Ruth 1:14

14 Again they started crying. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye and went back home, ^[a] but Ruth held on to her.

Ruth 1:14 Meaning and Commentary

Ruth 1:14

And they lifted up their voice, and wept again
Not being able to bear the thought of parting, or that they must be obliged to it:

and Orpah kissed her mother in law;
gave her the parting kiss, as the Jews ^F5 call it; and which was used by other people ^F6; but not without affection to her, and took her leave of her, as her kiss testified, since it must be so; and being moved by her reasons, and having a greater inclination to her own country than Ruth had; of the kiss at parting, see ( Genesis 31:28 ) ( 1 Kings 19:20 )

but Ruth clave unto her;
hung about her, would not part from her, but cleaved unto her in body and mind; forsaking her own people, and her father's house; neither the thought of them, nor of her native country, nor of not having an husband, or any likelihood of it, nor of poverty and distress, had any manner of influence upon her, but determined she was to go and abide with her.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F5 Bereshit Rabba, sect. 70. fol. 62. 4. Shemot, sect. 5. fol. 94. 4.
F6 "----discedens oscula nulla dedi". Ovid. ep. 3. ver. 14.

Ruth 1:14 In-Context

12 Go back home, for I am too old to get married again. Even if I thought there was still hope, and so got married tonight and had sons,

13 would you wait until they had grown up? Would this keep you from marrying someone else? No, my daughters, you know that's impossible. The Lord has turned against me, and I feel very sorry for you."

14 Again they started crying. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye and went back home, but Ruth held on to her.

15 So Naomi said to her, "Ruth, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god. Go back home with her."

16 But Ruth answered, "Don't ask me to leave you! Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.

Footnotes

• [a]. [One ancient translation] and went back home; [Hebrew does not have these words.]