Ruth 1 5

Ruth 1:5 kjv

And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.

Ruth 1:5 nkjv

Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

Ruth 1:5 niv

both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

Ruth 1:5 esv

and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

Ruth 1:5 nlt

both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone, without her two sons or her husband.

Ruth 1 verses

Ruth 1 5 Meaning

Ruth 1:5 details the heartbreaking culmination of Naomi's tragic journey, revealing that her two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, also died while residing in the land of Moab. This left Naomi utterly desolate, bereft of her husband and all her male heirs. This series of profound losses stripped her of social standing, economic security, and any immediate hope for the continuation of her family line, leaving her a solitary and vulnerable widow in a foreign land.

Ruth 1 5 Context

Ruth 1:5 follows swiftly on the heels of Ruth 1:3-4. Initially, Naomi's family – Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion – had moved to Moab from Bethlehem during a famine in Judah (Ruth 1:1). Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died shortly after their relocation (Ruth 1:3). Subsequently, Mahlon and Chilion married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth (Ruth 1:4). This verse compounds the tragedy, detailing the death of both sons.

In ancient Israelite society, a woman's social standing, security, and continuation of her family lineage were largely tied to her male relatives. Wives depended on their husbands, and widowed mothers depended on their sons for protection, provision, and perpetuation of the family name. The death of Elimelech left Naomi vulnerable; the death of her two sons, without any surviving male issue, left her utterly destitute and exposed, a widow with no male protectors or providers in a foreign land. This complete eradication of her immediate family plunged her into extreme despair, shaping the entire subsequent narrative of her return and eventual redemption.

Ruth 1 5 Word analysis

• And Mahlon:
  • Mahlon (מַחְלוֹן, Makhlon): The Hebrew name itself means "sickly," "weak," or "pining." This name is often viewed as a literary foreshadowing, hinting at his eventual and premature demise due to a likely illness or inherent weakness. His name suggests his fate.
• and Chilion:
  • Chilion (כִּלְיוֹן, Kil'yon): Derived from a root meaning "cessation," "destruction," or "extinction." Like Mahlon's name, Chilion's is similarly evocative, indicating an end or perishing. Both names together paint a poignant picture of fading away and premature death, adding layers of pathos to the family's misfortune.
• died:
  • The verb used for "died" signifies a complete end. The repeated incidence of death within this short narrative highlights a series of grave losses. In the biblical context, premature death, especially of male heirs, was a significant sorrow and potential curse (Deut 28:20-22).
• also both of them:
  • (גַּם־שְׁנֵיהֶם, gam-shneihem): The addition of "also" emphasizes that these deaths compounded the earlier loss of Elimelech, intensifying the tragedy. "Both of them" underscores the completeness of this subsequent calamity – not just one, but both sons perished, eliminating any immediate hope of direct lineal descendants for Naomi's husband.
• and the woman:
  • Refers specifically to Naomi, but the general term "the woman" (הָאִשָּׁה, ha'ishah) universalizes her suffering, making her a representative figure of profound widowhood and desolation. It strips away her family identifiers, focusing purely on her bare status.
• was left:
  • (תּוֹתַר, totar): The Hebrew verb is a passive form of "to remain" or "to be left over." This conveys Naomi's desolate state powerfully. She is not merely "remaining" but "was left behind" as a remnant, stripped of her supporting familial structure. It implies an utter vulnerability and isolation.
• of her two sons and her husband:
  • This phrase unequivocally defines the totality of her loss. Her entire immediate male support system – her husband who was her provider and protector, and her two sons who were her future and the inheritors of the family line – had all died. This left her socially exposed, economically vulnerable, and culturally incomplete, having lost her central role as wife and mother to living heirs.

Ruth 1 5 Bonus section

The seemingly prophetic names of Mahlon and Chilion serve as a powerful literary device, highlighting the pervasive sense of suffering and inevitable decline that characterizes Naomi's life in Moab. This isn't just misfortune; it carries an almost mythic weight, foreshadowing the profound existential crisis faced by Naomi's family line. The phrase "was left" in the Niphal stem (תּוֹתַר) subtly underscores a passive vulnerability. Naomi didn't choose to be left; she simply was left, a passive recipient of overwhelming loss. This emphasizes her powerlessness in the face of these calamities and deeply enhances the reader's empathy for her plight, laying the foundational need for an active "go'el" (kinsman-redeemer) later in the narrative to restore what has been lost.

Ruth 1 5 Commentary

Ruth 1:5 represents the absolute nadir of Naomi’s suffering. Following the death of her husband Elimelech, the subsequent deaths of Mahlon and Chilion compound her grief, leaving her in the direst possible circumstances for a woman in the ancient Near East: a triple widow, without male progeny. This series of deaths extinguishes her direct family line and eradicates any source of male protection and provision, leaving her utterly alone in a foreign land. The Hebrew names of her sons, "Mahlon" (sickly) and "Chilion" (completion/destruction), act as proleptic markers, adding a poignant, almost predestined, dimension to their tragic end. This verse meticulously establishes the immense depth of Naomi’s sorrow and destitution, which is crucial for appreciating the divine providence and human kindness that unfold throughout the remainder of the book. It underscores the severity of her loss and the need for extraordinary intervention, setting the stage for the dramatic return to Bethlehem and the pursuit of redemption.