Ruth 1:1 (DBY)

Passage

And it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man went from Bethlehem-Judah, to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

Nearby Context

Ruth 1:1 And it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man went from Bethlehem-Judah, to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

Ruth 1:2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-Judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

Ruth 1:3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "came", "pass", "days", "judges", "ruled", "famine", "land", and "certain". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "came" and "pass", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "And the name of the man was...", so "came" and "pass" should be read forward into that movement. In Ruth context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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