Ruth 1:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

NIV: When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

NASB: When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her about it.

CSB: When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped talking to her.

NLT: When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.

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

NKJV: When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.

Naomi fought hard for what she feels is best for Ruth, but now accepts that she's lost the argument. After losing her husband and two sons in Moab, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem (Ruth 1:1–6). She does not want her Moabite daughters-in-law to join her. She expects to be impoverished and humiliated in Bethlehem with no male relative to see to her needs. Her young, foreign, pagan, widowed daughters-in-law will face even more danger.

To that end, Naomi has explained very clearly why following her is a bad idea. She is too old to have more sons, and even if, by some miracle, she did, Orpah and Ruth would be foolish to wait until they were grown enough to marry. There is nothing Naomi can offer the women she loves so much (Ruth 1:7–13).

Orpah has decided to obey Naomi, return home, and seek a new husband—a perfectly wise and reasonable choice. Ruth will not. Ruth would rather abandon her home, her nation, her family, and her gods and follow Naomi to the grave. Naomi may have nothing more to offer her, but Ruth will dedicate her life to Naomi through the power of Naomi's God, Yahweh (Ruth 1:14–17).

Having lived with Ruth for years, Naomi probably knows when it's futile to try to change the woman's mind. Before long, Naomi will come to realize God didn't abandon her when He allowed her husband and sons to die. God gave her Ruth. Within a year, Ruth will find a man who is willing to redeem Naomi's husband Elimelech's property and bear a son in Elimelech's name. Naomi will have her son through Ruth. Ruth will have a good husband and everything else Naomi wishes for her (Ruth 3:11; 4:13–17).

In addition, two generations later, Israel will have a godly king in Ruth's great-grandson David (Ruth 4:21–22). And, finally, the Messiah, Jesus (Matthew 1:5–16).

Ruth 1:15–18 records Ruth's vow to Naomi. Naomi had insisted Ruth return to her parents and start a new family. Ruth explains that Naomi is her family. No matter where Naomi lives or dies, or who she worships, Ruth will be with her. Naomi is suffering under the belief that God intentionally singled her out for tragedy (Ruth 1:13). She doesn't quite realize that God can show up in the heart of a Moabite widow.

Ruth 1 depicts how a person can feel "starved" for things other than food. Elimelech and his wife, Naomi, flee a famine in Bethlehem and settle in Moab where there is plenty of food and their sons find devoted wives. Within ten years, however, Naomi's husband and sons are dead. When she hears Judah has food again, she prepares to return as an old, bitter widow. One daughter-in-law, Ruth, insists on accompanying her. On the surface, a young Moabite widow in Israel would be the last person who could help, but God honors Ruth's lovingkindness and eventually uses her to restore Naomi's hope and future.

Ruth chapter 1 introduces the tumultuous life of a Jewish woman in the era of the judges (Judges 2:16–19). The Israelites have entered the Promised Land but have only half-heartedly pursued God's command to drive out the depraved Canaanites. Too often, they rejected God for foreign idols. God responds with war and famine. In the face of one such famine in Judah, Elimelech and Naomi take their two sons and flee to Moab. After ten years, when the famine is lifted, Naomi returns to Bethlehem with all that is left of her family: one daughter-in-law. They encounter Boaz, whose character is explained more in chapter 2.

Though set in a time of violence and tragedy, the book of Ruth tells one of Scripture’s most uplifting stories. Naomi, an Israelite, leaves her home during a famine. While away, in Moab, her husband and sons die. Naomi convinces one of her Moabite daughters-in-law to leave her and seek a new life. The other, Ruth, refuses, declaring her love and loyalty to Naomi. When the pair return to Israel, they encounter Boaz. This man is both kind and moral; his treatment of Ruth secures Naomi’s future and becomes part of king David’s ancestry.