Ruth 4:16 (KJV)

Passage

And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.

Nearby Context

Ruth 4:14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.

Ruth 4:15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.

Ruth 4:16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.

Ruth 4:17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Ruth 4:18 Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "naomi", "took", "child", "laid", "bosom", "became", and "nurse". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "naomi" and "took", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And he shall be unto thee a..." into verse 17's "And the women her neighbours gave it...", so "naomi" and "took" 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 "naomi" and "took" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.