Ruth 1 · Verse 2

Ruth 1:2

And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth–lehem–judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
Ruth 1:2, King James Version

Ruth 1:2 in other translations

BSBThe man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah, and they entered the land of Moab and settled there.
WEBThe name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Judah. They came into the country of Moab and lived there.
ASVAnd the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
YLTAnd the name of the man is Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites from Beth-Lehem-Judah; and they come into the fields of Moab, and are there.
DARBYAnd the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-Judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
BBEAnd the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and were there for some time.
WebsterAnd the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

What does Ruth 1:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
2. Elimelech--signifies "My God is king." Naomi--"fair or pleasant"; and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, are supposed to be the same as Joash and Saraph (1Ch 4:22). Ephrathites--The ancient name of Beth-lehem was Ephrath (Ge 35:19; 48:7), which was continued after the occupation of the land by the Hebrews, even down to the time of the prophet Micah (Mi 5:2). Beth-lehem-judah--so called to distinguish it from a town of the same name in Zebulun. The family, compelled to emigrate to Moab through pressure of a famine, settled for several years in that country. After the death of their father, the two sons married Moabite women. This was a violation of the Mosaic law (De 7:3; 23:3; Ezr 9:2; Ne 13:23); and Jewish writers say that the early deaths of both the young men were divine judgments inflicted on them for those unlawful connections.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 Elimelech - That is, God is my king. Naomi - Beautiful or amiable. Mahlon - Infirmity. Chilion - Finished, completed.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ruth 1:1-5

Elimelech's care to provide for his family, was not to be blamed; but his removal into the country of Moab could not be justified. And the removal ended in the wasting of his family. It is folly to think of escaping that cross, which, being laid in our way, we ought to take up. Changing our place seldom is mending it. Those who bring young people into bad acquaintance, and take them out of the way of public…

Read the full comment on Ruth 1:1-5 →

Ruth 1:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְשֵׁ֣םve.Shemand [the] name ofH8034
הָאִ֣ישׁha.'Ishthe manH376
אֱֽלִימֶ֡לֶךְ'eli.Me.lekh[was] ElimelechH458
וְשֵׁם֩ve.Shemand [the] name ofH8034
אִשְׁתּ֨וֹ'ish.Towife hisH802
נָעֳמִ֜יno.'o.Mi[was] NaomiH5281
וְשֵׁ֥םve.Shemand [the] name ofH8034
שְׁנֵֽי\־she.nei-[the] twoH8147
בָנָ֣יו\׀va.Navsons hisH1121
מַחְל֤וֹןmach.Lon[was] MahlonH4248
וְכִלְיוֹן֙ve.khil.yOnand KilionH3630
אֶפְרָתִ֔ים'ef.ra.TimEphrathitesH673
מִבֵּ֥יתmi.Beitfrom Beth-H1035
לֶ֖חֶםLe.chem-lehemH1035
יְהוּדָ֑הye.hu.DahJudahH3063
וַיָּבֹ֥אוּvai.ya.Vo.'uand they cameH935
שְׂדֵי\־se.dei-[the] region<s> ofH7704
מוֹאָ֖בmo.'AvMoabH4124
וַיִּֽהְיוּ\־vai.yih.yu-and they wereH1961
שָֽׁם\׃ShamthereH8033

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ruth 1:2

  • Genesis 35:19

    And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Beth–lehem.

  • Micah 5:2

    But thou, Beth–lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

  • 1 Samuel 17:21

    For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army.

  • 1 Samuel 1:1

    Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim–zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Elimelech.The Rabbins say, that Elimelech was the son of Salmon, who married Rahab; and that Naomi was his niece.
Naomi.
20
Mahlon.It is imagined, and not without probability, that Mahlon and Chilion are the same with Joash and Saraph, mentioned in 1 Ch 4:22.
Ephrathites.
Ge 35:19; 1Sa 1:1; 17:21; Mic 5:2
continued. Heb. were.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Ruth 1:1

    Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth–lehem–judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

  • Ruth 1:2

    And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth–lehem–judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

  • Ruth 1:3

    And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.

Read all of Ruth 1

Ruth 1:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		El nombre de aquel varón era Elimelech, y el de su mujer Noemi; y los nombres de sus dos hijos eran, Mahalón y Chelión, Ephrateos de Beth-lehem de Judá. Llegaron pues á los campos de Moab, y asentaron allí.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et le nom de l’homme était Élimélec, et le nom de sa femme, Naomi; et les noms de ses deux fils, Makhlon et Kilion, Éphratiens, de Bethléhem de Juda; et ils vinrent aux champs de Moab, et ils demeurèrent là.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und der Name des Mannes war Elimelech, und der Name seines Weibes Noomi, und die Namen seiner beiden Söhne Machlon und Kiljon, Ephratiter von Bethlehem-Juda. Und sie kamen in die Gefilde Moabs und blieben daselbst.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Ipse vocabatur Elimelech, et uxor ejus Noëmi: et duo filii, alter Mahalon, et alter Chelion, Ephrathæi de Bethlehem Juda. Ingressique regionem Moabitidem, morabantur ibi.