Kejadian 48:7

48:7 But as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, Rachel died – to my sorrow ¹  – in the land of Canaan. It happened along the way, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there on the way to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem). ² 

Yosua 19:15

19:15 Their territory included Kattah, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem; ³  in all they had twelve cities and their towns. ⁴ 

Hakim-hakim 12:8

Order Restored

12:8 After him Ibzan of Bethlehem ⁵  led ⁶  Israel.

Hakim-hakim 17:7

Micah Hires a Professional

17:7 There was a young man from Bethlehem ⁷  in Judah. He was a Levite who had been temporarily residing among the tribe of Judah. ⁸ 

Hakim-hakim 19:1

Sodom and Gomorrah Revisited

19:1 In those days Israel had no king. There was a Levite ⁹  living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. He acquired a concubine ¹⁰  from Bethlehem ¹¹  in Judah.

Hakim-hakim 19:18

19:18 The Levite ¹²  said to him, “We are traveling from Bethlehem ¹³  in Judah to the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. That’s where I’m from. I had business in Bethlehem in Judah, but now I’m heading home. ¹⁴  But no one has invited me into their home.

Rut 1:1

A Family Tragedy: Famine and Death

1:1 During the time of the judges ¹⁵  there was a famine in the land of Judah. ¹⁶  So a man from Bethlehem ¹⁷  in Judah went to live as a resident foreigner ¹⁸  in the region of Moab, along with his wife and two sons. ¹⁹ 

Rut 1:19

1:19 So the two of them ²⁰  journeyed together until they arrived in Bethlehem. ²¹ 

Naomi and Ruth Arrive in Bethlehem

When they entered ²²  Bethlehem, ²³  the whole village was excited about their arrival. ²⁴  The women of the village said, ²⁵  “Can this be Naomi?” ²⁶ 

Rut 1:1

A Family Tragedy: Famine and Death

1:1 During the time of the judges ²⁷  there was a famine in the land of Judah. ²⁸  So a man from Bethlehem ²⁹  in Judah went to live as a resident foreigner ³⁰  in the region of Moab, along with his wife and two sons. ³¹ 

1 Samuel 17:12

17:12 ³² Now David was the son of this Ephrathite named Jesse from Bethlehem ³³  in Judah. He had eight sons, and in Saul’s days he was old and well advanced in years. ³⁴ 

Mikha 5:1

5:1 (4:14) ³⁵  But now slash yourself, ³⁶  daughter surrounded by soldiers! ³⁷ 

We are besieged!

With a scepter ³⁸  they strike Israel’s ruler ³⁹ 

on the side of his face.

[48:7]  ¹ tn Heb “upon me, against me,” which might mean something like “to my sorrow.”

[48:7]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[19:15]  ³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[19:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “Kattah, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem, twelve cities and their towns.” The words “their territory included” and “in all they had” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[12:8]  ⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[12:8]  ⁶ tn Traditionally, “judged.”

[17:7]  ⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[17:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “There was a young man from Bethlehem of Judah, from the tribe of Judah, and he was a Levite, and he was temporarily residing there.”

[19:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “a man, a Levite.”

[19:1]  ¹⁰ sn See the note on the word “concubine” in 8:31.

[19:1]  ¹¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[19:18]  ¹² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:18]  ¹³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[19:18]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “I went to Bethlehem in Judah, but [to] the house of the LORD I am going.” The Hebrew text has “house of the LORD,” which might refer to the shrine at Shiloh. The LXX reads “to my house.”

[1:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “in the days of the judging of the judges.” The LXX simply reads “when the judges judged,” and Syriac has “in the days of the judges.” Cf. NASB “in the days when the judges governed (ruled NRSV).”

[1:1]  sn Many interpreters, reading this statement in the light of the Book of Judges which describes a morally corrupt period, assume that the narrator is painting a dark backdrop against which Ruth’s exemplary character and actions will shine even more brightly. However, others read this statement in the light of the book’s concluding epilogue which traces the full significance of the story to the time of David, the chosen king of Judah (4:18-22).

[1:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “in the land.” The phrase “of Judah” is supplied in the translation to clarify the referent.

[1:1]  ¹⁷ sn 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.

[1:1]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[1:1]  ¹⁸ tn Or “to live temporarily.” The verb גּוּר (gur, “sojourn”) may refer to (1) temporary dwelling in a location (Deut 18:6; Judg 17:7) or (2) permanent dwelling in a location (Judg 5:17; Ps 33:8). When used of a foreign land, it can refer to (1) temporary dwelling as a visiting foreigner (Gen 12:10; 20:1; 21:34; 2 Kgs 8:1-2; Jer 44:14) or (2) permanent dwelling as a resident foreigner (Gen 47:4; Exod 6:4; Num 15:14; Deut 26:5; 2 Sam 4:3; Jer 49:18,33; 50:40; Ezek 47:22-23). Although Naomi eventually returned to Judah, there is some ambiguity whether or not Elimelech intended the move to make them permanent resident foreigners. Cf. NASB “to sojourn” and NIV “to live for a while,” both of which imply the move was temporary, while “to live” (NCV, NRSV, NLT) is more neutral about the permanence of the relocation.

