Ruth Chapter 1

At a Glance

  • Ruth 1 opens the Book of Ruth with a story of famine, displacement, and loss, but it immediately sets a trajectory toward faithfulness, loyalty, and the sovereignty of God in ordinary life.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • Ruth is set during the time of the judges but written with an eye toward the Davidic era’s themes of loyalty, providence, and redemption.
  • - Loyalty and covenant fidelity: Ruth’s commitment to Naomi becomes a model of steadfast devotion that transcends ethnic and religious boundaries.
  • - Divine providence in ordinary life: The chapter introduces the idea that God works through human loyalty, chance encounters, and everyday acts of faithfulness.

RUTH 1

Chapter Overview

Ruth 1 opens the Book of Ruth with a story of famine, displacement, and loss, but it immediately sets a trajectory toward faithfulness, loyalty, and the sovereignty of God in ordinary life. A Bethlehemite family—Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons—migrate to Moab during hard times, hoping for survival. Tragedy unfolds as Elimelech dies, then the two sons, leaving Naomi with two Moabite daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth. Naomi’s decision to return to Judah anchors the narrative in Israel’s soil and covenant memory. Naomi urges her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab, expressing bitter honesty about the fragility of life and the seeming emptiness of hope. Orpah departs, but Ruth clings to Naomi with a famous declaration of loyalty: “Where you go, I will go; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” Ruth’s commitment marks the beginning of a transformation—one rooted in loyalty, faith, and the recognition that God’s purposes often unfold through humble acts of faithfulness in ordinary history. Naomi’s reckoning with her own bitterness and Ruth’s courageous fidelity set the stage for Ruth’s emergence as a pivotal figure in Israel’s redemptive history.

Historical & Literary Context

Ruth is set during the time of the judges but written with an eye toward the Davidic era’s themes of loyalty, providence, and redemption. The genre blends biblical history with literary novella, employing straightforward plot, intimate character portraits, and rich dialogue. The book situates itself in the wider biblical narrative as a prelude to the line of David, highlighting foreignness, loyalty, and divine providence in everyday life. Ruth’s story is often read as a counterpoint to the brutality and cyclical violence of Judges, offering a narrative of faithful, ordinary people whose devotion shapes Israel’s salvation history. The cultural backdrop—kinship, levirate law, harvest cycles, and gleaning—provides texture for understanding social obligation and divine care for the vulnerable.

Key Themes

- Loyalty and covenant fidelity: Ruth’s commitment to Naomi becomes a model of steadfast devotion that transcends ethnic and religious boundaries.

- Divine providence in ordinary life: The chapter introduces the idea that God works through human loyalty, chance encounters, and everyday acts of faithfulness.

- Hospitality and gleaning: The social welfare system in Israel—gleaning—frames Ruth’s ascent from exile to near-royal status.

- Motherhood, grief, and hope: Naomi’s journey from bitterness to a renewed sense of purpose frames Ruth’s unfolding narrative.

- The outsider becoming insider: Ruth’s Moabite identity is transformed by allegiance to Israel’s God and people, signaling God’s inclusive redemptive plan.

Modern Application

Ruth 1 invites readers to reflect on resilience in the face of loss and the transformative power of faithful loyalty. It speaks to modern readers about the value of steadfast commitments in family and community, the dignity of those on the margins, and the surprising ways God works through faithful, ordinary choices. The chapter encourages hospitality, generosity, and inclusion—reminding believers that loyalty to God often extends beyond cultural or religious boundaries. It also offers a theological anchor: God’s providence is active even when life looks bleak, and our faithful steps—like Ruth’s decision to accompany Naomi—can set in motion larger redemptive outcomes. The text can inspire practical acts of care for the vulnerable, welcoming outsiders, and choosing faith over fear in the face of hardship. Ruth 1 thus grounds a hopeful imagination: ordinary loyalty can lead to extraordinary blessing.

Cross-References: Ruth 2–4; Genesis 2–3 (care for the vulnerable, covenant history); Leviticus 19 (gleaning, generosity); Esther 2 (exile and providence); Psalm 27 (trust in God in hardship).

Recommended Personas: Ruth (loyalty and redemption), Naomi (wisdom through suffering), Boaz (protector and redeemer figure), Jesus (invitation to include outsiders), Paul (theological reflection on providence and mission).

Chapter Text

1

Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

2

And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

3

And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.

4

And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.

5

And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.

6

Then 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 that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.

7

Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.

8

And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.

9

The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.

10

And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.

11

And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

12

Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;

13

Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.

14

And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.

15

And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.

16

And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

17

Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

18

When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

19

So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?

20

And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.

21

I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

22

So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

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