Ruth 1:14 (WEB)

Passage

They lifted up their voices, and wept again; then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth joined with her.

Nearby Context

Ruth 1:12 Go back, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, ‘I have hope,’ if I should even have a husband tonight, and should also bear sons;

Ruth 1:13 would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from having husbands? No, my daughters, for it grieves me seriously for your sakes, for Yahweh’s hand has gone out against me.”

Ruth 1:14 They lifted up their voices, and wept again; then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth joined with her.

Ruth 1:15 She said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people, and to her god. Follow your sister-in-law.”

Ruth 1:16 Ruth said, “Don’t urge me to leave you, and to return from following you, for where you go, I will go; and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lifted", "voices", "wept", "again", "orpah", "kissed", "mother-in-law", and "ruth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lifted" and "voices", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "would you then wait until they were..." into verse 15's "She said Behold your sister-in-law has gone...", so "lifted" and "voices" 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 "lifted" and "voices" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.