Verses 16 and 17 have a poetic structure. Verse 16 consists of three lines with a meter of 3 + 2, 3 + 3, and 2 + 2. Verse 17 consists also of three lines with a meter of 3 + 2, 3 + 2, and 3 + 2. See P. Humbert, “Art et leçon de l’histoire de Ruth,” Revue Théologique et Philologique 26 (1938), pages 257-286. If one can reproduce the poetic effect of this passage, it is important to do so. However, the context itself does not provide the basis for what one so frequently finds in poetry, namely, figurative expressions in a very condensed formal structure. Rather, what is characteristic of this passage is the parallelism, so typical of most Hebrew poetry. Therefore, what one should attempt in rendering this passage is a kind of dignified prose which will emphasize the parallelism and provide a rhythmic effect.

Though this passage does focus upon Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi, it goes much further in that it constitutes a declaration of Ruth’s allegiance to the Jewish community, since she identifies herself with the people and the God of Naomi. The Targum even inserts here a short proselyte catechism. Some ancient versions lay more stress upon the declaration in using explicitly emphatic pronouns (Septuagint, Targum: “where you go yourself”; Syriac: “there I will be buried, I also”) and emphatic locatives (some Septuagint manuscripts: “I will lodge there”). Furthermore, she concludes this statement of identification with an oath in which she calls upon the LORD to punish her if she in any way violates her pledge of loyalty.

Rather than the simple verb “said,” as in Hebrew, it may be useful to employ at the beginning of verse 16 a term meaning answered, which will indicate that Ruth is now responding to what Naomi has just said to her.

The Hebrew term here translated ask often means “to meet” or “to encounter,” but in this context it has the specific meaning of “to encounter with a request.” See Brown-Driver-Briggs, s.v. phagaʿ. To an extent the English verb ask is a rather weak equivalent for the Hebrew term. Expressions such as “do not urge me” or “do not beseech me” would probably be closer equivalents.

The Hebrew text has two verbs, “leave” and “return,” both dependent on an introductory verb often translated “entreat,” so that a traditional translation is “do not entreat me to leave you or to return from following you.” In Good News Translation this structure is divided into two clauses, one with a negative command and the other with a positive request: Don’t ask me to leave you! Let me go with you.

In a number of languages Wherever you go or wherever you live must be expressed as a type of condition; for example, “If you go some place, I will go there; and if you live some place, I will live there.” In still other languages a paratactic construction is sometimes employed; for example, “You will go some place, then I will go there too; you will go to live some place, then I will go and live there too.”

For a treatment of the possessive pronoun with terms for people and God, see the comments on verse 15. The very emphatic form of this declaration may require the use of certain adverbial attributives such as “certainly,” “surely,” “indeed,” etc.; for example, “your people will certainly be my people.”

The clause that is where I will be buried probably does not seem too important to the average modern reader, but to people in many cultures, this is one of the most important expressions in the entire declaration of Ruth. For the sake of some special advantage people may be willing to go and live among another tribe or people, but they almost always want to be buried in their homeland. Hence, it is this final statement of Ruth’s which confirms her lasting loyalty. In some languages it is difficult to have a passive expression will be buried. Therefore an indefinite active expression may sometimes be employed: “they will bury me,” or even “your people will bury me.” Sometimes this concept may be expressed euphemistically: “there my body will remain.”

The last sentence of verse 17 consists of an oath and curse formula. In Hebrew it is literally “may the LORD do so to me and more also,” a formula found in the Old Testament twelve times, once here and eleven times in the books of Samuel and Kings (1 Sam 3.17; 14.44; 20.13; 25.22; 2 Sam 3.9, 35; 19.13; 1 Kgs 2.23; 2 Kgs 6.31). A plural form of the verbs occurs in 1 Kings 19.2 and 20.10. In this formula the expression translated so is a substitute for a curse which would normally be pronounced to indicate the nature of the punishment; for example, sickness, loss of wealth, death. So Joüon, par. 165, note 3. It is rare that in a receptor language one can use such an indefinite reference to the nature of the curse or punishment; and therefore in Good News Translation a somewhat general statement is employed: May the LORD’s worst punishment come upon me. Or one may follow Moffatt’s translation: “May the Eternal kill me….” New English Bible does not employ the curse formula, but it does indicate that an oath is involved: “I swear a solemn oath before the LORD your God.” Many languages have set formulas for such vows and curses; for example, “May the lightning [viewed as being sent by God] tear me!” So the Chewa oath; E. Wendland, The Cultural Factor in Bible Translation (London-New York-Stuttgart: UBS, 1987), page 170. “May the anger of the LORD be upon me” or “May the curses come upon my head.” Compare the Latin equivalent found in Livy (i, 24, ad fin.) and quoted by J. A. Montgomery and H. Snyder Gehman, The Books of Kings, Edinburgh, 1951, page 100: Tu, illo die, Iupiter, populum sic ferito, ut ego hunc porcum hic hodie feriam; tantoque magis ferito quanto magis potes pollesque. See also J. Pedersen, Der Eid bei den Semiten, 1914. Whether or not one wishes to retain a literal translation of the Hebrew in a marginal note depends upon the extent to which an adaptation of this formula is required in the receptor language.

If I let anything but death represents a Hebrew expression which may be translated literally as “if even death,” but it is usually better to translate as “nothing but death will separate” or “only death will divide us.” See Gerleman, ad loc.; Brown-Driver-Briggs, s.v. ki 1c. The deictic particle has asseverative force. In some languages, however, it is impossible to speak of death as the agent of an activity such as separating or dividing. In fact, in many languages there is no noun for death, only the verb “to die.” Hence this last clause may be translated as “if I leave you except when I die” or “if I leave you; only when I die will I leave you.”

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 .