A Study of the Book of Ruth

Ruth 1:10-13: The Exceeding Bitterness of Life

A study of Ruth 1:10-13

"And they said to her, "No, we will return with you to your people." But Naomi said, "Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.""

‭‭Ruth‬ ‭1‬:‭10‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:

-Return: "נָשׁ֖וּב", "nā·šûḇʹ"; verb, Qal, yiqtōl (imperfect), first person, plural - turn back, return.

-Naomi: "נָעֳמִ֜י", "nǒ·ʿǒmîʹ"; noun, proper, feminine, singular, absolute - Naomi = 'pleasant' or 'my delight'; the wife of Elimelech, the mother in law of Ruth.

-Turn Back: "שֹׁ֣בְנָה", "šōʹ·ḇenā(h)"; verb, Qal, imperative, second person, feminine, plural - turn back, return.

-Daughters: "בְנֹת", "ḇenōṯ"; noun, common, feminine, plural, construct - daughter, girl, daughter-in-law.

-Sons: "בָנִים֙", "ḇā·nîmʹ"; noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute - son, male child.

-Hope: "תִקְוָ֔ה", "ṯiq·wā(h)'"; noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute - cord, hope, expectation, things hoped for.

-Bear: "יָלַ֥דְתִּי", "yā·lǎḏʹ·tî"; verb, Qal, qātal (perfect), first person, singular - to bear, bring forth, of childbirth.

-Exceedingly: "מְאֹד֙", "meʾōḏʹ"; noun, common, singular, absolute - exceedingly, much, greatly, with abundance, with force.

-Bitter: "מַר", "mǎr"; verb, Qal, qātal (perfect), third person, masculine, singular - to be bitter, desperate, bewildered.

-The Hand Of: "יַד", "yǎḏ"; noun, common, singular, construct - hand, strength, power.

-The Lord: " יְהוָה֙", "YHWH"; - noun, proper, masculine, singular, absolute - Yahweh, Jehovah, the Lord.

-Has Gone Out: "יָצְאָ֥ה", "yǒṣ·ʾā(h)ʹ"; verb, Qal, qātal (perfect), third person, feminine, singular - to go or come out (with a purpose or result).

Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

In the preceding verses the widowed and childless Naomi began to return to Bethlehem in Judah, and she told her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, to return to their Moabite families and remarry. They had been together as a family for about 10 years at this point and after Naomi told them this they all wept loudly together. Ruth and Orpah at first refused to leave and insisted they would stay with Naomi, but again, Naomi urged them to return to their families and remarry, because they would likely have no future if they stayed with her. Naomi then closed her statement by saying she was exceedingly bitter because the hand of the Lord was against her, and Ruth and Orpah had suffered because of it.

Implication (what does this mean to us):

This passage is the continuation of a heart wrenching goodbye that began in verse 6. Naomi's husband had died not long after taking her and their two sons to Moab to escape famine in Bethlehem. It seems that shortly after the death of Naomi's husband, her two sons each married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. After living together as a family for about 10 years, Naomi's sons died without having had any children. This meant, Naomi, Orpah and Ruth were now childless widows, and widows were on the lowest rung of the economic ladder because they had no family to provide for them and almost no way of providing for themselves. As a childless widow in a foreign land, Naomi heard the Lord had brought an end to the famine back in Bethlehem, so Naomi decided her best option was to return home and try to scrape by for the rest of her days. She knew Ruth and Orpah were still of a marriageable age, and that their best chance of remarrying was to return to their families in Moab. So, she urged them to return home instead of going with her to Bethlehem where they would likely live in abject poverty for the rest of their lives.