Ruth 1:13 (ASV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Ruth 1:14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clave unto her.

Ruth 1:15 And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her god: return thou after thy sister-in-law.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "tarry", "till", "grown", "stay", "having", and "husbands". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "tarry", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Turn again my daughters go your way..." into verse 14's "And they lifted up their voice and...", so "therefore" and "tarry" 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 "therefore" and "tarry" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.