The Hebrew text at the beginning of verse 15 has simply “and she said.” However, it is important to indicate clearly the translation between this paragraph and what has preceded by introducing some such particle as So. It may also be necessary to specify the participants, both Naomi and Ruth, Septuagint has “and Naomi said”; in the Syriac version we read: “and her mother-in-law said.” Compare also Moffatt and NEB. as in Good News Translation.

In a number of languages sister-in-law is rendered as “co-wife,” since in many societies the wives of brothers call each other “co-wives” or “co-spouses.” In some instances one may have to use a descriptive expression; for example, “the wife of your husband’s brother.” In a number of languages there are two quite distinct expressions for sister-in-law, one term designating a brother’s wife and the other term specifying the sister of one’s wife. These quite distinct relations may be marked by entirely different terms.

In some languages one cannot speak of her people or her god, for one does not possess a people or a god. The first expression may be rendered in some languages as “the tribe to which she belongs,” “the people of which she is a part,” or “the people with whom she is counted”; and her god may be rendered as “the god whom she worships” or “the god to whom she prays.”

Though a few translations have “gods,” there is no firm basis for using the plural. The god of the Moabites was Chemosh The Syriac translator of Ruth did not like the mention of pagan gods and therefore changed the expression into “to the house of her parents.” (see 1 Kgs 11.33).

In translating the term god one should generally use the most generic term for deity. See the discussion in Nida, Bible Translating, 13.1. However, if one normally uses an expression such as “the Eternal Spirit” as a translation of “God,” it would not be possible to use the same expression in this context. It might then be necessary to use some such expression as “the spirit whom she worships.”

The expression Go back home with her is emphatic, and some ancient translations even have an additional expression emphasizing the return. Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac version read: “return also yourself.” In order to show the relation between the advice to Ruth and what Orpah had already done, it may be useful to introduce an emphatic pronoun: “you yourself should go back home with her.”

Quoted with permission from de Waard, Jan and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Ruth. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .