And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
Elimalech - signifies 'My God is king.'
Naomi - fair or pleasant; and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, are supposed to be the same as Joash and Saraph (1 Chronicles 4:22).
Ephrathites. The ancient name of Beth-lehem was Ephrath (Genesis 35:19; Genesis 47:7), which was continued after the occupation of the land by the Hebrews, even down to the time of the prophet Micah (Micah 5:2).
Beth-lehem-judah - so called to distinguish it from a town of the same name in Zebulun. The family, compelled to emigrate to Moab through pressure of a famine, settled for several years in that country; and after the death of their father, the two sons married Moabite women. This was a violation of the Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 7:3; Deuteronomy 23:3; Ezra 9:2; Nehemiah 13:23); and Jewish writers say that the early deaths of both the young men were divine judgments inflicted on them for those unlawful connections.