translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: RUT

label: NET study note

text: The name Bethlehem ( בֵּית לֶחֶם , bet lekhem ) is from “house, place” ( בֵּית ) and “bread, food” ( לֶחֶם ), so the name literally means “House of Bread” or “Place of Food.” Perhaps there is irony here: One would not expect a severe famine in such a location. This would not necessarily indicate that Bethlehem was under divine discipline, but merely that the famine was very severe, explaining the reason for the family’s departure. map For location see Map5-B1 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-E2 ; Map10-B4 .


text: The name “Elimelech” literally means “My God [is] king.” The narrator’s explicit identification of his name seems to cast him in a positive light.


text: Too old to get married again . Naomi may be exaggerating for the sake of emphasis. Her point is clear, though: It is too late to roll back the clock.


text: Clung tightly . The expression suggests strong commitment (see R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth [NICOT], 115).


text: The name Naomi means “pleasant.”


text: The name Mara means “bitter.”


text: I left here full . That is, with a husband and two sons.


text: The divine name translated Sovereign One is שַׁדַּי ( shadday , “Shaddai”). See further the note on this term in Ruth 1:20 .