RUTH 1:4 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Καὶ ἐλάβοσαν ἑαυτοῖς γυναῖκας Μωαβίτιδας· ὄνομα τῇ μιᾷ, Ὀρφά· καὶ ὄνομα τῇ δευτέρᾳ, Ῥούθ· καὶ κατῴκησαν ἐκεῖ ὡς δέκα ἔτη.
(Kai elabosan heautois gunaikas Mōabitidas; onoma taʸ mia, Orfa; kai onoma taʸ deutera, Ɽouth; kai katōkaʸsan ekei hōs deka etaʸ. )

BrTr And they took to themselves wives, women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpha, and the name of the second Ruth; and they dwelt there about ten years.

NETS They took for themselves Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpha, and the name of the second, Routh. And they lived there about ten years,

ULT And they took wives for themselves from the women of Moab; the name of the first woman was Orpah, and the name of the second woman was Ruth. And they lived there for about ten years.

UST Eventually, the sons married women from Moab. The name of one woman was Orpah, and the name of the other woman was Ruth. But after Naomi and her sons had lived in Moab for about ten years,

OEB who married Moabite women named Orpah and Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years,

WEBBE They took for themselves wives of the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other was Ruth. They lived there about ten years.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET So her sons married Moabite women. (One was named Orpah and the other Ruth.) And they continued to live there about ten years.

LSV and they take to them wives, Moabitesses: the name of the first [is] Orpah, and the name of the second Ruth; and they dwell there about ten years.

FBV The sons married Moabite women. One was called Orpah, the other was called Ruth. After about ten years,

T4T They married women from Moab. One of them was named Orpah, and the other one was named Ruth. But after they had lived in that area for about ten years,

LEB And _⌊they took_⌋[fn] for themselves Moabite wives. The name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other was Ruth. And they lived there about ten years.

1:4 Literally “they lifted up”

BBE And they took two women of Moab as their wives: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth; and they went on living there for about ten years.

Moff No Moff RUTH book available

JPS And they took them wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth; and they dwelt there about ten years.

ASV And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelt there about ten years.

DRA And they took wives of the women of Moab, of which one was called Orpha, and the other Ruth. And they dwelt there ten years.

YLT and they take to them wives, Moabitesses: the name of the one [is] Orpah, and the name of the second Ruth; and they dwell there about ten years.

Drby And they took them Moabitish wives; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the second Ruth: and they abode there about ten years.

RV And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.

SLT And they will take to them wives from the Moabitesses; the name of the one, Orpah, and the name of the second, Ruth: and they will dwell there about ten years.

Wbstr And they took to themselves wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelt there about ten years.

KJB-1769 And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.

KJB-1611 And they tooke them wiues of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten yeeres.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Whiche toke them wyues, Moabitesses, of the Moabites: the ones name was Orpha, and the others Ruth: And they dwelled there about a ten yeres.
(Which took them wives, Moabitesses, of the Moabites: the ones name was Orpha, and the others Ruth: And they dwelled there about a ten years.)

Gnva Which tooke them wiues of the Moabites: the ones name was Orpah, and the name of ye other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten yeeres.
(Which took them wives of the Moabites: the ones name was Orpah, and the name of ye/you_all other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. )

Cvdl which toke Moabitish wyues: the one was called Arpa, the other Ruth. And whan they had dwelt there ten yeare,
(which took Moabitish wives: the one was called Arpa, the other Ruth. And when they had dwelt there ten year,)

Wycl and thei token wyues of Moab, of whiche wyues oon was clepid Orpha, the tother Ruth. And the sones dwelliden there ten yeer,
(and they token wives of Moab, of which wives one was called Orpha, the other Ruth. And the sons dwelled/dwelt there ten year,)

Luth Die nahmen moabitische Weiber. Eine hieß Arpa, die andere Ruth. Und da sie daselbst gewohnet hatten bei zehn Jahren,
(The took moabitische women. A/One was_called Arpa, the other/different Ruth. And there they/she/them there accustomed had at/in ten years,)

ClVg Qui acceperunt uxores Moabitidas, quarum una vocabatur Orpha, altera vero Ruth. Manseruntque ibi decem annis,[fn]
(Who they_received wives Moabitidas, whose together was_called Orpha, the_other indeed/however Ruth. Manseruntque there ten of_the_years, )

1.4 Ruth. Videns vel festinans, vel deficiens interpretatur: in qua obedientia et credulitas gentium designatur, de quibus dicitur: Populus quem non cognovi, servivit mihi, etc. Et alibi: Æthiopia præveniet manus ejus Deo Psal. 66.. Vocabantur ergo duo populi per sanctos prædicatores ad consortium fidei et electorum Dei, ut ex diversis gregibus fieret unum ovile.

