RUTH 1:2 Interlinear View

1. Hebrew word
2. Hebrew lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. Gloss
8. CAPS codes
9. OET tags
10. OET word #
1. וְ,שֵׁם
2. 179108,179109
3. And name of
4. -
5. 8034
6. S-C,Ncmsc
7. and=name_of
8. S
9. -
10. 123800
1. הָ,אִישׁ
2. 179110,179111
3. the man
4. -
5. 376
6. S-Td,Ncmsa
7. the=man
8. -
9. -
10. 123801
1. אֱלִימֶלֶךְ
2. 179112
3. +was ʼElīmelek
4. -
5. 458
6. P-Np
7. [was]_Elimelech
8. -
9. Person=Elimelech
10. 123802
1. וְ,שֵׁם
2. 179113,179114
3. and name of
4. -
5. 8034
6. S-C,Ncmsc
7. and=name_of
8. -
9. -
10. 123803
1. אִשְׁתּ,וֹ
2. 179115,179116
3. his/its wife/woman
4. -
5. 802
6. S-Ncfsc,Sp3ms
7. his/its=wife/woman
8. -
9. -
10. 123804
1. נָעֳמִי
2. 179117
3. +was Nāˊₒmī
4. Naomi
5. 5281
6. P-Np
7. [was]_Naomi
8. -
9. Person=Naomi
10. 123805
1. וְ,שֵׁם
2. 179118,179119
3. and name of
4. -
5. 8034
6. S-C,Ncmsc
7. and=name_of
8. -
9. -
10. 123806
1. שְׁנֵי
2. 179120
3. the two of
4. -
5. 8147
6. S-Acmdc
7. of_the_two_of
8. -
9. -
10. 123807
2. 179121
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 123808
1. בָנָי,ו
2. 179122,179123
3. sons of his
4. -
6. S-Ncmpc,Sp3ms
7. sons_of,his
8. -
9. -
10. 123809
2. 179124
3. -
4. -
6. -x-paseq
8. -
9. -
10. 123810
1. מַחְלוֹן
2. 179125
3. +was Maḩlōn
4. Mahlon
5. 4248
6. P-Np
7. [was]_Mahlon
8. -
9. Person=Mahlon
10. 123811
1. וְ,כִלְיוֹן
2. 179126,179127
3. and Kilion
4. Kilion
5. 3630
6. P-C,Np
7. and,Kilion
8. -
9. Person=Chilion
10. 123812
1. אֶפְרָתִים
2. 179128
3. ʼEfrātī
4. Efratah
5. 673
6. P-Ngmpa
7. Ephrathites
8. -
9. -
10. 123813
1. מִ,בֵּית
2. 179129,179130
3. from
4. -
6. P-R,Np
7. from,
8. -
9. -
10. 123814
1. לֶחֶם
2. 179131
3. food/grain/bread
4. -
5. 1035
6. P-Np
7. food/grain/bread
8. -
9. -
10. 123815
1. יְהוּדָה
2. 179132
3. Yəhūdāh
4. Yehudah
5. 3063
6. P-Np
7. Judah
8. -
9. -
10. 123816
1. וַ,יָּבֹאוּ
2. 179133,179134
3. and they came
4. -
5. 935
6. SV-C,Vqw3mp
7. and=they_came
8. -
9. -
10. 123817
1. שְׂדֵי
2. 179135
3. the region(s) of
4. -
6. S-Ncmpc
7. the_region(s)_of
8. -
9. -
10. 123818
2. 179136
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 123819
1. מוֹאָב
2. 179137
3. Mōʼāⱱ
4. Moab
5. 4124
6. S-Np
7. of_Moab
8. -
9. Person=Moab; Location=Moab
10. 123820
1. וַ,יִּהְיוּ
2. 179138,179139
3. and they were
4. -
5. 1961
6. SV-C,Vqw3mp
7. and=they_were
8. -
9. -
10. 123821
2. 179140
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 123822
1. שָׁם
2. 179141
3. there
4. there
5. 8033
6. S-D
7. there
8. -
9. -
10. 123823
2. 179142
3. -
4. -
6. -x-sof-pasuq
8. -
9. -
10. 123824

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:1–5: Elimelech and his family went to Moab, where he and his two sons died

A note on the spelling of Elimelech. Most versions, like the BSB spell the name as Elimelech. The NIV (2011) spells the name with a final k (Elimelek). The Notes will follow the spelling used by any quoted versions.

This section contains the first main event of the story. An Israelite named Elimelech moved to the neighboring country of Moab with his wife, Naomi, and their two sons because there was famine in Israel. Elimelech died in Moab. His two sons later married women from Moab, Ruth and Orpah. Both of the sons then also died.

This section has two paragraphs:

Paragraph 1:1–2 gives an introduction. Verse 1 gives the setting of the story and introduces the main characters in this event.

