Septuagint (LXX): doe (3SAAO) kurios humin kai heuroite (2PAAO) anapausin hekaste en oiko andros autes kai katephilesen (3SAAI) autas kai eperan ten phonen auton kai eklausan (3PAAI)

"May the Lord give each of you security in the home of a new husband!" (NET)

"And may he bless you with another happy marriage" (TLB - Ed note: one wonders how we know the first was "happy"?),

"Yahweh grant that you may each find happiness with a husband!" (NJB)

"The Lord grant that you may find a home and rest, each in the house of her husband!" (Amplified Bible)

"May the LORD grant each of you a husband and a home in which you will find rest" (NAB)

"May the Lord repay each of you so that you may find security in a home with a husband." (GWT)

"And may the LORD make it possible for each of you to marry again and have a home" (TEV)

Again Naomi offers a prayer of blessing or benediction. "Jehovah grant you that ye may find a resting-place, each one in the house of her husband," i.e., that they may both be happily married again. Naomi describes marriage as a place of "rest" which summarizes all the qualities of an ideal marriage in which a godly woman can find strength, security, material well-being and love.

"Rest" (4496) (menuchah) means resting place (where repose and rest from tiredness, with a focus on the space occupied) or quiet and is used in several ways to denote places where peace, quiet, and trust are present. The Hebrew root signifies not only absence of movement but being settled in a particular place. It often refers to security (as would be provided in marriage).

Menuchah invariably conveys the idea of relief, for example David's thirst (He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. Ps. 23:2-note), fatigue (He who said to them, "Here is rest, give rest to the weary," And, "Here is repose," but they would not listen. Isa. 28:12), hostile nations ("Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant. 1Ki 8:56), and sorrow ('You said, "Ah, woe is me! For the LORD has added sorrow to my pain; I am weary with my groaning and have found no rest."' Jer. 45:3). In this context (note "in the home of another husband")

The Septuagint (LXX) translates menuchah with the Greek noun anapausis (372) which conveys the idea of  refreshing or of giving rest and permitting one to cease from labour in order to recover and collect strength. Anapausis is the most frequent Greek word used to translate Sabbath rest.

The most famous use of anapausis is by Jesus in his invitation to...

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest (anapauo = related verb). Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST (anapausis) FOR YOUR SOULS." (Matthew 11:29)

The word "rest" in the present context ("in the house of her husband") pictures the godly marriage as if it were a

"port or haven of young people, whose affections while unmarried are continually floating and tossed to and fro like a ship upon the waters, till they come into this happy harbour. There is a natural propensity in most persons towards nuptial communion, as all created beings have a natural tendency to their proper centre, and are restless out of it." (Ness)

God has intended that your marriage be a source of rest. Is yours? Dear reader may the LORD grant that it be so!

The concept of rest also conveys the idea of security found in a godly marriage. See the later discussion of "rest" (Ru 3:1-note) where we find that Naomi becomes part of the answer to her own prayer!

Nelson's Illustrated Manners and Customs notes that...

When a young woman went to live with her husband’s family, she did not give up all rights in her own family. If her husband died and there were no more brothers-in-law for her to marry, she might return to her father’s house. That is exactly what Naomi encouraged her daughters-in-law to do, and Orpah followed her suggestion (Ruth 1:8-18)...The death of a husband always has far-reaching consequences for his family. For people of biblical times this was true as well. After a period of mourning, the widowed wife might follow one of several courses of action. If she was childless, she was, according to the levirate law, expected to continue living with her husband’s family (Deut. 25:5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10). She was to marry one of her husband’s brothers or a near kinsman. If these men were not available, she was free to marry outside the clan (Ruth 1:9). (Packer, J., Tenney, M. C., & White, W. Nelson's Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson)

Lawson comments on "rest in marriage" --

"If it is to be wished that wives may find rest in the houses of their husbands, it must be the duty of husbands to do what they can to procure them rest, not only by endeavoring to provide for them what is necessary for their subsistence and comfortable accommodation, but by such a kind behaviour as will promote their satisfaction and comfort. Men and women may have affluence without rest, and rest without affluence. But let women also contribute to procure rest for themselves by frugality, by industry, by such behaviour to their husbands as will merit constant returns of kindness."

THEN SHE KISSED THEM & THEY LIFTED UP THEIR VOICES & WEPT: (Ge 27:27; 29:11; 45:15; Acts 20:37)

The emotion shown is evidence of the real relationship of love between Naomi and her daughters-in-law.

I think Naomi often gets what we would refer to today as a "bad rap" but careful observation shows that she exhibits several traits of a woman of "moral excellence" (2Pe 1:5-note):

First, we see that she held fast her allegiance to the one true and living God in the midst of surrounding gross idolatry (for example Moabite idol worship sometimes included child sacrifice), even holding fast in the face of her bitterness! She believed in the One God, YHWH (Jehovah) and recognized His sovereignty over all the tragedies she had experienced.