1.4 Ruth. Seeing or festinans, or deficiens interprets: in/into/on which obedience and credulitas nations is_designated, from/about to_whom it_is_said: Populus which not/no I_knew, served to_me, etc. And alibi: Æthiopia will_prevent hands his to_God Psal. 66.. Callbantur therefore two of_the_people through saints preachers to consortium of_faith and of_the_elect of_God, as from different flocks would_be_done one ovile.

SOTN SIL Open Translation 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 1:3–5

This paragraph gives the details of Naomi’s situation. After Elimelech and his family went to Moab, Naomi’s husband and her two sons died. She became a widow with no male family members to provide for her and protect her. This crisis is the main problem of the story. The rest of the story tells how this crisis is resolved.

1:4a

who took Moabite women as their wives,

They married women of Moab.
Each son took a woman from Moab to be a wife.

who took Moabite women as their wives: This verse part introduces two Moabite women (women from the country of Moab) as additional characters in the story. Some versions make it clear that the referent is the two sons. For example:

The two sons married Moabite women. (NLT)

Each son married a woman from Moab. (GW)

1:4b

one named Orpah and the other named Ruth.

Their wives’ names were Orpah and Ruth.
The name of Mahlon’s wife was Ruth, and the name of Chilion’s wife was Orpah.

one named Orpah and the other named Ruth: This verse part gives the names of the Moabite women. Scholars do not agree about the meaning of the names Orpah and Ruth.KD (page 344) says that the names Orpah and Ruth cannot be satisfactorily explained from the Hebrew. The meanings of the names are probably not important to the story.

It is recommended that you follow the majority of versions that transliterate the names as Orpah and Ruth. In some languages, it may be necessary to indicate which wife married which son. If that is true in your language, then you may indicate that Ruth was the wife of Mahlon and Orpah was the wife of Chilion. See Ruth 4:10.

1:4c

And after they had lived in Moab about ten years,

They lived there about ten years.
And they remained there in Moab about ten more years.

And after they had lived in Moab about ten years: There are two interpretation issues about 1:4c. The first issue is about the referent of this verse part:

This verse part refers to the two sons (or the two sons, their wives, and Naomi). The ten year period refers to the time that the sons (or the two sons, their wives, and Naomi) lived in Moab after they married Orpah and Ruth. For example:
And they continued to live there about ten years. (NET) (CEV, NET, NLT)
This verse part refers to the family of Elimelech. The ten year period refers to the entire time that the family had lived in Moab. For example:
Naomi and her sons had lived in Moab about ten years (NCV) (NCV)

Many versions are ambiguous. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with more versions and commentaries.This interpretation follows the standard sequential function of the Hebrew form of the verb (wayyiqtol). According to ES (page 38) most interpreters follow this interpretation. These include CBC (page 513), NICOT (page 95), EBC (page 1311), and UBS (page 8).

A second issue is about the syntax of this verse part:

This verse part is an independent clause. 1:5 starts a new clause. For example:
and they lived there about ten years. ^1:5Then those two—Mahlon and Chilion—also died (NJPS) (GW, KJV, NASB, NET, NJB, NJPS)
This verse part begins a clause that continues in 1:5. For example:
About ten years later, ^1:5Mahlon and Chilion also died (CEV) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GNT, NABRE, NCV, NIV, NLT, NRSV, REB)

The Display will follow interpretation (1). However, you may also follow interpretation (2). There is no difference in meaning caused by the choice of syntax.

Indicate the connection of this verse part to the surrounding clauses in a natural way in your language.

Parallel RUTH 1:4

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

Paragraph 1:3–5

1:4a

1:4b

1:4c

The Setting of Ruth