Ruth 1:4
What does Ruth 1:4 mean?
A plain-English look at Ruth 1:4 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Ruth 1:4 means
Mahlon and Chilion marry Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, and the family remains in Moab about ten years. The marriages signal adaptation to life in a foreign land and establish Ruth as a central figure. Ten years suggests a significant season with no children mentioned, hinting at unfulfilled hopes and setting up later concerns about family continuity. The text reports these unions without explicit approval or disapproval, instead focusing on the relational ties that will soon be tested. By naming Ruth now, the narrator plants a seed of future grace: through a foreign daughter-in-law, God will weave surprising mercy into Naomi’s story and, beyond her, into Israel’s story.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000And 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.
KJV
King James Version · 1611And 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.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And 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.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And they took two women of Moab as their wives: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth; and they went on living there for about ten years.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862and they take to them wives, Moabitesses: the name of the one <FI>is<Fi> Orpah, and the name of the second Ruth; and they dwell there about ten years.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And they took wives of the women of Moab, of which one was called Orpha, and the other Ruth. And they dwelt their ten years,
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And they took them Moabitish wives; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the second Ruth: and they abode there about ten years.
Context
This verse follows Elimelech’s death, showing the sons building households that could sustain Naomi. It also introduces Ruth, whose loyalty will become the chapter’s turning point. The decade-long stay sharpens the sense of settled life and heightens the grief that comes next in verse 5. Without this background, the depth of Naomi’s emptiness and Ruth’s significance would be less apparent.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Deuteronomy 23:3
An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of Jehovah; even to the tenth generation shall none belonging to them enter into the assembly of Jehovah for ever:
- Deuteronomy 7:3
neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
- Matthew 1:5
and Salmon begat Boaz of Rahab; and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;
- 1 Kings 11:1
Now king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites;
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