] 18 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
