וַתֵּלַ֣כְנָה שְׁתֵּיהֶ֔ם עַד־בֹּאָ֖נָה בֵּ֣ית לָ֑חֶם וַיְהִ֗י כְּבֹאָ֨נָה֙ בֵּ֣ית לֶ֔חֶם וַתֵּהֹ֤ם כָּל־הָעִיר֙ עֲלֵיהֶ֔ן וַתֹּאמַ֖רְנָה הֲזֹ֥את נָעֳמִֽי׃
19So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women said, “Is this Naomi?”
The Hebrew that is transliterated as “Naomi” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “changed identity” referring to the many life changes that Naomi goes through in the book of Ruth. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
“Naomi” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España
For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .
The town name that is transliterated as “Bethlehem” in English is translated in Finnish Sign Language with the signs signifying “manger + town” (referring to Luke 2:7). (Source: Tarja Sandholm)
“Bethlehem” in Finnish Sign Language (source )
See also manger.
In American Sign Language it is translated with the signs for “bread” and “house,” referring to the original meaning of “Bethlehem” as “house of bread.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Bethlehem” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
Likewise in Hungarian Sign Language:
“Bethlehem” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )
Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Bethlehem .
Following is a back-translation of Ruth 1 from a song presented in the traditional Fang troubadour style (mvét oyeng) as part of a project by Bethany and Andrew Case. (For more information about this, see Case / Case 2019)
Verse 1 – It happened that, in the time of the chiefs, they were governing Israel, and hunger came there to the regions of those lands.
2 – It came about that a man of the town that they call Bethlehem, the clans of the lands of Ephrata, they called him Elimelek.
Then he moved from there, he moved, saying, “I will try to go and live in the regions of the lands of Moab.”
When he went there, he went with [his] wife, [his] wife Naomi, and his two sons, his grown sons.
One was named Mahlon, and the other was Kilion.
All those were people of Ephrata.
After they arrived in Moab there, then they lived there, living.
4/5 – Left like that, [with] only just one thing her two sons, when they were left, then these two sons also married two girls, young Moabite women.
One of them was named Orpah, and the other was named Ruth.
And it came about that after ten years passed, ten years, then these two sons of hers also died there, beginning with Malon and Kilion.
Then Naomi was left only all alone [lit. point and point: a bird’s beak from which its worm has fallen] with nothing.
6 – Then it came about that Naomi, living in Moab [unclear].
There she found out that Yahweh had had compassion on her town’s/people’s pain, the famine had ended, ending.
7 – Then Naomi said there that, “right now, I’m going back to Judah.”
When she was returning, then she went together with her two daughter-in-laws.
They left the place where they were and at that time they went.
8 – When they were walking on the road, then she said to them, “Oh my daughters-in-law, go back to your houses, to the houses of your mothers, please go back.”
9 – “I ask Yahweh that he treat you well at all times just like you also treated me and my sons.”
“I continually repeatedly again and again ask that Yahweh give you a place that is just and solid/secure, that he give you homes and also give you new husbands.”
Then Naomi kissed them on the cheeks, a goodbye kiss.
10 – Then the girls wept and they said “We will not go back, oh Naomi, we will go with you to your land.”
11 – Then Naomi insisted again, and said to them, “O my daughters, please go back.”
“Do you really wish to return with me, to go and do what?”
I can no longer again have other children for them to again marry you, please go back to your homes.
12 – I am too old, I cannot again go into marriage.
Even if I did also go into it, and bear two sons this night, oh my daughters, would you begin to wait again for these sons, for them to be your husbands?
13 – In this time you are without husbands, and for how long?
No no, oh my daughters, my evil is too great, and surpasses yours [lit. my evil it exaggerates with bigness to pass this with yours].
The hand of Yahweh has struck me, striking.”
14 – Then they opened their mouths (wept), they were crying.
After they finished crying, then Orpha afterward went to kiss [her] mother-in-law, kissing goodbye.
Then Ruth, she insisted to her that she would not go.
