Passage

Ruth 1.6

Book: Ruth · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

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 dwelt there about ten years. 5. And Mahlon and Chilion died both of them; and the woman was left of her two children and of 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 Jehovah had visited his people in giving them bread.

And 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 of you to her mother's house: Jehovah deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. (Ruth 1:4-8, ASV)

WEB

4. They took for themselves wives of the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other was Ruth. They lived there about ten years. 5. Mahlon and Chilion both died, and the woman was bereaved of her two children and of 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 Yahweh had visited his people in giving them bread.

She went out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her. They went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8. Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May Yahweh deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead, and with me. (Ruth 1:4-8, WEB)

KJV

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.

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. (Ruth 1:4-8, KJV)

YLT

4. and they take to them wives, Moabitesses: the name of the one [is] Orpah, and the name of the second Ruth; and they dwell there about ten years. 5. And they die also, both of them, Mahlon and Chilion, and the woman is left of her two children and of her husband.

6. And she riseth, she and her daughters-in-law, and turneth back from the fields of Moab, for she hath heard in the fields of Moab that God hath looked after His people,, to give to them bread.

And she goeth out from the place where she hath been, and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they go in the way to turn back unto the land of Judah. 8. And Naomi saith to her two daughters-in-law, 'Go, turn back, each to the house of her mother; Jehovah doth with you kindness as ye have done with the dead, and with me; (Ruth 1:4-8, YLT)

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Setting

Speaker: the narrator of Ruth, an anonymous storyteller
Audience: the readers of the book
Location: "the country of Moab" (Ruth 1:6)
Time period: the period of the judges (Ruth 1:1), after "about ten years" in Moab and the deaths of Naomi's husband and sons (1:4-5)

Theological reading

"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 Jehovah had visited his people in giving them bread." The famine that drove the family out (1:1) ends by the LORD's act. "Visited" (Strong's H6485 in the KJV) is the verb used when "Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said" (Genesis 21:1), God acting on a promise.

"Return" is shuv (Strong's H7725), the key word of the chapter. The KJV's tagging shows it again and again: "to return unto the land of Judah" (1:7), "Go, return each of you" (1:8), "Turn again, my daughters" (1:11-12), "return thou after thy sister-in-law" (1:15), and "So Naomi returned" (1:22).

Naomi hears that bread has come back to the land she left. The famine began the family's exile, and God's provision begins its end. The book's first act of hope is a report of what God has done.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word.

H7725 - shuv, shuv, Strong's H7725
H8085 - shama, shama, Strong's H8085
H3068 - YHWH, YHWH, Strong's H3068

Notes

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Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.