Ruth 1:4

4 Each son married a woman from Moab. One son married a woman named Orpah, and the other son married a woman named Ruth. They lived there for about ten years.

Ruth 1:4 Meaning and Commentary

Ruth 1:4

And they took them wives of the women of Moab
Not before they were proselyted to the Jewish religion, as Aben Ezra thinks, and which seems plainly to be the case of Ruth; at least she was so afterwards, if not before; and also of Orpah, as the same writer concludes from ( Ruth 1:15 ) though others are of a different opinion, and some excuse their marriage, and others condemn it as unlawful, among whom is the Targumist, who paraphrases the words,

``and they transgressed the decree of the Word of the Lord, and took to them strange wives of the daughters of Moab;''

however it was so permitted by the Lord, and ordered in Providence, that from one of them the Messiah might spring:

and the name of the one was Orpah;
she was married to Chilion; and Alshech gathers from hence that the youngest was married first before his brother:

and the name of the other Ruth
the Targum adds,

``the daughter of Eglon, king of Moab;''

and that she was his daughter, or the daughter of his son, is a notion commonly received with the Jews ^F25 though without any just foundation; she was married to Mahlon, ( Ruth 4:10 ) , one Philo ^F26 asserts these two women to be own sisters, for what reason does not appear; and a Jewish writer ^F1 says they were both daughters of Eglon, king of Moab: and they dwelt there about ten years; that is, Mahlon and Chilion, who married these women; which is to be reckoned either from the time they came into the land, or from the time of their marriage; the latter seems to be the case from the connection of the words.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 T. Bab. Nazir, fol. 23. 2. Sotah, fol. 47. 1. Sanhedrin, fol. 105. 2. Horayot, fol. 10. 2. Zohar in Deut. fol. 109. 2.
F26 Apud Drusium in loc.
F1 Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 8. 1.

Ruth 1:4 In-Context

2 The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name was Naomi, and the names of their two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were descendants of Ephrathah from Bethlehem in the territory of Judah. They went to the country of Moab and lived there.

3 Now, Naomi's husband Elimelech died, and she was left alone with her two sons.

4 Each son married a woman from Moab. One son married a woman named Orpah, and the other son married a woman named Ruth. They lived there for about ten years.

5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion died as well. So Naomi was left alone, without her two sons or her husband.

6 Naomi and her daughters-in-law started on the way back from the country of Moab. (While they were still in Moab she heard that the LORD had come to help his people and give them food.