Ruth 1:11 (ASV)

Passage

And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

Nearby Context

Ruth 1:9 Jehovah grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice, and wept.

Ruth 1:10 And they said unto her, Nay, but we will return with thee unto thy people.

Ruth 1:11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

Ruth 1:12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should even have a husband to-night, and should also bear sons;

Ruth 1:13 would ye therefore tarry till they were grown? would ye therefore stay from having husbands? nay, my daughters, for it grieveth me much for your sakes, for the hand of Jehovah is gone forth against me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "naomi", "said", "turn", "again", "daughters", "sons", "womb", and "husbands". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "naomi" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "And they said unto her Nay but..." into verse 12's "Turn again my daughters go your way...", so "naomi" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Ruth context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "naomi" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.