Ruth 1:8 Study Bible: Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead, and with me.

◄ Ruth 1:8 ►

Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back, each of you to your mother's home. May the LORD show you loving devotion, as you have shown to your dead and to me.

Study Bible

Then Naomi said
This phrase introduces Naomi as the central figure in this narrative moment. Naomi, whose name means "pleasant" in Hebrew, is a widow who has suffered great loss. Her words are significant as they reflect her role as a matriarch and her deep concern for her daughters-in-law. In the historical context, a widow's position was precarious, and Naomi's initiative to speak reflects her strength and leadership.

to her two daughters-in-law
The mention of "two daughters-in-law" highlights the familial bond and the shared grief between Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth. In ancient Israelite culture, the relationship between a mother-in-law and her daughters-in-law was crucial, often determining the younger women's future security and well-being. This phrase sets the stage for the loyalty and love that will be further explored in the narrative.

Go back, each of you, to your mother's home
Naomi's directive for her daughters-in-law to return to their "mother's home" is significant. In ancient Near Eastern culture, a mother's house was a place of nurture and security, especially for unmarried or widowed women. Naomi's suggestion is both practical and compassionate, as she seeks their welfare in a familiar and supportive environment. This reflects her selflessness and understanding of their needs.

May the LORD show you kindness
The invocation of "the LORD" (Yahweh) is a profound expression of faith. Naomi calls upon the covenant-keeping God of Israel to extend "kindness" (Hebrew: "chesed"), a term rich with meaning, encompassing love, mercy, and faithfulness. This blessing is a testament to Naomi's belief in God's providence and her desire for divine favor upon Orpah and Ruth, despite her own suffering.

as you have shown to your dead and to me
Naomi acknowledges the "kindness" Orpah and Ruth have demonstrated, not only to their deceased husbands but also to her. This recognition of their loyalty and love underscores the deep bonds formed within this family. It also sets a moral and spiritual standard, highlighting the virtues of faithfulness and compassion that are central to the narrative and to the broader biblical message.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Naomi
A widow from Bethlehem who moved to Moab during a famine. She is the mother-in-law of Ruth and Orpah.

2. Ruth
A Moabite woman, widow of Naomi's son, who later becomes a key figure in the lineage of David and Jesus.

3. Orpah
Another Moabite woman, also a widow of Naomi's son, who initially sets out with Naomi but eventually returns to her people.

4. Moab
A region east of the Dead Sea, often in conflict with Israel, yet significant in this account as the place where Naomi's family sought refuge.

5. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant name of God, invoked by Naomi as she blesses her daughters-in-law.

Teaching Points

Understanding Chesed (Kindness)
The Hebrew word "chesed" implies a loyal, steadfast love that goes beyond duty. Naomi's blessing is a prayer for God's covenantal love to be upon Ruth and Orpah.

The Role of Family and Community
Naomi's instruction to return to their mothers' homes underscores the importance of family support systems in times of crisis.

Faith in God's Providence
Naomi's invocation of the LORD's kindness reflects her faith in God's sovereignty, even amidst personal loss and uncertainty.

The Power of Blessing
Naomi's blessing is an act of faith and love, demonstrating the power of spoken blessings in the lives of others.

Cultural and Spiritual Identity
The decision facing Ruth and Orpah highlights the tension between cultural identity and spiritual allegiance, a theme relevant to believers navigating diverse cultural contexts today.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does Naomi's use of the word "kindness" (chesed) in Ruth 1:8 deepen our understanding of God's character?

2. In what ways can we, like Naomi, offer blessings to others even when we are experiencing personal hardship?

3. How does the account of Ruth and Naomi challenge us to consider the role of family and community in our spiritual journey?

4. What can we learn from Naomi's faith in God's providence, and how can this influence our response to life's uncertainties?

5. How does Ruth's account encourage us to navigate our cultural and spiritual identities in a way that honors God?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Genesis 24
The concept of showing kindness (Hebrew: "chesed") is echoed in the account of Abraham's servant seeking a wife for Isaac, where kindness is a sign of God's providence.

1 Samuel 20
The covenant of kindness between David and Jonathan reflects the enduring nature of "chesed" in relationships.

Matthew 1
Ruth's inclusion in the genealogy of Jesus highlights the redemptive plan of God that transcends cultural and ethnic boundaries.

