Ruth 1:14 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Ruth 1:16 And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee, for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lifted", "voice", "wept", "again", "orpah", "kissed", "mother-in-law", and "ruth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lifted" and "voice", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "would ye therefore tarry till they were..." into verse 15's "And she said Behold thy sister-in-law is...", so "lifted" and "voice" 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 "lifted" and "voice" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.