Ruth 1 4

Ruth 1:4 kjv

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.

Ruth 1:4 nkjv

Now they took 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.

Ruth 1:4 niv

They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years,

Ruth 1:4 esv

These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years,

Ruth 1:4 nlt

The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later,

Ruth 1 verses

Ruth 1 4 Meaning

Ruth 1:4 describes the specific marital choices made by Mahlon and Chilion, the sons of Elimelech and Naomi, after their family's relocation to the land of Moab. They each married Moabite women, whose names were Orpah and Ruth. This verse also specifies the duration of their residence in Moab as approximately ten years before further tragedy struck the family.

Ruth 1 4 Context

Ruth 1:4 occurs early in the Book of Ruth, setting the stage for the dramatic events that follow. The chapter opens during the period of the Judges, a time in Israel marked by moral decay and a lack of central authority ("every man did what was right in his own eyes," Judg 17:6). A severe famine grips Judah, prompting Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, to leave their hometown of Bethlehem ("House of Bread") for the fertile, albeit foreign, land of Moab.

Historically and culturally, Moabites were descended from Lot through an incestuous relationship (Gen 19:37), and they had a long-standing antagonistic relationship with Israel, marked by conflicts, seduction to idolatry (Num 25:1-3), and divine decrees of exclusion from the "assembly of the Lord" (Deut 23:3-6). For Israelites, intermarriage with Moabites was generally forbidden and considered a grave transgression because it frequently led to adopting pagan practices and turning away from the Lord. Chemosh was the chief deity of Moab, often associated with human sacrifice. Thus, the marriages of Mahlon and Chilion to Moabite women represented a significant deviation from the established Israelite covenantal law and cultural norms, yet it paradoxically became a pivotal point in God's redemptive plan, ultimately leading to the inclusion of Ruth into the lineage of David and eventually Christ. The "about ten years" indicates a prolonged period of living outside their homeland and assimilating into Moabite society before further tragedy changed their course.

Ruth 1 4 Word analysis

• And they took: Hebrew: va-yiss'u. The verb implies a decisive action of taking. In this context, it highlights Mahlon and Chilion making formal commitments through marriage, not casual liaisons. This act also implies their parents' consent, given the patriarchal family structure.
• them: Refers to Mahlon and Chilion, emphasizing their agency in forming these alliances.
• wives: Hebrew: nashim. This indicates legal, recognized marriages, making the connection to Moab permanent at that point, rather than a temporary arrangement.
• of the women of Moab: Hebrew: mi-n'shei Mo'av. The definitive phrase highlighting the Moabite identity of Orpah and Ruth. "Moab" (Mo'av) itself derives from a Hebrew term meaning "from father," stemming from its origins. This specific identification is critical due to the Deuteronomic prohibitions against marriage with Moabites (Deut 23:3-6), which would have been well known in Israel. This seemingly defiant act directly contrasts with God's law.
• one called Orpah: Hebrew: Orpah. Possibly related to 'oreph, meaning "nape of the neck," suggesting turning away, or stiff-neckedness, which could subtly prefigure her later decision to return to her people.
• and the name of the other Ruth: Hebrew: Rut. The meaning of this name is debated but often associated with "friendship," "companion," or "beauty." This name will become central to the entire book's narrative and theme of covenant loyalty and devotion.
• and they lived there: Hebrew: va-yesh'vu sham. Signifies an extended settlement, suggesting they made Moab their home rather than a temporary refuge. This indicates a deeper entanglement with Moabite society and culture.
• about ten years: Hebrew: k'eshet eser shanim. The phrase "about ten years" suggests a significant duration, a decade. In biblical reckoning, ten can signify completeness or a significant cycle (e.g., ten plagues, tithes, commandments). This extended period implies a deepening of roots in the foreign land, strengthening the bond of their marriages and the loss that would follow. It indicates that their integration into Moabite life was thorough before the subsequent tragedies, underscoring the deep roots laid.

Ruth 1 4 Bonus section

The seemingly forbidden marriages of Mahlon and Chilion to Moabite women introduce a fundamental tension between legal adherence and God's broader redemptive plan. While Deuteronomic law explicitly prohibited Moabites from entering the assembly of the Lord, God's election and grace demonstrate that His purpose cannot be confined by human-imposed or even divinely-instituted laws when He chooses to act. This tension highlights a significant biblical theme: that God works through imperfect people and circumstances that seem adverse to His explicit commands, to accomplish His ultimate good. The presence of Ruth and Orpah, though foreign, also provides a subtle polemic against the often-antagonistic historical relationship between Israel and Moab, setting up a powerful counter-narrative through Ruth's loyalty and faith. It implicitly questions whether blanket condemnations fully capture the complexities of divine interaction with humanity across national and ethnic lines. Furthermore, Naomi's acceptance, and likely participation in, arranging these marriages suggests that pragmatic considerations in times of hardship sometimes overshadowed strict adherence to legal codes among some Israelites during the tumultuous period of the Judges.

Ruth 1 4 Commentary

Ruth 1:4 succinctly captures a critical turning point for Naomi's family, detailing the marriages of her sons, Mahlon and Chilion, to Moabite women named Orpah and Ruth. This verse, though brief, carries significant theological and narrative weight. From an Israelite perspective rooted in Mosaic Law, these marriages to Moabite women were forbidden and potentially seen as a compromise of their covenant identity. The prohibition was not merely tribalism but to preserve spiritual purity, preventing Israel from being led astray into idolatry by foreign wives and their deities. Given the famine that forced them to Moab and the context of the Judges, this decision might reflect desperation, a declining adherence to the Law, or a misguided attempt to rebuild their lives in a foreign land.

The phrase "they lived there about ten years" emphasizes a prolonged period of dwelling in Moab, signifying a deep integration into that foreign culture. This length of time solidifies their identity as "sojourners" who have now rooted themselves. It also makes the subsequent deaths of Mahlon and Chilion all the more poignant, as they die having spent a substantial portion of their lives, and perhaps the entirety of their adult lives, away from the Promised Land, having married foreign wives. Yet, within this seemingly lamentable choice, divine providence is at work, as it directly introduces Ruth, a Moabite, into the narrative. Her future choices will ironically demonstrate profound loyalty to God and Israel, becoming a conduit for the continuation of Israel's royal line, illustrating how God's sovereign plan transcends human error and societal boundaries, even using actions seemingly contrary to His Law for a greater redemptive purpose.