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Ruth 1:17

WEBKJVBSBESVNKJVNASBNLT
Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
Ruth 1:17 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Yahweh do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.”
  • KJV Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
  • NKJV Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.”
  • NASB Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord do so to me, and worse, if anything but death separates me from you.”
  • NLT Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!”

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

Ruth vows to remain with Naomi even to death and burial, sealing it with an oath in the LORD's name. Her commitment is total and grounded in faith in Yahweh.

Overview

Ruth invokes a solemn self-curse formula, calling on Yahweh Himself to hold her to her word—evidence that she now worships Israel's God. Her pledge that only death will part them shows a loyalty that mirrors the steadfast love (hesed) the book celebrates. Such faithful devotion points ultimately to the unbreakable covenant love God shows His people in Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 11

  • 1 Sam 3:17“What was the message He gave you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God punish you, and ever so severely, if you hide from me anything He said to you.”
  • 2 Kgs 6:31He announced, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders through this day!”
  • 1 Kgs 2:23Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life.
  • 2 Sam 19:13And say to Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my flesh and blood? May God punish me, and ever so severely, if from this time you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab!’”
  • 1 Sam 25:22May God punish David, and ever so severely, if I let one of Nabal’s men survive until morning.”
  • 1 Kgs 20:10Then Ben-hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if enough dust remains of Samaria for each of my men to have a handful.”
  • 2 Sam 3:35Then all the people came and urged David to eat something while it was still day, but David took an oath, saying, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!”
  • Acts 11:23When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to abide in the Lord with all their hearts.
  • 2 Sam 3:9May God punish Abner, and ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the LORD has sworn to him:
  • 1 Kgs 19:2So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the lives of those you killed!”
  • Acts 20:24But I consider my life of no value to me, if only I may finish my course and complete the ministry I have received from the Lord Jesus—the ministry of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (8)
CHILDRENDAUGHTER-IN-LAWFRIENDSHIPIMPRECATIONMOTHER-IN-LAWOATHREADINGS, SELECTRUTH

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Ruth videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Ruth 1:17YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on RuthMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 1:17 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.

Where thou diestמוּתwill I dieמוּתand there will I be buriedקָבַרthe LORDיְהֹוָהdoעָשָׂהso to me, and moreיָסַףalso, if ought but deathמָוֶתpartפָּרַד
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