King James Version

What Does Ruth 1:11 Mean?

Ruth 1:11 in the King James Version says “And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may ...” — study this verse from Ruth chapter 1 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.

“And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?”

Ruth 1:11 · KJV

Context

9

The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.

10

And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.

11

And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

12

Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; should have: or were with an husband

13

Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me. tarry: Heb. hope it grieveth: Heb. I have much bitterness

Read Ruth 1 full chapter

Commentary

KJV Study Commentary
And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? Naomi responds to their protest by presenting harsh reality. "Turn again" (shovnah, שֹׁבְנָה) repeats the verb from verse 8—she insists they return to Moab. The rhetorical question "why will ye go with me?" (lammah telekhnah immi, לָמָּה תֵלַכְנָה עִמִּי) challenges their decision as irrational. Naomi sees no practical benefit for them in accompanying her.

The question "are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?" references the levirate marriage custom (Deuteronomy 25:5-10), where a deceased man's brother marries the widow to provide an heir for the deceased. The Hebrew idiom literally asks, "Are there still sons in my womb?" The obvious answer is no—Naomi is beyond childbearing years, her husband is dead, and even if she remarried and bore sons, the time lag would make this solution absurd (v. 12-13).

Naomi's logic is impeccably practical but spiritually deficient. She calculates based purely on human resources and visible circumstances, ignoring God's ability to provide beyond levirate law through other means. Her reasoning reflects the bitter perspective of verses 13 and 20-21, where she sees only divine opposition rather than divine providence. Yet this very "hopeless" situation creates the narrative space for God to work redemption through unexpected means—Boaz as kinsman-redeemer, Ruth's initiative in gleaning, and God's sovereign orchestration of their meeting.

KJV Study — Public Domain

Historical & Cultural Context

Levirate marriage (from Latin levir, "brother-in-law") addressed the ancient Near Eastern crisis of a man dying childless. The custom ensured the deceased's name and inheritance continued, provided for the widow, and maintained family land within the clan. Deuteronomy 25:5-10 regulated this practice in Israel, though it existed in various forms throughout the ancient Near East. The Hittite laws, Middle Assyrian laws, and practices attested in ancient Nuzi all included similar customs.

Naomi's reference to this custom reveals her traditional thinking but also her despair. Technically, levirate law applied to brothers of the deceased, not necessarily to sons born to the father after the son's death. However, Naomi uses this to illustrate the impossibility of her situation—she has no sons at all, neither living brothers of her deceased sons nor any prospect of future sons. Her argument is ad absurdum: even the most remote possibility (remarrying, bearing sons) is foreclosed by age and circumstance.

What Naomi doesn't yet perceive is that God's redemptive purposes transcend levirate law's mechanics. Boaz, though a relative, wasn't obligated under strict levirate law since he wasn't Mahlon or Chilion's brother. Yet the broader kinsman-redeemer principle (goel, גֹּאֵל) allowed him to redeem the property and marry Ruth voluntarily. God's provision often comes through unexpected means, not the exact mechanisms human logic predicts. This pattern—God working beyond expected systems—prefigures how Christ redeems those outside the covenant through grace beyond law.

Reflection Questions

  1. In what areas are you limiting God's provision to only the mechanisms you can imagine or calculate?
  2. How does bitterness or disappointment with God's providence affect your ability to see His ongoing faithful purposes?
  3. What "hopeless" circumstances in your life might actually be settings where God intends to display His redemptive creativity?

Original Language Analysis

Hebrew · 14 words
וַתֹּ֤אמֶר1 of 14

“said”

H559

to say (used with great latitude)

נָֽעֳמִי֙2 of 14

“And Naomi”

H5281

noomi, an israelitess

שֹׁ֣בְנָה3 of 14

“Turn again”

H7725

to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point);

בְנֹתַ֔י4 of 14

“my daughters”

H1323

a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)

לָ֥מָּה5 of 14
H4100

properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and

תֵלַ֖כְנָה6 of 14
H1980

to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)

עִמִּ֑י7 of 14
H5973

adverb or preposition, with (i.e., in conjunction with), in varied applications; specifically, equally with; often with prepositional prefix (and then

הַעֽוֹד8 of 14
H5750

properly, iteration or continuance; used only adverbially (with or without preposition), again, repeatedly, still, more

לִ֤י9 of 14
H0
בָנִים֙10 of 14

“with me are there yet any more sons”

H1121

a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or

בְּֽמֵעַ֔י11 of 14

“in my womb”

H4578

used only in plural the intestines, or (collectively) the abdomen, figuratively, sympathy; by implication, a vest; by extension the stomach, the uteru

וְהָי֥וּ12 of 14
H1961

to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)

לָכֶ֖ם13 of 14
H0
לַֽאֲנָשִֽׁים׃14 of 14
H376

a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)

Study Guide

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Ruth. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Ruth 1:11 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.

Cross-References

Verses related to Ruth 1:11 from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Deuteronomy 25:5Genesis 38:11

Test Your Knowledge

Ruth 1 QuizTest your knowledge of this chapterRuth Book QuizComprehensive quiz for the entire book

Continue Your Study

Read Ruth 1 with CommentaryAll Ruth ChaptersComplete Ruth QuizBible CharactersNave's Topical BibleAll Bible Quizzes