Ruth 1:16 (ASV)

Passage

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;

Nearby Context

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;

Ruth 1:17 where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.

Ruth 1:18 And when she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking unto her.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ruth", "said", "entreat", "leave", "thee", "return", "following", and "after". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ruth" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And she said Behold thy sister-in-law is..." into verse 17's "where thou diest will I die and...", so "ruth" 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 "ruth" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.