A study of Ruth 1:6-9
"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. 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. 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. 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."
Ruth 1:6-9 ESV
Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:
-Arose: "וַתָּקָם", "tāʹ·qǒm"; verb, Qal, wayyiqtōl (waw-consecutive + imperfect), third person, feminine, singular - to arise, to stand, to be set.
-Return: "תָּ֖שָׁב", "tāʹ·šǒḇ"; verb, Qal, wayyiqtōl (waw-consecutive + imperfect), third person, feminine, singular - to return, turn back or go back.
-Moab: "מוֹאָב", "mô'āḇ"; noun, proper, singular, absolute - Moab = 'of his father', the territory of Moab. Moab was the son of Lot's eldest daughter.
-The Lord: " יְהוָה֙", "YHWH"; - noun, proper, masculine, singular, absolute - Yahweh, Jehovah, the Lord.
-Visited: "פָּקַד", "pāqaḏ"; verb, Qal, qātal (perfect), third person, masculine, singular - visit, oversee, care for.
-Given: "תֵ֥ת", "ṯēṯʹ"; verb, Qal, infinitive, construct - to give, bestow, grant, permit.
-Food: "לֶחֶם", "lāʹ·ḥěm"; noun, common, singular, absolute - bread, food, grain.
-Set Out: "תֵּצֵ֗א", "tē·ṣē(ʾ)ʹ"; verb, Qal, wayyiqtōl (waw-consecutive + imperfect), third person, feminine, singular - to go or come out.
-Judah: "יְהוּדָה", "yᵊhûḏâ"; noun, proper, singular, absolute - Judah = 'praised', the territory occupied by the tribe of Judah.
-Deal: "יַעֲשֶׂה", "yǎ·ʿǎśě(h)"; verb, Qal, yiqtōl (imperfect), third person, masculine, singular, jussive - to do, to deal with, to act.
-Kindly: "חֶ֔סֶד", "ḥěʹ·sěḏ"; noun, common, singular, absolute - goodness, kindness, faithfulness, loyalty.
-Rest: "מְנוּחָ֔ה", "menû·ḥā(h)ʹ"; noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute - rest; resting place; place of quiet; composure.
-Lifted Up: "תִּשֶּׂאנָה", "tiś·śě(ʾ)ʹ·nā(h)"; verb, Qal, wayyiqtōl (waw-consecutive + imperfect), third person, feminine, plural - to lift, lift up.
-Wept: "תִּבְכֶּינָה", "tiḇ·kêʹ·nā(h)"; verb, Qal, wayyiqtōl (waw-consecutive + imperfect), third person, feminine, plural - to weep, cry, shed tears.
Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):
After living in Moab for about 10 years, Naomi's sons died. Her husband had already died years earlier, and now she was a childless widow in a foreign land. It was around this time that Naomi also heard "the Lord had visited his people and given them food." Naomi and her family had originally left Bethlehem in Judah because of a famine in the land. Now that the famine was over, Naomi decided to go back. She set out with her two widowed daughters in law, Orpah and Ruth, but on the way she seemed to have thought better of this, because she told them to return to their family homes in Moab, and prayed that the Lord would deal kindly with them, because they had been kind to her in choosing not to abandon her. As she said this, they all wept together loudly.
YOU ARE READING
A Study of the Book of Ruth
Non-FictionRuth is a beautiful story of self sacrificing love, redemption, and God's care for all peoples of the world. Ruth was an ancestor of Christ, and her inclusion in the family line of Jesus, as a non Jewish person, shows God's love for all peoples of t...
