Ruth 1:9 (KJV)

What does Ruth 1:9 mean?

Naomi asks the LORD to give Ruth and Orpah, her widowed daughters-in-law, settled lives in new husbands’ households. She then kisses them farewell, and they weep aloud together.

The key word is “rest,” מְנוּחָה (menuchah). Here “rest” means a settled, secure situation. Naomi herself is a widow returning to Judah, and she is urging the two women to return to their own families. Her phrase “in the house of her husband” explains the kind of “rest” she hopes each woman will find: a home and security through remarriage.

The Hebrew behind Ruth 1:9

• “LORD” — יהוה (YHWH): This is God’s personal name, represented in the KJV by “LORD” in capitals. Naomi addresses Israel’s God while asking for a future for her two Moabite daughters-in-law.

• “grant” — נָתַן (natan): The verb means “give.” Its form here expresses a wish or prayer: “May the LORD give you.” Naomi is asking God to provide the future she describes.

• “each” — אִשָּׁה (ishshah): This word ordinarily means “woman” or “wife,” but here it works distributively: “each woman,” or “each of you.” Naomi’s wish concerns both women individually, each with a household of her own.

• “house” — בַּיִת (bayit); “husband” — אִישׁ (ish): “House” can mean a dwelling or household, and “man” here means “husband” because of the relationship described. Together, the words locate Naomi’s hoped-for security within a new marriage and household.

Why Ruth 1:9 matters

• Naomi’s words are a prayer, not a prediction. “The LORD grant you” expresses what Naomi wishes for the women; she does not announce what will certainly happen.

• The farewell is affectionate and painful. “Then she kissed them” follows Naomi’s wish for their futures. The women are separating after sharing the loss of their husbands.

• Their grief is audible and shared. “Lifted up their voice, and wept” describes the women crying aloud together. The farewell does not read as a quiet or unemotional departure.