Ruth 1:18 (KJV)

Passage

When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

Nearby Context

Ruth 1:16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or 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: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

Ruth 1:18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

Ruth 1:19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?

Ruth 1:20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "stedfastly", "minded", "left", and "speaking". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "stedfastly" and "minded", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Where thou diest will I die and..." into verse 19's "So they two went until they came...", so "stedfastly" and "minded" 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 "stedfastly" and "minded" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.