Ruth 1:1-5

Ruth 1 NKJV

Elimelech’s Family Goes to Moab

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 Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

Book of Ruth takes place during the time of Judges - 350 years (around 1380 to 1050 BC)

Famine causes family to move from Bethlehem ( house of bread. (1.) A city in the "hill country" of Judah. It was originally called Ephrath (Gen. 35:16, 19; 48:7; Ruth 4:11). It was also called Beth-lehem Ephratah (Micah 5:2), Beth-lehem-judah (1 Sam. 17:12), and "the city of David" (Luke 2:4). It is first noticed in Scripture as the place where Rachel died and was buried "by the wayside," directly to the north of the city (Gen. 48:7) to Moab ( the seed of the father, or, according to others, the desirable land, the eldest son of Lot (Gen. 19:37), of incestuous birth).

There was no bread in the house of bread so they left for the desirable land.

² The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there.

Elimelech - “my God is king.” / Naomi - “my pleasantness.”

Mahlon - “sickly.” / Chilion - “sickly."

³ Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.

⁴ Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years.

Orpah - “neck,” “girl with a full mane,” or “rain cloud.” / Ruth - "female friend", "compassionate friend"

⁵ Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

Naomi is widowed. Two daughter-in-laws in tow. Living away from "home" but she has been there at least 10 years.