Bible Study Ruth 1
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Ruth 1 · WEB

Naomi's Loss and Ruth's Loyalty

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In 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 was Naomi, and the name 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 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 Yahweh 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. Yahweh deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.
9Yahweh 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, "We will surely return with you to your people."
11Naomi said, "Go back, my daughters. Why would you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
12Go back, my daughters, go your way; 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,
13would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from having husbands? No, my daughters, for it grieves me much for your sakes, for the hand of Yahweh has gone out against me."
14They lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth remained with her.
15Naomi said, "Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god. Return after 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 lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God;
17where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. Yahweh 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.
19So they both went until they came to Bethlehem. When they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was excited about them, and the women said, "Is this Naomi?"
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 Yahweh has brought me back home empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since Yahweh 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 at the beginning of barley harvest.
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Summary

During a famine in Israel, an Israelite family from Bethlehem — Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons — relocates to Moab, where the sons marry Moabite women named Orpah and Ruth. After Elimelech and both sons die, Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem when she hears that the famine has ended. She urges her daughters-in-law to return to their own families, and while Orpah sorrowfully complies, Ruth makes one of Scripture's most famous declarations of loyalty and refuses to leave Naomi's side. They arrive in Bethlehem at the start of the barley harvest, and Naomi, feeling emptied by her losses, asks to be called Mara ("bitter") rather than Naomi ("pleasant").

Themes

  • Covenant loyalty (hesed) — Ruth's pledge to Naomi transcends ethnic and religious obligation, embodying the steadfast love that characterizes God's own covenant faithfulness
  • Grief and loss — The chapter is saturated with death, famine, and emptiness, setting the stage for the redemption to come
  • Inclusion of Gentiles — A Moabite woman voluntarily embraces the God of Israel, foreshadowing the universal scope of God's redemptive purposes
  • Providence of God — Even in Naomi's bitterness, God is working through the timing of the harvest and Ruth's faithful presence

Key verses

  • Ruth 1:16 — “Don't urge me to leave you, and to return from following you, for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”
  • Ruth 1:17 — “Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. Yahweh do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.”
  • Ruth 1:20 — “Don't call me Naomi. Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”
  • Ruth 1:6 — “She had heard in the country of Moab how Yahweh had visited his people in giving them bread.”

Context & background

The book of Ruth is set "in the days when the judges judged" (v. 1), a turbulent era in Israel's history characterized by moral and political instability (see Judges 21:25). Moab is located in modern central Jordan, east of the Dead Sea, and was a neighboring nation with a complicated history with Israel — Moabites were often regarded with suspicion, yet Ruth, a Moabite, becomes one of the most celebrated figures in the Old Testament. Naomi's journey home to Bethlehem would have crossed the Jordan River — still existing today as the border between Jordan and the West Bank — and traveled through the rugged Judean hill country. Bethlehem itself lies in the modern West Bank, about 10 km south of Jerusalem, and the mention of barley harvest places the arrival in the spring (late March to April), signaling a season of renewal and hope after long suffering.

Cross-references

  • Deuteronomy 23:3 — The law excluded Moabites from the assembly of Israel, making Ruth's acceptance in Bethlehem a remarkable act of grace
  • Genesis 12:1 — Abraham also left his homeland in faith; Ruth likewise leaves her people and homeland to follow Yahweh
  • Leviticus 19:18 — "Love your neighbor as yourself" — Ruth's loyalty to Naomi is a living example of this command
  • Matthew 1:5 — Ruth is listed in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, confirming her place in the redemptive story
  • Psalm 68:5-6 — God as a father to the fatherless and defender of widows — the very situation Naomi and Ruth find themselves in

Check your reading

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  1. Observe

    What specific reasons does Naomi give her daughters-in-law for urging them to return to their own families (vv. 11-13)?

  2. Observe

    What are the exact elements of Ruth's pledge in verses 16-17, and to what extent does each element go beyond what might be expected?

  3. Interpret

    Naomi says "the hand of Yahweh has gone out against me" (v. 13) and later "the Almighty has afflicted me" (v. 21). What does this reveal about Naomi's theology, and is her assessment accurate or incomplete?

  4. Interpret

    Why is it significant that Ruth specifically says "your God my God" — how does this make her pledge different from merely promising personal loyalty to Naomi?

  5. Apply

    Ruth's hesed (loyal love) was demonstrated through a costly, irreversible commitment. In what relationships in your own life is God calling you to a similar kind of steadfast, covenant loyalty even when it is costly?

  6. Apply

    Naomi renamed herself "Mara" (bitter) because of her circumstances. Have you ever let your suffering define your identity? How does the rest of the story of Ruth speak to that temptation?

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