Ruth 1:7 (DBY)

Passage

Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she had been, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

Nearby Context

Ruth 1:5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also, both of them; and the woman was left of her two children and of her husband.

Ruth 1:6 And she arose, she and her daughters-in-law, and returned from the fields of Moab; for she had heard in the fields of Moab how that Jehovah had visited his people to give them bread.

Ruth 1:7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she had been, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

Ruth 1:8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each to her mother's house. Jehovah deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead and with me.

Ruth 1:9 Jehovah grant you that ye may find rest, each in the house of her husband. And she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice and wept.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wherefore", "went", "forth", "place", "been", and "daughters-in-law". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wherefore" and "went", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And she arose she and her daughters-in-law..." into verse 8's "And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law...", so "wherefore" and "went" 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 "wherefore" and "went" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.