_THE EXILE AND THE RETURN_
CONTENTS.—_A famine in the land of Israel.—Elimelech a wealthy
Hebrew, descended of an ancient and honourable house, goes down to the
fields of Moab with his family. The removal is followed by his death;
the marriage of his sons Mahlon and Chilion to Ruth and Orpah, and
t... [ Continue Reading ]
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—
_Ruth 1:1_. NOW] Heb. ו _vau_, and. The same introcopula between all
the books of the O. T. so far, except in the opening of Deuteronomy,
which begins abruptly. Keil (1 Kings 1:1) says the use of this
conjunction at the beginning of a writing is a sure sign of its
con... [ Continue Reading ]
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—
_Ruth 1:2_. AND THE NAME OF THE MAN (WAS) ELIMELECH. A descendant of
Nahshon mentioned in connection with the erection of the tabernacle
(Numbers 1:7). According to Jewish doctors, a noble and potent person.
All names ending with “melech” (_king_) borne by distinguish... [ Continue Reading ]
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—
Ruth 1:3. AND ELIMELECH … DIED. The conjunction seems to intimate
shortly after his arrival. Certainly before the marriage of his sons.
Josephus thinks, however, towards the end of the ten years’ sojourn.
Ruth 1:4. AND THEY TOOK THEM WIVES. The verb, though not Chald... [ Continue Reading ]
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—
_Ruth 1:6_. THEN [and] SHE AROSE. She arose in order to return. Et
surrexit ut in patriam pergeret (_Vulgate_). WITH HER
DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW. Both the young women set out with the intention of
going to Bethlehem (_Bertheau and others_). THAT SHE MIGHT RETURN.
לָשׁוּב (to... [ Continue Reading ]
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—_Ruth 1:8; Ruth 1:10_. AND NAOMI SAID
[Then said Naomi] UNTO. The first recorded utterance of Naomi. Cox
imagines them having reached the ford of the Arnon [N. boundary of
Moab], or perhaps the fords of the Jordan [E. boundary of Judah]. GO,
RETURN EACH. Shews that the... [ Continue Reading ]
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—ARE THERE YET SONS? etc. In allusion
to the custom of a man raising posterity to his deceased brother by
taking his widow (_Adam Clarke, Jarci, Wright, Keil_). Probably this
custom obtained among other nations (_Patrick, Scott_). Known among
the Gentiles before it was... [ Continue Reading ]
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—AND THEY LIFTED UP THEIR VOICE AND
WEPT AGAIN “exceedingly” (_Dr. Cassel_), “still more”
(_Luther_). As in E.V. (_Lange_). (See on Ruth 1:9.) Much affected
with the tender things Naomi had said (_M. Henry_) (cf. Genesis
29:11). AND ORPAH KISSED HER MOTHER-IN-LAW (και
ε... [ Continue Reading ]
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—AND SHE [Naomi] SAID, BEHOLD THY
SISTER-IN-LAW, _i.e._, wife of a husband’s brother; no English word
exactly answering to the original Hebrew. The same word is rendered
brother’s wife (Deuteronomy 25:7; Deuteronomy 25:9), being the
feminine of that rendered (_ib._ 7) h... [ Continue Reading ]
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—ENTREAT ME NOT—Urge me not
(_Lange_), Force me not (_Wordsworth_), Be not against me (_Trem.
Junius, Montan. Bernard, Fuller, Wright; Vulg., Wycliffe, and, Douay
Ver._). THY PEOPLE SHALL BE [is] MY PEOPLE. I will be a Jewess both in
country and religion (_Wright_). Thi... [ Continue Reading ]
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—SO THEY TWO. Types of the Jewish and
Gentile Churches (_Macgowan_). Amicitia sit inter binos qui sunt veri,
et bonos qui sunt pauci (_Trapp_). WENT. They were obliged to travel
on foot (_Patrick, Gill_). If the more southern route was chosen, they
would descend from th... [ Continue Reading ]
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—WHICH RETURNED OUT OF THE COUNTRY
[territories or fields] of MOAB. The description by which Ruth was
commonly designated [cf. Ruth 2:6]. (_Speaker’s Com._). As the same
expression occurs at Ruth 4:3, in connexion with Naomi, it may be
supposed that it became customary... [ Continue Reading ]