And they said unto her ,.... When they had eased themselves in cries and tears, and had recovered their speech: surely we will return with thee unto thy people ; to be proselyted, as the Targum; not only to dwell with them, but to worship with them. read more
Longing for the old home. Brings to view I. NAOMI 'S RESOLUTION . No wonder that she formed it; for— 1. The ties that bound her to the land of Moab had been snapped by the hand of death. In the death of her husband there was the disruption of the house-band . In the deaths of her two sons who had become husbands , the only other bands or bonds that could keep together for Naomi a home in Moab were burst. Matthew Henry says, "The land of Moab was now become a... read more
And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. So King James's version. The expression in the original is broken at the commencement: "And they said to her, For with thee we shall return to thy people." It is as if they had said, "Do not insist on our return to our mothers' homes, for with thee we shall return to thy people ." Note the expression, "we shall return, instead of " we shall go with thee in thy return to thy people." For the moment they identify... read more
Separation. These three women were bound together by the memory of common happiness, by the memory of common sorrows. The proposal that they should part, however reasonable and just, could not but reopen the flood-gates of their grief. Orpah found her consolation in her home in Moab, and Ruth found hers in Naomi's life-long society and affection. But as the three stand before us on the borders of the land, as Naomi begs her daughters-in-law to return, the sorrow and the sanctity of human... read more
Ruth 1:9-11. That ye may find rest, &c. That ye may be happily settled in houses of your own, with good husbands. That they may be your husbands According to the ancient custom, (Genesis 38:8,) and the express law of God, (Deuteronomy 25:4,) which doubtless she had acquainted them with before, among other branches of the Jewish religion. read more
1:1-22 TEN YEARS OF HARDSHIP IN MOABWhen a severe famine struck Israel, Elimelech took his wife Naomi and their two sons across the Jordan and south to the land of Moab, in the hope of finding a living there. But Elimelech died, and within ten years his two sons, who had married Moabite wives, died also (1:1-5).Naomi saw no future for herself in Moab, so, upon hearing that the famine in Israel had passed, she decided to return home. Her daughters-in-law loved her and decided to go with her to... read more
we will return with thee. This liberty was allowed by the laws of Khammurabi, 171-173 and 177. read more
B. Naomi’s inability to provide husbands for Ruth and Orpah 1:6-14God eventually withdrew the famine from Judah (Ruth 1:6), probably in response to His people’s calling out to Him for deliverance (cf. Judges 3:9; Judges 3:15; Judges 4:3; Judges 6:6; Judges 10:10; Judges 16:28). This verse sounds one of the major themes of the story: Yahweh’s gracious intervention. [Note: K. Sacon, "The Book of Ruth-Its Literary Structure and Themes," Annual of the Japanese Biblical Institute 4 (1978):5.] "Here... read more
The Exile and the Return of Naomi1. Beth-lehem-judah] two hours’ journey S. of Jerusalem, is to be distinguished from Bethlehem in Zebulun (Joshua 19:15). It was but a short distance from Moab, which, in the days here referred to, was a fertile, highly cultivated country. Travellers still speak of it as a land of streams. Nothing short of the compulsion of famine could have induced a Hebrew to migrate into this foreign country where he would have no right of citizenship, this unclean land where... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ruth 1:6-18
See here, I. The good affection Naomi bore to the land of Israel, Ruth 1:6. Though she could not stay in it while the famine lasted, she would not stay out of it when the famine ceased. Though the country of Moab had afforded her shelter and supply in a time of need, yet she did not intend it should be her rest for ever; no land should be that but the holy land, in which the sanctuary of God was, of which he had said, This is my rest for ever. Observe, 1. God, at last, returned in mercy to his... read more