Ruth 1:1

THE AFFLICTIONS OF NAOMI AND HER RETURN TO BETHLEHEM

ELIMELECH FLEES THE FAMINE IN JUDAH TO SOJOURN IN MOAB (RUTH 1:1-5)

"And it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. 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 Bethlehem-Judah. And they came into the country of Moab and continued there. And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. 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 dwelt there about ten years. And Mahlon and Chilion died, both of them, and the woman was left of her two children and of her husband."

The scene for this narrative is the high plateau east of the Dead Sea and south of the Arnon river, some sixty miles from Bethlehem, and on a clear day it was visible from Bethlehem. Bethlehem was the birthplace of both King David and of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and is located only six or seven miles south of Jerusalem. Some believe that Elimelech was NOT justified in making this move. Matthew Henry labeled it as "unjustified."[1] And the Targum suggests that the death of all three of these men was due to their leaving the land of Israel in the case of Elimelech and because of their marrying strange women in that of the two sons.

Regarding the wives of the two sons, Josephus states that Elimelech arranged those marriages, but the text here does not support that assertion. From him, we also learn that Chilion married Orpah and that Mahlon married Ruth.[2]

"Ephrathites" (Ruth 1:2). The fact of Elimelech and his family being called by this name seems to indicate some special honor, power, or ability that belonged to them when they departed from Bethlehem. Ephrathah was an ancient name of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) and was also applied to the region in which Bethlehem was located, and the term seems to indicate some connection with the ancient aristocracy of the place. We have been unable to find out the basis of it, but Adam Clarke and others have suggested that the names Chilion and Mahlon are identified with the Joash and Saraph who are mentioned as having some kind of dominion in Moab (1 Chronicles 4:22).[3] Naomi's statement later in this chapter that the family went out "full" also seems to indicate their prominence and affluence.

THE MEANING OF THE THESE PERSONAL NAMES

One of the interesting features of this paragraph is the meanings which scholars have found in the personal names.

Elimelech means, `my God is king';[4] Naomi signifies `pleasant,'[5] `my sweet one,'[6] or `amiable.'[7] Chilion and Mahlon are said to mean `sickness' and `consumption'[8] or `sickly' and `wasting.'[9] Orpah is said to mean `stiff-necked,'[10] and Ruth has been assigned the meaning of `friend,'[11] `refreshment,' `satiation,' or `comfort.'[12] Very obviously, somebody is guessing.

Regarding the names of the Moabite wives and that of Elimelech's two sons, perhaps the most dependable analysis is that of Joyce G. Baldwin who declares that, "The suggested meanings of Mahlon `weakly' and Chilion `pining' are merely conjectural, and the meanings of Orpah and Ruth are not known."[13] Hubbard agreed that in the case of Orpah, "The meaning remains an unsolved mystery."[14]

The critical allegation against the Book of Ruth that makes it a production of some post-exilic narrator bases their theory on the false proposition that the names of Elimelech's sons are fictitious, invented for them centuries later and designed to fit what happened to them, but Leon Morris cites plenty of proof that the names Mahlon and Chilion, "Are actually good old Canaanite names."[15] This fact drives us to the conclusion that the usual meanings assigned to the names of these sons of Elimelech are not to be trusted. Since they indeed appear to be authentic Canaanite names, the usual meanings assigned by commentators could not possibly be correct, because, no parent in his right mind would fasten upon a helpless little child a name with the kind of meaning that "scholars" have assigned to the names Mahlon and Chilion.

Nothing but the stark and brutal facts of the disasters which befell this family in Moab are related here. We are not told why Elimelech or either of his sons died, merely that they died and left Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth widows in Moab with no visible means of support.

Speaking of the marriage of the two sons to Moabite women, this was NOT forbidden in the Law of Moses at the early period of this narrative, but severe restrictions against Moabite descendants were later imposed. The Moabites were descendants of Lot and his incestuous union with one of his daughters (Genesis 19). They accepted the pagan deity Chemosh as their god, and as a whole, the Moabites were perpetual enemies of Israel. However, there were notable instances of exceptions, as in that episode in which David's parents were cordially received by the king of Moab (1 Samuel 22:3-4).