Driven By A Severe Famine Elimelech And His Family Seek Refuge In Moab Only To Suffer The Consequences Of Forsaking The Sphere Of The Covenant. He And His Sons Die And His Wife Naomi Returns To The Land Of Judah Empty.
As we know from the ending to the story Elimelech could trace his ancestry back to Judah through Perez (Ruth 4:18-22; compare 1 Chronicles 2:4). He would thus be highly respected as one of the minority who could do so. And he lived, and had land, in and around Bethelehem-judah. But a severe famine appears to have smitten the land and, probably for the sake of his sons, he determined to seek refuge in Moab, which was across the Jordan to the east of Israel, on the other side of the Dead Sea. However, tragedy was the consequence of his decision as YHWH ‘testified against them' (Ruth 1:21). The writer clearly intends his readers to see this tragedy as resulting from his desertion of the land of Promise. The one named ‘My God is king' had gone to another land where God was not seen as king, in order to find refuge. He had virtually exposed YHWH to ridicule. Yet out of that tragedy YHWH intends to bring triumph. What will then follow is a revelation of the unmerited favour of God in the face of disobedience.
The chapter follows the chiastic pattern which had been a feature of the Law of Moses:
A There was famine in the land (Ruth 1:1)
B Elimelech and Naomi emigrated from Bethlehem and came into the country of Moab (Ruth 1:2)
C Naomi's husband and sons died (Ruth 1:3-5).
D Naomi and Ruth left Moab for Bethlehem (Ruth 1:6-7).
E Naomi made a speech calling on her daughters-in-law to leave her (Ruth 1:8-9 a).
F Naomi kissed Orpah and Ruth goodbye (Ruth 1:9).
G All wept loudly (Ruth 1:9)
H Naomi could offer her daughters-in-law no sons (Ruth 1:11)
I Naomi was too old to have a husband (Ruth 1:12).
H' Naomi could offer her daughters-in-law no viable sons (Ruth 1:13)
G' All wept loudly (Ruth 1:14)
F' Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye (Ruth 1:14-15)
E' Ruth made a speech refusing to leave Naomi (Ruth 1:16-18)
D' They came to Bethlehem from Moab (Ruth 1:19)
C' Naomi was no longer pleasant but bitter for she had returned empty (Ruth 1:20-21)
B' Naomi left the country of Moab and returned to Bethlehem (Ruth 1:22)
A' It was the beginning of the barley harvest (Ruth 1:22).
Note in A the emphasis on the fact that the initial phase of the story began with famine, and ended with harvest. Central to the chiasmus in I is that hope has gone because Naomi is too old to bear children. Thus while they might return to the land of Judah, their cause would be hopeless. The emphasis all the way through is on the tragedy of Naomi's situation, only alleviated by the loyalty of Ruth.