Wait for Husbands? Ruth 1:11 - Equipped for Battle

The scene is one of weeping and crying as Naomi has just told her daughters-in-law to stay in their homeland rather than traveling with her back to Judah. Orpah and Ruth however have told Naomi that they would rather stay with her and leave their home than to leave Naomi, so it a time of great negotiating between this loving mother-in-law and her two deceased sons' wives. In chapter one and verse eleven we see more of the story:

And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will you go with me? [are] there yet [any more] sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

Naomi resists her daughters-in-law's offer to travel back home with her and questions, “Turn again, my daughters: why will you go with me?” In other words, Naomi refuses Orpah and Ruth's offer with reason. The insinuation is that there is no reason to go with her. The daughters-in-law might as well stay in their own country. Naomi has deemed her life miserable, and there would be no benefit to them traveling with her.

Naomi continues, “[are] there yet [any more] sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?” Naomi then asks an important question that has Hebrew law built within it. It may seem foolish to ask, “are there yet any more sons in my womb”, but Hebrew law stated:

If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. Deuteronomy 25:5

In other words, if the wife of a man died before he had children, then his brother was to marry his widow and have a child with her. This child was usually named after the man who died so his name would carry on. Naomi was appealing to her daughters-in-law's sensibility when she asked if they thought there were any more sons in her womb to fulfill this law.

Naomi continued her question, “that they may be your husbands?” Let's consider this. First, Naomi would have to remarry, then get pregnant with two boys either one at a time or twins, then hope they were boys, then raise the children until they were old enough to get married before Orpah and Ruth could have them as their husbands. Seems ridiculous doesn't it? Perhaps that is what Naomi thought as well, so we now understand her appeal to her daughters-in-law.

But let's note two things. First, this is the first reference to what is known as a “kinsman redeemer” or “goel” in the Hebrew. The “kinsman redeemer” was the man who was closest in relationship to a deceased man who was entitled to not only his wife, but also his possessions. We shall need this “kinsman redeemer” idea in later verses. Secondly, notice how Naomi appeals to her own reason as she has exhausted all other ideas. There is not an expression of God's faithfulness, God's intervention or hope for God's visitation upon her. She only has her own reason with which to appeal. So often when crisis and tragedy come into our lives we resort only to what we know rather than “who” we know. As we continue with our story in the days ahead, we will discover that Naomi had no idea what God was doing behind the scenes, however, we shall have to take up those things at another time, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

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