4:16a

And Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as took is a general word that here means “took in her arms.”

on her lap: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lap indicates a place on the body where one would hold an infant. Use a phrase in your language that means that Naomi was sitting and holding the baby.

Here are some other ways to translate this verse part:

Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap (English Standard Version)
-or-
Naomi took the boy, held him in her arms (New Century Version)
-or-
Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Naomi took the child, held him close (Good News Translation)

4:16b

and became a nurse to him: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as became a nurse to him means that Naomi “took care of” or “looked after” the baby. This is another way of saying that Naomi watched over the boy and helped feed and protect him. This does not mean that Naomi gave breast milk to the baby or that she took care of him only when he was ill.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

and she became his foster-mother (Revised English Bible)
-or-
and she cared for him as if he were her own (New Living Translation (2004))

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