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Ruth 1:6-9

A Guided Bible Study

Ruth 1:6-9 picks up after the tragic events recorded in the first five verses. Instead of covering a decade or more, these four verses describe a conversation between Naomi and her two Moabite daughters-in-law.

Before we begin make sure you 1) download the worksheet, 2) read the passage several times, 3) make your own observations, and then 4) watch the rest of this video and compare your notes.

Ruth 1:6-9 (ESV)

6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi 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. 9 The Lord grant 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. (ESV)

Ruth 1:6

Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food.

It's hard to translate into English, but this verse is all about Naomi's action. Her daughters-in-law are with her but the author wants the reader's full attention focused on Naomi. She is the subject of nearly all the verbs in the verse.

The verse refers to Moab twice. In fact, these are the fourth and fifth references to Moab in the book's first six verses. It's safe to say the author wants you to pay attention to the "Moab" detail in the story. We will need to keep this in mind as the rest of the story plays out.

We should also notice the reference to "food" in this verse. The Hebrew term is לחם which means "bread" or "food." If you remember from the notes on Ruth 1:1, Bethlehem (בית לחם) means "house of bread." So, this verse means that Naomi heard that God was restoring Bethlehem.

Ruth 1:7

So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

The phrase "where she was" repeats a similar phrase in Ruth 1:2. The only difference is that verse two referred to Naomi, her husband, and her sons. Ruth 1:7 refers only to Naomi and her daughters-in-law....widows.

The reference to Naomi's daughters-in-law is not just an observation about who was living with Naomi. In the absence of her husband and her sons, Naomi was in charge of these two women. She was responsible for them. They were under her care. As we will see in the next few verses, Naomi does not think that arrangement is good for them.

Until the phrase "they went on the way," Naomi was the primary actor in Ruth 1:6-7. She was the subject of all the verbs. Finally, the women do something together.

After the tragic events she endured in Moab, Naomi is finally going to return to her homeland. She left with a husband and two sons. She begins her journey back with two daughters-in-law and no male figure in the family--a precarious situation in their ancient patriarchal society.

Ruth 1:8

But Naomi 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.

Naomi tells her daughters-in-law to return to their mother's house. The "house of the mother" in the ancient Near East was sometimes a smaller family unit within the "house of the father." It was often a place of marriage negotiation. So, in effect, Naomi is telling Orpah and Ruth to go and start their lives over again.

Even as Naomi tells the women to return to their families, she invokes Israel's God over their lives. The idea of God dealing "kindly" with them conveys the Hebrew word חסד which means "covenant faithfulness." It's even more striking, because Naomi is someone who doesn't seem to think God has dealt kindly with her or shown her covenant faithfulness.

We are never told how Orpah and Ruth navigated the tragedy of losing their husbands. Nor are we told what they did for Naomi during this time. We do know, however, that Naomi felt honored by them. She thanks them for the way they treated "the dead" and her.

Ruth 1:9

The Lord grant 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.

English translations are wonderful, but sometimes they smooth out awkward sentences. Most translations do just that with this verse. There is another way to translate Ruth 1:9 that gets at the idea a little better in my opinion. Here it is...

"May the LORD give to you... Find rest, each woman in the house of her husband." Then she kissed them and they lifted their voices and wept.

In Hebrew, the verse starts with a blessing, but the blessing is left incomplete. It seems that Naomi stops in the middle of the blessing statement. Instead of trying to act pious, Naomi shifts in direction. She doesn't finish the blessing. She just tells the women she hopes they will find "rest" with another husband.

In order for the women to find security with another husband, they need to leave Naomi. In this way, Naomi's command to the women will result in her further isolation. She already lost her husband and her sons, she is now giving away her daughters-in-law.

In case you missed the emotional tragedy these women faced, Ruth 1:9 describes all three of them weeping. They weep because of their loss and they weep because their futures look so bleak.

Conclusion

The tragic events recorded in Ruth 1:1-5 cover at least a decade. Verses 6-9 slow down dramatically. They cover events that likely happened in a matter of days or weeks.

The famine in the land of Judah ends and Naomi decides to return to her own country. Before doing so, however, she insists that her daughters-in-law return to their own homes and start their lives over.

If you didn't already feel the weight of the tragedy Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth endured, the final phrase in verse nine brings it all to the surface: they "wept." Sometimes, weeping together is the only way to move through seasons in life.