[1:1]  sn Some interpreters view Elimelech’s departure from Judah to sojourn in Moab as lack of faith in the covenant God of Israel to provide for his family’s needs in the land of promise; therefore his death is consequently viewed as divine judgment. Others note that God never prohibited his people from seeking food in a foreign land during times of famine but actually sent his people to a foreign land during a famine in Canaan on at least one occasion as an act of deliverance (Gen 37-50). In this case, Elimelech’s sojourn to Moab was an understandable act by a man concerned for the survival of his family, perhaps even under divine approval, so their death in Moab was simply a tragedy, a bad thing that happened to a godly person.

[1:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “he and his wife and his two sons.” The LXX omits “two.”

[1:19]  ²⁰ tn The suffix “them” appears to be masculine, but it is probably an archaic dual form (E. F. Campbell, Ruth [AB], 65; F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 75-76).

[1:19]  ²¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[1:19]  ²² tn The temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi, “and it was”) here introduces a new scene.

[1:19]  ²³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[1:19]  ²⁴ tn Heb “because of them” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “excited to see them.”

[1:19]  ²⁵ tn Heb “they said,” but the verb form is third person feminine plural, indicating that the women of the village are the subject.

[1:19]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Is this Naomi?” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). The question here expresses surprise and delight because of the way Naomi reacts to it (F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 92).

[1:1]  ²⁷ tn Heb “in the days of the judging of the judges.” The LXX simply reads “when the judges judged,” and Syriac has “in the days of the judges.” Cf. NASB “in the days when the judges governed (ruled NRSV).”

[1:1]  sn Many interpreters, reading this statement in the light of the Book of Judges which describes a morally corrupt period, assume that the narrator is painting a dark backdrop against which Ruth’s exemplary character and actions will shine even more brightly. However, others read this statement in the light of the book’s concluding epilogue which traces the full significance of the story to the time of David, the chosen king of Judah (4:18-22).

[1:1]  ²⁸ tn Heb “in the land.” The phrase “of Judah” is supplied in the translation to clarify the referent.

[1:1]  ²⁹ sn 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.

[1:1]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[1:1]  ³⁰ tn Or “to live temporarily.” The verb גּוּר (gur, “sojourn”) may refer to (1) temporary dwelling in a location (Deut 18:6; Judg 17:7) or (2) permanent dwelling in a location (Judg 5:17; Ps 33:8). When used of a foreign land, it can refer to (1) temporary dwelling as a visiting foreigner (Gen 12:10; 20:1; 21:34; 2 Kgs 8:1-2; Jer 44:14) or (2) permanent dwelling as a resident foreigner (Gen 47:4; Exod 6:4; Num 15:14; Deut 26:5; 2 Sam 4:3; Jer 49:18,33; 50:40; Ezek 47:22-23). Although Naomi eventually returned to Judah, there is some ambiguity whether or not Elimelech intended the move to make them permanent resident foreigners. Cf. NASB “to sojourn” and NIV “to live for a while,” both of which imply the move was temporary, while “to live” (NCV, NRSV, NLT) is more neutral about the permanence of the relocation.

[1:1]  sn Some interpreters view Elimelech’s departure from Judah to sojourn in Moab as lack of faith in the covenant God of Israel to provide for his family’s needs in the land of promise; therefore his death is consequently viewed as divine judgment. Others note that God never prohibited his people from seeking food in a foreign land during times of famine but actually sent his people to a foreign land during a famine in Canaan on at least one occasion as an act of deliverance (Gen 37-50). In this case, Elimelech’s sojourn to Moab was an understandable act by a man concerned for the survival of his family, perhaps even under divine approval, so their death in Moab was simply a tragedy, a bad thing that happened to a godly person.

[1:1]  ³¹ tn Heb “he and his wife and his two sons.” The LXX omits “two.”

[17:12]  ³² tc Some mss of the LXX lack vv. 12-31.

[17:12]  ³³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[17:12]  ³⁴ tc The translation follows the Lucianic recension of the LXX and the Syriac Peshitta in reading “in years,” rather than MT “among men.”

[5:1]  ³⁵ sn Beginning with 5:1, the verse numbers through 5:15 in the English Bible differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 5:1 ET = 4:14 HT, 5:2 ET = 5:1 HT, 5:3 ET = 5:2 HT, etc., through 5:15 ET = 5:14 HT. From 6:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.

[5:1]  ³⁶ tn The Hebrew verb גָדַד (gadad) can be translated “slash yourself” or “gather in troops.” A number of English translations are based on the latter meaning (e.g., NASB, NIV, NLT).

[5:1]  sn Slash yourself. Slashing one’s body was a form of mourning. See Deut 14:1; 1 Kgs 18:28; Jer 16:6; 41:5; 47:5.

[5:1]  ³⁷ tn Heb “daughter of a troop of warriors.”

[5:1]  sn The daughter surrounded by soldiers is an image of the city of Jerusalem under siege (note the address “Daughter Jerusalem” in 4:8).

[5:1]  ³⁸ tn Or “staff”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “rod”; CEV “stick”; NCV “club.”

[5:1]  sn Striking a king with a scepter, a symbol of rulership, would be especially ironic and humiliating.

[5:1]  ³⁹ tn Traditionally, “the judge of Israel” (so KJV, NASB).