And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
Parallel translations
- WEB They lifted up their voices, and wept again; then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth joined with her.
- BSB Again they wept aloud, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
- ESV Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
- NKJV Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
- NASB And they raised their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
- NLT And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi.
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
After more weeping, Orpah kisses Naomi goodbye, but Ruth clings to her. The parting reveals the decisive difference between the two women.
Overview
Orpah's choice is reasonable and not condemned; she returns to her people and gods as Naomi advised. Ruth, however, 'clung' to Naomi—a word elsewhere used for covenant devotion and marital union. This contrast frames Ruth's coming confession of faith and marks her as one who forsakes all to join God's people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Prov 18:24A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
- Matt 16:24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
- Matt 10:37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
- Matt 19:22But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
- John 6:66–69From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
- Heb 10:39But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
- 1 Kgs 19:20And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?
- Deut 10:20Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.
- Isa 14:1For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
- Prov 17:17A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
- Zech 8:23Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
- Gen 31:55And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place.
- Gen 31:28And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in so doing.
- 2 Tim 4:10For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
- Acts 17:34Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
- Mark 10:21–22Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
- Deut 4:4But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Boaz the kinsman-redeemer who buys back the destitute and takes a bride foreshadows Christ, our Redeemer who pays the price to make a people his own; and from Ruth's line comes David, and David's greater Son.
How Ruth 1:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.