Ruth 1:15 (YLT)

Passage

And she saith, `Lo, thy sister-in-law hath turned back unto her people, and unto her god, turn thou back after thy sister-in-law.'

Nearby Context

Ruth 1:13 for them do ye wait till that they grow up? for them do ye shut yourselves up, not to be to a husband? nay, my daughters, for more bitter to me than to you, for the hand of Jehovah hath gone out against me.'

Ruth 1:14 And they lift up their voice, and weep again, and Orpah kisseth her mother-in-law, and Ruth hath cleaved to her.

Ruth 1:15 And she saith, `Lo, thy sister-in-law hath turned back unto her people, and unto her god, turn thou back after thy sister-in-law.'

Ruth 1:16 And Ruth saith, `Urge me not to leave thee--to turn back from after thee; for whither thou goest I go, and where thou lodgest I lodge; thy people <FI>is<Fi> my people, and thy God my God.

Ruth 1:17 Where thou diest I die, and there I am buried; thus doth Jehovah to me, and thus doth He add--for death itself doth part between me and thee.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saith", "sister-in-law", "hath", "turned", "back", "people", and "thou". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saith" and "sister-in-law", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "And they lift up their voice and..." into verse 16's "And Ruth saith Urge me not to...", so "saith" and "sister-in-law" 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 "saith" and "sister-in-law" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.