Paragraph 1:3–5 describes the event in detail. Verse 1:5b summarizes the section that refers to Naomi but does not use her name.

Here are some other examples of section headings:

Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons (NIV)

Naomi Widowed (ESV)

Elimelech and His Family Move to Moab (GNT)

The Move to Moab and Tragedy (GW)

It is important to translate this book in a way that indicates the story is true. Follow a natural way that storytellers in your language use to tell true events.

Paragraph 1:1–2

Verse 1:1 introduces the characters/participants in a general way that does not give their names. Verse 1:2 gives the name of each character. However, if this is not a natural way to introduce characters in your language, another option is to combine 1:1–2 and introduce the characters by name. For example:

^1–2Long ago, in the days before Israel had a king, there was a famine in the land. So a man named Elimelech, who belonged to the clan of Ephrath and who lived in Bethlehem in Judah, went with his wife Naomi and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion to live for a while in the country of Moab. While they were living there… (GNT)

See 1:1–2 (combined/reordered) in the Display for another example.

1:2

(combined/reordered)

Before Israel was rule by kings, Elimelech from the tribe of Ephrath lived in the town of Bethlehem. His wife was named Naomi, and their two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. But when their crops failed, they moved to the country of Moab. And while they were there… (CEV)

This verse gives more details about the characters that were introduced in 1:1.

1:2a–b

The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name was Naomi,

The man was called Elimelech, his wife was called Naomi,

1:2a

The man’s name was Elimelech: The name Elimelech means either “God is king” or “my God is king.” However, the meaning of the name is probably not important to the story.

It is recommended that you follow the majority of versions that transliterate the name Elimelech. You can add a footnote to explain the meaning of the name if you think it will be helpful to your readers.

Here is a footnote example:

The name “Elimelech” literally means “My God [is] king.” (Modified from the NET)

1:2b

his wife’s name was Naomi: The name Naomi means “pleasant” or “lovely.” In 1:20a, Naomi used a wordplay in which she contrasted the meaning of her name with the Hebrew word mara, which means “bitter.”

It is recommended that you follow the majority of versions that transliterate the name Naomi. Also consider adding a footnote to explain the meaning of the name. The footnote may help your readers recognize the play on words in 1:20a.

Here is a footnote example:

The name Naomi means “pleasant” or “lovely.” Her name is used as a wordplay in 1:20–21. She laments that she is no longer “pleasant” but “bitter” because of the loss of her husband and two sons. (Modified from the NET)

1:2c

and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion.

and the names of their two sons were Mahlon and Chilion.
and their two sons were called Mahlon and Chilion.

and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion: Scholars do not agree about the meaning of the names Mahlon and Chilion. They also do not know which son was older. It is recommended that you follow the majority of versions that transliterate these names.

In some languages, it may be necessary to indicate which son was older. It is reasonable to assume that Mahlon was the older of the two sons, since his name is mentioned first.

1:2d

They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah,

They were from the Ephrathite clan and they lived in Bethlehem in Judah.
Their clan name was Ephrath, from the town of Bethlehem in the land of Judah.

They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah: This verse part gives more details about the family of Elimelech. They were members of a clan that lived in Bethlehem.In some verses the name Ephrath/Ephrathah refers to the town of Bethlehem, and the word “Ephrathite” refers to residents of the town Bethlehem. However, this verse has the words “Ephrathites from Bethlehem Judah.” Here it is redundant to refer to Elimelech’s family members as “residents of Bethlehem from Bethlehem.” It is preferable to understand the referent as “members of the clan of Ephrathites from Bethlehem.” See WBC (page 64), UBS (page 7), and ES (page 33). Some versions make this information explicit. For example:

They were of the clan of Ephrath from Bethlehem in Judah. (NET)

who belonged to the clan of Ephrath and who lived in Bethlehem in Judah (GNT)

1:2e

and they entered the land of Moab and settled there.

They went to the land of Moab and settled there.
They traveled to the country of Moab and stayed there.

and they entered the land of Moab and settled there: The Hebrew verb that the BSB translates as settled means “remained” or “stayed.”

This clause repeats the information from 1:1d. It does not indicate that they went to Moab a second time. In some languages, the repetition may create confusion or be unnatural. If that is true in your language, here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Reduce the repetition by using different words in 1:1d and 1:2e. For example:
^1d…went with his wife and two sons to live in Moabite territory
^2e…came to Moab and settled there (REB)
Leave 1:2e implied. For example:
^1d…his wife and two sons, left to live for a while in the country of Moab
^2d-eThey were from the Ephrathite clan of Bethlehem in Judah.

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The Hebrew text, lemmas, and morphology are all thanks to the OSHB and some of the glosses are from Macula Hebrew.

OET interlinear RUTH 1:2

Hebrew word order