Charles Ellicott Commentary Ruth 1:4

"And they took them 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." — Ruth 1:4 (ASV)

They took them wives. — This seems to have happened after the father’s death. The fault of settling on heathen soil, begun by the father, was carried on by the sons in marrying heathen women, for we cannot doubt they must have been such in the first instance. The Targum (or ancient Chaldee paraphrase) says: “They transgressed against the decree of the Word of the Lord, and took to themselves strange wives.” This act meant incurring a further risk of being involved in idolatry, as King Solomon found.

Ruth. — This name can mean either “comeliness” or “companion.” This depends on the spelling from which we suppose the current name is a contraction. The Syriac spelling supports the latter view. Ruth was the wife of Mahlon (Ruth 4:10), apparently the elder son. The Targum calls Ruth the daughter of Eglon, king of Moab, obviously from the wish to exalt Ruth’s dignity.