Sermons

Behaviour in the Light of Death	G. Lawson.	Ruth 1:8
Benedictions	W.M. Statham	Ruth 1:8
Kindness	J.R. Thomson	Ruth 1:8
Kindness to the Departed	T. Fuller, B. D.	Ruth 1:8
Naomi's Prayer for Her Daughters-In-Law	R. Bernard.	Ruth 1:8
Showing Kindness to the Dead	A. Thomson, D. D.	Ruth 1:8
The Benedictions of Life	W. M. Statham.	Ruth 1:8
The Lord Knows Best What Others have Been to Us	W.M. Statham	Ruth 1:8

People

Chilion, Elimelech, Ephrathites, Mahlon, Mara, Naomi, Orpah, Ruth

Places

Bethlehem, Moab

Topics

Daughters, Daughters-in-law, Dead, Deal, Dealt, Home, Houses, Kindly, Kindness, Law, Mothers, Mother's, Naomi, Na'omi, Return, Shown, Turn

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Ruth 1:8

Ruth 1:3-13

Ruth 1:3-17

Ruth 1:6-18

Ruth 1:8-9

1335 blessing
8638 benedictions

Ruth 1:8-13

5736 singleness

Library

A Gentle Heroine, a Gentile Convert
'And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: 17. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. 18. When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. 19. So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Worst Things Work for Good to the Godly
DO not mistake me, I do not say that of their own nature the worst things are good, for they are a fruit of the curse; but though they are naturally evil, yet the wise overruling hand of God disposing and sanctifying them, they are morally good. As the elements, though of contrary qualities, yet God has so tempered them, that they all work in a harmonious manner for the good of the universe. Or as in a watch, the wheels seem to move contrary one to another, but all carry on the motions of the watch: …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial

Bands of Love
P. G. Ruth i. 16, 17 A homeless Stranger amongst us came To this land of death and mourning; He walked in a path of sorrow and shame, Through insult, and hate, and scorning. A Man of sorrows, of toil and tears, An outcast Man and a lonely; But He looked on me, and through endless years Him must I love--Him only. Then from this sad and sorrowful land, From this land of tears He departed; But the light of His eyes and the touch of His hand Had left me broken-hearted. And I clave to Him as He turned …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

What is Thy Beloved, More than Another Beloved, O Thou Fairest among Women! what is Thy Beloved, More than Another Beloved, that Thou Dost So Charge Us?
The daughters of Jerusalem do not cease to call her the fairest among women, because her most painful wounds are hidden, and those which are exposed even add lustre to her beauty. They are astonished at beholding a love so strong, so constant and so faithful in the midst of so many disasters. They inquire, Who is this Well-beloved? For, say they, He must be of unequalled attraction, thus to engage His Spouse; for though these souls are spiritual, they are not yet sufficiently advanced to comprehend …
Madame Guyon—Song of Songs of Solomon

Whether the Old Law Set Forth Suitable Precepts About the Members of the Household?
Objection 1: It would seem that the Old Law set forth unsuitable precepts about the members of the household. For a slave "is in every respect his master's property," as the Philosopher states (Polit. i, 2). But that which is a man's property should be his always. Therefore it was unfitting for the Law to command (Ex. 21:2) that slaves should "go out free" in the seventh year. Objection 2: Further, a slave is his master's property, just as an animal, e.g. an ass or an ox. But it is commanded (Dt. …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Epistle xxxii. To Narses the Patrician.
To Narses the Patrician. Gregory to Narses, &c. Your most sweet Charity has said much to me in your letters in praise of my good deeds, to all which I briefly reply, Call me not Noemi, that is beautiful; but call me Mara, that is bitter; for I am full of bitterness (Ruth i. 20). But as to the cause of the presbyters [1555] , which is pending with my brother and fellow-bishop, the most reverend Patriarch John, we have, as I think, for our adversary the very man whom you assert to be desirous of observing …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Epistle cxxi. To Leander, Bishop of Hispalis (Seville).
To Leander, Bishop of Hispalis (Seville). Gregory to Leander, Bishop of Spain. I have the epistle of thy Holiness, written with the pen of charity alone. For what the tongue transferred to the paper had got its tincture from the heart. Good and wise men were present when it was read, and at once their bowels were stirred with emotion. Everyone began to seize thee in his heart with the hand of love, for that in that epistle the sweetness of thy disposition was not to be heard, but seen. All severally …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Man.
THE IMAGE OF GOD. MAN is God's image, and to curse wickedly the image of God, is to curse God himself. Suppose that a man should say with his mouth, I wish that the king's picture were burned; would not this man's so saying render him as an enemy to the person of the king? Even so it is with them that by cursing wish evil to their neighbors or themselves; they contemn the image of God himself. This world, as it dropped from the fingers of God, was far more glorious than it is now. VALUE OF THE SOUL. …
John Bunyan—The Riches of Bunyan

