Ruth 1:15-18
A Guided Bible Study
When Naomi realizes she did not convince Ruth to return to her own family (Ruth 1:14), she makes another attempt to persuade her. Ruth 1:15-18 recounts their conversation. In these verses, we hear Ruth speak for the first time. Let's dive in and pay close attention to what she says.
Before we begin, though, make sure you 1) download the worksheet, 2) read the passage several times, 3) make your own observations, and then 4) watch the rest of this video and compare your notes.
Ruth 1:15-18 (NASB)
15 Then she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17 “Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.” 18 When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.
Ruth 1:15
Then she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”
Ruth 1:14 tells us that Ruth clung to Naomi while Orpah returned to her family. In this verse, Naomi makes one more effort to persuade Ruth to go back home. She does this by pointing to Orpah's actions.
Naomi knows how difficult it is to live in a foreign land. She and Elimelech left their people when they went to Moab. She does not want Ruth to experience the same difficulty. So she encourages her to return to the comfort of her family and her religion.
Side Note: This is the first reference to a deity beside Israel's God in the book. Though Naomi does not mention any of Ruth's gods by name, we know the chief Moabite god was Chemosh.
Ruth 1:16
But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.
We finally hear Ruth speak. Until this point she was either silent or spoke in unison with Orpah. When she does speak, we learn that Ruth is deeply committed to Naomi.
The phrase "to leave you" translates the same word that appears in Genesis 2:24 which describes a man leaving his family to begin his own. Ruth already left her family when she married Naomi's son. She does not want Naomi to force her to abandon another family.
Like most English translations, the NASB translates the final part of this verse with a future tense (i.e., Your people "shall be" my people, and your God, my God). While this translation is perfectly acceptable, the Hebrew does not require a future translation.
In fact, we could translate this as a statement of fact: "Your people are my people. Your God is my God." In this translation, Ruth refuses to leave Naomi because she believes she already left Moab and its gods behind when she married Naomi's son. She has no desire to go back.
Ruth 1:17
“Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.”
The Hebrew word translated as "thus" in the Hebrew actually occurs twice in this sentence. It is a common phrase used in oaths. Either the narrator leaves out the details of the oath Ruth made to Naomi or we could imagine Ruth gesturing about some violent action as she makes this statement. The point is she willingly accepts divine punishment if she does not prove her loyalty to Naomi.
How long does this oath last? Ruth says it is to the death.
Ruth 1:18
When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.
Notice the verb in this verse is "saw" and not "heard." Naomi didn't just hear Ruth's words. She saw her determination. Nothing Naomi could say would persuade Ruth to choose a different path.
In the Hebrew, the word for "determined" appears before the word for "she." This word order puts the emphasis on Ruth's determination. It's a way of speaking that we don't use as frequently in English, but it is quite obvious in the Hebrew.
On a final note... did you know that the silent treatment is in the Bible?
Naomi loses her argument with Ruth. She cannot convince her daughter-in-law to return to her own family. So, Naomi does what any mature grown-up does... she gives Ruth the silent treatment.
Conclusion
Ruth 1:15-18 records a conversation between Ruth and her mother-in-law. Naomi wants her to follow Orpah's path and go back to her family. Ruth refuses because she identifies with Naomi's people and religion. In Ruth's mind, nothing but death will separate her from Naomi. The whole scene ends with silent treatment.
Some have compared Ruth's actions to God's faithfulness to us, and with good reason. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Unlike Ruth, however, God's loyalty to His creation will not stop even with death.
Resources
Schipper, Jeremy. Ruth: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016.
Holmstedt, Robert D. Ruth: A Handbook on the Hebrew Text. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2010.
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