Ruth 1:4 (YLT)

Passage

and they take to them wives, Moabitesses: the name of the one <FI>is<Fi> Orpah, and the name of the second Ruth; and they dwell there about ten years.

Nearby Context

Ruth 1:2 And the name of the man <FI>is<Fi> Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites from Beth-Lehem-Judah; and they come into the fields of Moab, and are there.

Ruth 1:3 And Elimelech husband of Naomi dieth, and she is left, she and her two sons;

Ruth 1:4 and they take to them wives, Moabitesses: the name of the one <FI>is<Fi> Orpah, and the name of the second Ruth; and they dwell there about ten years.

Ruth 1:5 And they die also, both of them--Mahlon and Chilion--and the woman is left of her two children and of her husband.

Ruth 1:6 And she riseth, she and her daughters-in-law, and turneth back from the fields of Moab, for she hath heard in the fields of Moab that God hath looked after His people, --to give to them bread.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "take", "wives", "moabitesses", "name", "orpah", "second", and "ruth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "take" and "wives", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And Elimelech husband of Naomi dieth and..." into verse 5's "And they die also both of them--Mahlon...", so "take" and "wives" 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 "take" and "wives" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.