Ruth 1:14

14 The women cried together out loud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law Naomi good-bye, but Ruth held on to her tightly.

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.

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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, my daughters, to your own homes. I am too old to have another husband. Even if I told myself, 'I still have hope' and had another husband tonight, and even if I had more sons,

13 should you wait until they were grown into men? Should you live for so many years without husbands? Don't do that, my daughters. My life is much too sad for you to share, because the Lord has been against me!"

14 The women cried together out loud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law Naomi good-bye, but Ruth held on to her tightly.

15 Naomi said to Ruth, "Look, your sister-in-law is going back to her own people and her own gods. Go back with her."

16 But Ruth said, "Don't beg me to leave you or to stop following you. Where you go, I will go. Where you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.