Ruth 1:3 (LSB)

Passage

Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons.

Nearby Context

Ruth 1:1 Now it happened in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the fields of Moab with his wife and his two sons.

Ruth 1:2 The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they came to the fields of Moab and remained there.

Ruth 1:3 Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons.

Ruth 1:4 They took for themselves Moabite women as wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years.

Ruth 1:5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was left without her two children and her husband.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "elimelech", "naomi", "husband", "died", "left", and "sons". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "elimelech" and "naomi", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "The name of the man was Elimelech..." into verse 4's "They took for themselves Moabite women as...", so "elimelech" and "naomi" 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 "elimelech" and "naomi" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.