Ruth 1:4
These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years,
English Standard Version (ESV)
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While the text states they "took" Moabite wives, it's a subtle yet significant detail that the names of these women, Orpah and Ruth, are given. This inclusion suggests that these weren't just casual unions but relationships that became important enough to be remembered, even hinting at their eventual connection to the lineage of Israel.
After Elimelech moved his family from Bethlehem to Moab due to famine, his sons Mahlon and Chilion married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, and they lived in Moab for about ten years. This decision to marry foreigners, regardless of whether the women had converted to Judaism or not, carried significant implications for the family's future.
Elimelech's family left Bethlehem in Judah because of a famine. But was this move a wise strategy to escape hardship, or did it lead them further into trouble?
Seeking Refuge, Finding Risk
The book of Ruth opens with a stark reality: famine in the land. Elimelech, a man from Bethlehem, decides to relocate his family to Moab, a foreign and even adversarial nation to the Israelites.
Mahlon and Chilion marry Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. Was this a simple matter of finding spouses, or did it carry significant spiritual and cultural implications?
Bridging Worlds, Crossing Lines?
The sons of Elimelech marry women from Moab. This act is presented factually, but the surrounding commentary reveals a deep-seated concern among ancient interpreters.
Understand the original words
'ishshah · Hebrew Noun
A term referring to the legal union between a man and a woman, which in Old Testament theology is a covenantal commitment mirroring the relationship between God and His people.
The marriages described in this verse occurred during a period of exile and famine for an Israelite family, raising questions about navigating cultural and religious boundaries when living in a foreign, and even hostile, land.
c. 11th century BC
Period of the Judges
A time of great instability and frequent oppression in Israel, marked by a cycle of sin, judgment, deliverance, and peace.
c. 11th century BC
Famine in Bethlehem
A severe drought or lack of food forces an Israelite family to seek sustenance in the foreign land of Moab.
c. 11th century BC
Elimelech's family settles in Moab
Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their two sons move from Bethlehem to Moab, a land historically hostile to Israel.
c. 11th century BC— this verse
Sons marry Moabite women
Elimelech's sons, Mahlon and Chilion, marry Orpah and Ruth, women of Moab, a practice potentially problematic under Israelite law.
c. 11th century BC
This passage directly prohibits intermarriage with the surrounding nations, highlighting the potential spiritual dangers of such unions, which is a key tension in Ruth's story.
Nehemiah 13:23-27This section shows the concern of Nehemiah and the people of Israel to maintain religious and national purity by addressing the issue of marrying foreign women, echoing the concerns raised by the marriages in Ruth 1.
1 Corinthians 7:14Paul speaks about the sanctifying effect of one believing spouse on an unbelieving spouse, offering a potential spiritual perspective on the mixed marriages in Ruth, even if they were initially problematic.
Matthew 1:5This verse in Jesus' genealogy shows Ruth, a Moabitess, becoming an ancestor of King David and ultimately Jesus, demonstrating God's surprising work through seemingly unconventional circumstances and relationships.
henryRuth 1:1-5: "Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons."
1:1-5 Elimelech's care to provide for his family, was not to be blamed; but his removal into the country of Moab could not be justified. And the removal ended in the wasting of his family. It is folly to think of escaping that cross, which, being laid in our way, we ought to take…
clarkeRuth 1:4: "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."
And they took them wives - The Targum very properly observes, that they transgressed the decree of the word of the Lord, and took to themselves strange women.
While the text states they "took" Moabite wives, it's a subtle yet significant detail that the names of these women, Orpah and Ruth, are given. This inclusion suggests that these weren't just casual unions but relationships that became important enough to be remembered, even hinting at their eventual connection to the lineage of Israel.
After Elimelech moved his family from Bethlehem to Moab due to famine, his sons Mahlon and Chilion married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, and they lived in Moab for about ten years. This decision to marry foreigners, regardless of whether the women had converted to Judaism or not, carried significant implications for the family's future.
After Elimelech moved his family from Bethlehem to Moab due to famine, his sons Mahlon and Chilion married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, and they lived in Moab for about ten years. This decision to marry foreigners, regardless of whether the women had converted to Judaism or not, carried significant implications for the family's future.
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The text mentions they lived there 'about ten years.' Why include this detail, and what might have happened during that decade?
The Quiet Build-Up
The phrase 'about ten years' might seem like a simple time marker, but it signifies a crucial period of assimilation and established life in Moab.
Deaths of Elimelech and sons
Elimelech and his two sons die in Moab, leaving Naomi widowed and with two Moabite daughters-in-law.
"These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years," — While the text states they "took" Moabite wives, it's a subtle yet significant detail that the names of these women, Orpah and Ruth, are given. This inclusion suggests that these weren't just casua…
