Ruth 1:21 (GNV)

Passage

I went out full, and the Lord hath caused me to returne emptie: why call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath humbled me, and the Almightie hath brought me vnto aduersitie?

Nearby Context

Ruth 1:19 So they went both vntill they came to Beth-lehem: and when they were come to Beth-lehem, it was noysed of them through all the citie, and they said, Is not this Naomi?

Ruth 1:20 And she answered them, Call me not Naomi, but call me Mara: for the Almightie hath giuen me much bitternes.

Ruth 1:21 I went out full, and the Lord hath caused me to returne emptie: why call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath humbled me, and the Almightie hath brought me vnto aduersitie?

Ruth 1:22 So Naomi returned and Ruth the Moabitesse her daughter in law with her, when she came out of the countrey of Moab: and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barly haruest.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "went", "full", "lord", "hath", "caused", "returne", "emptie", and "call". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "went" and "full", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And she answered them Call me not..." into verse 22's "So Naomi returned and Ruth the Moabitesse...", so "went" and "full" 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 "went" and "full" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.