Ruth 1:15 (DBY)

Passage

And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back to her people and to her gods: return after thy sister-in-law.

Nearby Context

Ruth 1:13 would ye wait on that account till they were grown? Would ye stay on that account from having husbands? No, my daughters, for I am in much more bitterness than you; for the hand of Jehovah is gone out against me.

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

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

Ruth 1:16 And Ruth said, Do not intreat me to leave thee, 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 me and thee!

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "behold", "sister-in-law", "gone", "back", "people", "gods", and "return". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "behold", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "And they lifted up their voice and..." into verse 16's "And Ruth said Do not intreat me...", so "said" and "behold" 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 "said" and "behold" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.