Ruth 1:22 (KJV)

What does Ruth 1:22 mean?

Naomi returned from Moab to Bethlehem with Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law. They arrived just as the barley harvest was beginning, setting the scene for Ruth to gather grain in the next chapter.

The Hebrew marks a small but important shift: “Naomi returned” speaks of Naomi alone, while “they came” uses a plural form of בּוֹא (bo), meaning “come” or “arrive.” Bethlehem was Naomi’s home, but the narrator now presents Naomi and Ruth as arriving together. Ruth’s foreign origin remains explicit: she is “Ruth the Moabitess.”

The Hebrew behind Ruth 1:22

• “returned” — שׁוּב (shuv): This means “turn back” or “return.” Its repetition ties the verse to Naomi’s journey back from Moab. “Which returned out of the country of Moab” describes the journey already completed; the verse does not describe a second return.

• “daughter in law” — כַּלָּה (kallah): The word can mean “bride” or “daughter-in-law”; here it identifies Ruth’s relationship to Naomi. Although the Strong’s tag is attached to “law,” the Hebrew word expresses the whole family relationship. Ruth remains identified as Naomi’s daughter-in-law after her husband’s death.

• “Moabitess” — מוֹאֲבִי (moʾavi), here in a feminine form: This means a woman from Moab. The description keeps Ruth’s origin in view as she enters Bethlehem. Her family connection to Naomi and her foreign origin appear side by side.

• “beginning” — תְּחִלָּה (techillah); “barley” — שְׂעֹרָה (seʿorah); “harvest” — קָצִיר (qatsir): Together these words name the opening of the barley-reaping season, normally in spring. Grain was beginning to be gathered when the two women arrived.

Why Ruth 1:22 matters

• The arrival connects the earlier famine with available food. Naomi’s family had left Bethlehem during a famine in Ruth 1:1; Naomi and Ruth now arrive at harvest time.

• The timing prepares for Ruth’s work in the fields. “The beginning of barley harvest” explains why Ruth can soon seek food by gathering grain left behind by the reapers.