Second, Naomi exercised a godly influence on others who knew her most intimately, those of her own household which is where godliness is most often shown to be the sure thing or a sham. The two daughter-in-laws had seen her godly character long enough to know it was genuine.

Third, she denied herself for the good of others. Some (like Warren Wiersbe see his comment below in Ru 1:11) say Naomi's encouragement to the daughter-in-laws to return to their idolatrous gods was an ungodly action. Although that is possible, I think self denial and putting others before oneself is more in view - It would have been an advantage to Naomi to have these two strong, active young women with her to work for her in her old age. But a settlement would be easier for them (being alien Moabites) in their own land than in Judah. So she begged them return, and was willing to go home alone. Read the text for yourself and decide which attitude you think Naomi exhibited. Also remember to keep the entire context of the book in mind as you evaluate Naomi's motives.

"No" (kiy) means indeed, surely, truly and is marker of emphasis which strengthens what follows and is thus almost equivalent to a positive assurance. Their declaration reminds one of a time to come in the future when God's hand of blessing is again clearly on the Jews. Zechariah quoting

"the LORD of hosts" describes that in those days 'ten men from all the nations (gentiles) will grasp the garment of a Jew saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." (Zech 8:23)

Ness commenting on Orpah's promise says that

"Purposes and promises that proceed from passion, and not from principle, do soon dwindle away into nothing. Thus did Orpah’s, who said with that son in the parable, “I will, sir'; and he did not go." (Mt 21:28, 29 30) So here, it is certain we will return with thee, was enough uncertain. It is a maxim, second thoughts are better than first, but Orpah’s first were better than her second; her purposes and promises do dwindle away and vanish into smoke."

Cumming adds

"The bright morning does not always shine into the perfect day; the sweetest spring-bud of promise does not always ripen into precious fruit. The seed that was cast on stony ground grew rapidly up, but withered in a moment. Orpah’s decision was the decision of impulsive feeling, of filial affection; it was strong suddenly, it grew up in an instant, and in an instant it perished; and she resolved to forsake Ruth and Naomi, and return to her gods, her people, and her country."

Are they being too hard on Orpah? Or was Orpah simply obeying the wishes of her mother-in-law? Someone has well said we will all be surprised some day when we see who is and who is not in heaven!

BUT NAOMI SAID "RETURN MY DAUGHTERS WHY SHOULD YOU GO WITH ME?:

Warren Wiersbe in my opinion is a bit hard on Naomi (see note Ruth 1:9) commenting that

"If it was right for Naomi to go to Bethlehem, where the true and living God was worshiped, then it was right for Orpah and Ruth to accompany her. Naomi should have said to them what Moses said to his father-in-law, “Come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for the Lord has spoken good concerning Israel” (Nu 10:29). Instead, Naomi tried to influence the two women to go back to their families and their false gods."

HAVE I YET SONS IN MY WOMB THAT THEY MAY BE YOUR HUSBANDS: (Ge 38:11; Dt 25:5)

Naomi is alluding to the law of levirate marriage discussed in more detail below (click here).

Expositors Bible Commentary adds that this law

Septuagint (LXX): epistraphete (2PAPM) de thugateres mou dioti gegeraka (1SRAI) tou me einai  (PAI) andri hoti eipa hoti estin (3SPAI) moi hupostasis tou genethenai  (APN) me andri kai techomai (1SFAI) huious

RETURN MY DAUGHTERS! GO FOR I AM TOO OLD TO HAVE A HUSBAND: (Ge 17:17; 1Ti 5:9)

"Go back, my daughters! Go! For I am too old to get married again." (NET)

Naomi continues to explain why Ruth and Orpah should depart to their people - she is too old to have a son or sons that they could marry and perpetuate the line of Elimelech. Even if she could find a husband  and if she were still able to bear sons (there are a lot of "ifs" in her declaration), the daughters in law would have to wait too long to marry them.

IF I SAID I HAVE HOPE:

"And even if I could offer any hopes" (NAB)

"Even if I thought there was still hope" (TEV)

"And even if it were possible" (NLT)

"Suppose I were to say, ‘I have hope!" (NET)

Trapp comments that...

Without having a husband, she doth not once think of having children, as many wantons and light-skirts do; making themselves whores, and their children bastards, and all for satisfying the rage of present lust, though after they repent with grief and shame.

Hope (8615) (Click study of Blessed Hope) (tiqvah) first translated "cord" referring to the ''cord of this SCARLET THREAD" (Jos 2:18,21) that Rahab was to hang out of her window so that she and her household would be spared death when Jericho fell. The root means to wait or to look for with eager expectation.

IF I SHOULD EVEN HAVE A  HUSBAND TONIGHT AND ALSO BEAR SONS:

"But even if I had another husband tonight and if I had more sons, it wouldn't help!" (ICB)

Septuagint (LXX): me autous prosdechesthe (2PFMI) eos ou adrunthosin (3PAPS)  e