John Gill Commentary Ruth 1

Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled ,
and so forth.] So that it appears that this history is of time and things after the affair of Micah, and of the concubine of the Levite, and of the war between Israel and Benjamin; for in those times there was no king nor judge in Israel.

But to what time of the judges, and which government of theirs it belongs to, is not agreed on. Josephus ^F15 places it in the government of Eli, but that is too late for Boaz, the grandfather of Jesse, the father of David, to live. Some Jewish writers, as Jarchi, say it was in the times of Ibzan, who they say ^F16 is the same with Boaz, but without proof, and which times are too late also for this history. The Jewish chronology ^F17 comes nearer the truth, which carries it up as high as the times of Eglon, king of Moab, when Ehud was judge; and with which Dr. Lightfoot ^F18 pretty much agrees, who puts this history between the third and fourth chapters of Judges, and so must belong to the times of Ehud or Shamgar.

Junius refers it to the times of Deborah and Barak; and others ^F19 , on account of the famine, think it began in the times the Midianites oppressed Israel, and carried off the fruits of the earth, which caused it, when Gideon was raised up to be their judge; Alting ^F20 places it in the time of Jephthah; such is the uncertainty about the time referred to:

that there was a famine in the land ;
the land of Canaan, that very fruitful country. The Targum says this was the sixth famine that had been in the world, and it was in the days of Boaz, who is called Ibzan the just, and who was of Bethlehemjudah; but it is more probable that it was in the days of Gideon, as before observed, than in the days of Ibzan

and a certain man of Bethlehemjudah ;
so called to distinguish it from another Bethlehem in the tribe of Zebulun, (Joshua 19:15) which had its name from the fruitfulness of the place, and the plenty of bread in it, and yet the famine was here; hence this man with his family removed from it:

and went to sojourn in the country of Moab ;
where there was plenty; not to dwell there, but to sojourn for a time, until the famine was over:

he and his wife, and his two sons ;
the names of each of them are next given.

FOOTNOTES:

• F15: Antiqu. l. 5. c. 9. sect. 1.
• F16: T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 91. 1. Tzemach David, par. 1. fol. 8. 2. Jarchi & Abendana in loc.
• F17: Seder Olam Rabba, c. 12. p. 33.
• F18: Works, vol. 1. p. 48.
• F19: Rambachius in loc. & Majus in ib. so Biship Patrick. Lampe Hist. Eccl. l. 1. c. 5. p. 22.
• F20: Theolog. Hist. loc. 2. p. 84.

And the name of the man was Elimelech
Which signifies "my God is King", as he was King over Israel. In the times of the judges, the government was a theocracy; the judges were raised up immediately by the Lord, and ruled under him; the Targum calls him a great man, and so Jarchi; and it is very likely he was, especially if it be true what is said the Jewish chronology ^F21 , that he was the brother of Salmon, prince of the tribe of Judah; and it is certain that Boaz the son of Salmon was a kinsman of his, (Ruth 2:1) ,

and the name of his wife Naomi ;
which signifies "sweet, pleasant", very likely a comely person, and of a sweet disposition; a name of the same signification with Naamah, the sister of Tubalcain, (Genesis 4:22) and according to the Talmudists she was Elimelech's brother's daughter; for they say ^F23 , that Elimelech, Salmon, and the kinsman (spoken of in this book), and the father of Naomi, were all of them the sons of Nahshon, prince of the tribe of Judah; the same Jarchi observes on (Ruth 1:22)

and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion ;
which seem to have their names from weakness and consumption, being perhaps weakly and consumptive persons; and it appears they both died young. It is a tradition of the Jews, mentioned by Aben Ezra, that these are the same with Joash and Saraph, who are said to have dominion in Moab, (1 Chronicles 4:22) which is not likely:

Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah :
Jarchi interprets Ephrathites by men of worth and esteem; and the Targum is, ``Ephrathites, great men of Bethlehemjudah''.

But no doubt they were called so, because Ephratah was one of the names of Bethlehem, (Genesis 35:19) (Micah 5:2) so called from its fruitfulness; though Aben Ezra thinks it had its name from Ephratah the wife of Caleb; but it was so called in the time of Moses, as in the passage referred to:

and they came into the country of Moab, and continued there ;
unto their death; all excepting Naomi, who returned when she heard the famine was over.

FOOTNOTES:

• F21: Seder Olam Rabba, c. 12. p. 34. Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 8. 1.
• F23: T. Bab Bava Bathra, fol. 91. 1.

And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died
According to Josephus ^F24 , after he had dwelt in the land ten years, and had married his two sons to Moabitish women; but, as Alshech observes, the text shows that while he was living they were not married to them, but after his death; and it is said of them only that they dwelt there about ten years; so that it is most probable that their father died quickly after he came into the land of Moab: and she was left, and her two sons; in a strange land, she without a husband, and they without a father.

FOOTNOTES:

• F24: Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 9. sect. 1.)

And they took them wives of the women of Moab
Not before they were proselyted to the Jewish religion, as Aben Ezra thinks, and which seems plainly to be the case of Ruth; at least she was so afterwards, if not before; and also of Orpah, as the same writer concludes from (Ruth 1:15) though others are of a different opinion, and some excuse their marriage, and others condemn it as unlawful, among whom is the Targumist, who paraphrases the words, ``and they transgressed the decree of the Word of the Lord, and took to them strange wives of the daughters of Moab;'' however it was so permitted by the Lord, and ordered in Providence, that from one of them the Messiah might spring:

and the name of the one was Orpah ;
she was married to Chilion; and Alshech gathers from this that the youngest was married first before his brother:

and the name of the other Ruth
the Targum adds, ``the daughter of Eglon, king of Moab;'' and that she was his daughter, or the daughter of his son, is a notion commonly received with the Jews ^F25 though without any just foundation; she was married to Mahlon, (Ruth 4:10) , one Philo ^F26 asserts these two women to be own sisters, for what reason does not appear; and a Jewish writer ^F1 says they were both daughters of Eglon, king of Moab: and they dwelt there about ten years; that is, Mahlon and Chilion, who married these women; which is to be reckoned either from the time they came into the land, or from the time of their marriage; the latter seems to be the case from the connection of the words.

FOOTNOTES:

• F25: T. Bab. Nazir, fol. 23. 2. Sotah, fol. 47. 1. Sanhedrin, fol. 105. 2. Horayot, fol. 10. 2. Zohar in Deut. fol. 109. 2.
• F26: Apud Drusium in loc.
• F1: Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 8. 1.

And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them
As well as their father, in the land of Moab, after they had lived with their wives in it about ten years; the Targum is, ``because they transgressed the decree of the Word of the Lord, and joined in affinity with strange people, their days were cut off;'' or shortened:

and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband ;
deprived both of her husband and her sons, which was a great affliction, aggravated by her being in a strange country; many are the afflictions of the righteous.