Ruth 1:18

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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ruth 1:18

When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her ,.... That she was strong in her resolutions, and steadfast in her determinations not to go back to her own country, but to go forward with her; and nothing could move her from the firm purpose of her mind, which was what Naomi wanted to make trial of: then she left speaking unto her : that is, upon that head of returning home; otherwise, no doubt, upon this a close, comfortable, religious conversation ensued, which made their... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ruth 1:15-22

Devoted attachment. I. Ruth was fixed in her desire and determination to CAST IS HER LOT WITH HER DESOLATE AND DESTITUTE MOTHER - IN - LAW . The absolute unselfishness of this determination is noteworthy, for— 1. Be it noted that Naomi was not one of those who are always murmuring and complaining because they do not receive sufficient consideration. 2. Still less did she claim as a right, or urge as a duty, that her daughter-in-law should become her... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ruth 1:16-18

Constancy. For simple pathos and unstudied eloquence, this language is unsurpassed. "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." Here is the fervent outpouring of a true heart. Love and resolution are at their height. Thousands of human souls have expressed their mutual attachment in these words. They are not words of extravagance or of passion, but of feeling, of principle, of a fixed and changeless mind. Constancy must be admired, even by the inconstant. I. THERE WERE ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ruth 1:18

And she perceived. In our idiom we should have introduced the proper name, "And Naomi perceived." That she was determined to go with her. She saw that Ruth was fixed in her resolution. And she left off speaking to her. She "gave in." Ruth, as Fuller has it, was "a fixed star." read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ruth 1:18

Moral steadfastness. "When she saw that she was steadfastly minded." "Then she left speaking." The test had done a true work, and we see the heroine who could stand fast. Yes; "having done all, to stand," is something in the great emergencies and temptations of life. There are times when to stand in the rush of the stream, as the river breaks into spray around us, is as much for the hour as we can do, and God knows and honors that. I. THE STEADFAST MIND GIVES THE STEADFAST... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Ruth 1:18

Ruth 1:18. That she was steadfastly minded to go with her, &c. Was not this the very thing that Naomi aimed at in all she said, namely, to bring Ruth to be of this steadfast mind? Then she left off speaking Having gained her point. For she could desire no further confirmation of it than that solemn protestation which Ruth had just now made. See the power of resolution, how it puts temptation to silence! Those that are but half resolved, and go on in the ways of religion without a... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Ruth 1:1-22

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

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Ruth 1:15-18

C. Ruth’s profession of faith in Yahweh 1:15-18Ruth concluded that her prospects for loyal love and rest (Ruth 1:8-9) were better if she identified with Israel than if she continued to identify with Moab. She had come to admire Israel’s God, in spite of Naomi’s present lack of faith. Elimelech and his family had evidently earlier fulfilled God’s purpose for His people while living in Moab. They had so represented Yahweh that Ruth felt drawn to Him and now, faced with a decision of loyalty, she... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Ruth 1:1-22

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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