Epistle vi. To Narses, Patrician .
To Narses, Patrician [1305] . Gregory to Narses, &c. In describing loftily the sweetness of contemplation, you have renewed the groans of my fallen state, since I hear what I have lost inwardly while mounting outwardly, though undeserving, to the topmost height of rule. Know then that I am stricken with so great sorrow that I can scarcely speak; for the dark shades of grief block up the eyes of my soul. Whatever is beheld is sad, whatever is thought delightful appears to my heart lamentable. For …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

A Cloud of Witnesses.
"By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was a-dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when his end was nigh, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.... By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been compassed about for seven days. By faith Rahab the harlot perished not with them that were disobedient, …
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

Departure from Ireland. Death and Burial at Clairvaux.
[Sidenote: 1148, May (?)] 67. (30). Being asked once, in what place, if a choice were given him, he would prefer to spend his last day--for on this subject the brothers used to ask one another what place each would select for himself--he hesitated, and made no reply. But when they insisted, he said, "If I take my departure hence[821] I shall do so nowhere more gladly than whence I may rise together with our Apostle"[822]--he referred to St. Patrick; "but if it behoves me to make a pilgrimage, and …
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh

Place of Jesus in the History of the World.
The great event of the History of the world is the revolution by which the noblest portions of humanity have passed from the ancient religions, comprised under the vague name of Paganism, to a religion founded on the Divine Unity, the Trinity, and the Incarnation of the Son of God. It has taken nearly a thousand years to accomplish this conversion. The new religion had itself taken at least three hundred years in its formation. But the origin of the revolution in question with which we have to do …
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

Christ the Mediator of the Covenant
'Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant,' &c. Heb 12:24. Jesus Christ is the sum and quintessence of the gospel; the wonder of angels; the joy and triumph of saints. The name of Christ is sweet, it is as music in the ear, honey in the mouth, and a cordial at the heart. I shall waive the context, and only speak of that which concerns our present purpose. Having discoursed of the covenant of grace, I shall speak now of the Mediator of the covenant, and the restorer of lapsed sinners, Jesus the Mediator …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Appendix xii. The Baptism of Proselytes
ONLY those who have made study of it can have any idea how large, and sometimes bewildering, is the literature on the subject of Jewish Proselytes and their Baptism. Our present remarks will be confined to the Baptism of Proselytes. 1. Generally, as regards proselytes (Gerim) we have to distinguish between the Ger ha-Shaar (proselyte of the gate) and Ger Toshabh (sojourner,' settled among Israel), and again the Ger hatstsedeq (proselyte of righteousness) and Ger habberith (proselyte of the covenant). …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Meditations of the Blessed State of a Regenerate Man in Heaven.
Here my meditation dazzles, and my pen falls out of my hand; the one being not able to conceive, nor the other to describe, that most excellent bliss, and eternal weight of glory (2 Cor. iv. 17; Rom. viii. 18)--whereof all the afflictions of this present life are not worthy--which all the elect shall with the blessed Trinity enjoy, from that time that they shall be received with Christ, as joint-heirs (Rom. viii. 17) into that everlasting kingdom of joy. Notwithstanding, we may take a scantling thereof. …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Ruth
Goethe has characterized the book of Ruth as the loveliest little idyll that tradition has transmitted to us. Whatever be its didactic purpose--and some would prefer to think that it had little or none-it is, at any rate, a wonderful prose poem, sweet, artless, and persuasive, touched with the quaintness of an older world and fresh with the scent of the harvest fields. The love--stronger than country--of Ruth for Naomi, the gracious figure of Boaz as he moves about the fields with a word of blessing …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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