15 – Then Naomi said to her, “Look, the other has gone to her people.
Go youuuu too with her to the place where your gods are, go with her.”
Ñeŋǃ
16 – Then Ruth answered her, “Don’t you ask me that I separate from you.
Don’t you ask me that I separate from you.”
Because the place where you go, to it also I will go.
The place where you’re going to live, there also I am going to live.
Your people this also will be my people.
Your god this too will be my god.
17 – The place where you will die, in this also I will die, I tell you truly (lit. truth and truth).
I say that may Yahweh strike me, may he punish me severely (lit. [punish me with real punishment]) if I separate from you except only that death do it.”
18 – Then it happened that, when Naomi saw that Ruth insisted [with] real insistence [firmness], she didn’t insist anymore, then she said, “Let’s go”.
They began to walk, they’re going, they’re going.
19 – When it happened that they have already entered Bethlehem, that they have already arrived.
Then there in the town people began going and looking, [saying], “wow, but who is this?
Who is this?
Is it not Naomi who’s coming over there?
Yes, wow, it is Naomi.
Aáaáaáa
Aaáǃ
20 – After Naomi knew that she was the one they were talking about, then she said, “Don’t call me again Naomi.
Naomi means I have a glad heart, I am well.
And now that I’m here, please call me Mara because God Almighty has given me bitter and bitter, bitter and bitter, this has filled my body.
21 – When I left here to go, I left here [with] my hands full.
When I was returning now, I was coming [with] my hands now emptied, because thus Yahweh has wanted it, so why do you again call me Naomi?
When Yahweh, he who is all-powerful has lowered me to the ground, this kind of punishment that I have here.”
22 – In that way, Naomi returned to Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth, she who is a young Moabite woman.
In that way, they arrived in Bethlehem, finding that the time of harvesting food had arrived.
The rhetorical question, “Is this Naomi?” may be misunderstood if rendered literally to imply that the people did not recognize Naomi after so many years. But the question is rather a shocked comment upon her miserable social condition due to the loss of her husband and sons. Thus a more appropriate expression would be (Chichewa) “Ha! so Naomi has come back like this?”
Source: Wendland 1987, p. 171.
Following are a number of back-translations of Ruth 1:18-1:21:
The whole town is really a figure of speech in which the designation of the whole stands for a part. That is to say, one speaks of “the whole town” when in reality one means only a large part of the inhabitants of the town. In this case, the whole town means the women of Bethlehem. Something of the effect of this figure of speech may be realized in a translation such as “all the women of the town got excited and said….”
Became excited is a good translation of the Hebrew term which may be rendered as “to be beside oneself.” See Baumgartner, s.v. hwmʾ: “ausser sich geraten.” Same use of the verb with synecdoche of “city” in 1 Kings 1.45 and with synecdoche of the “earth” in 1 Samuel 4.5.
The verb exclaimed may not be a satisfactory term to introduce the following question. Accordingly, one may say “asked one another.”
Is this really Naomi, though in the form of a question, may have the value of an exclamation. So rightly Joüon, par. 161. Compare Tamisier’s translation: “C’est donc Noémi!” It is certain that the question of the women should not be understood to mean that they were uncertain who Naomi was; rather, they were surprised that she was in such a condition, without either husband or sons. In some languages, therefore, a more appropriate equivalent may be “they exclaimed, ‘It is Naomi!’ ”
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 .
Paragraph 1:19–21
1:19a
So: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So introduces the next event in the story. Introduce the next event in a way that is natural in your language.
Naomi and Ruth traveled until they came to Bethlehem: In Hebrew, this clause is more literally “they went on the two of them until they came to Bethlehem.”
If your language uses dual forms, you could use them here.
Here are some other ways to translate this verse part:
So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. (NET Bible)
-or-
They went on until they came to Bethlehem. (Good News Translation)
-or-
Naomi and Ruth travelled together to Bethlehem. (Easy English Bible)
1:19b
When they entered Bethlehem: This clause links the previous sentence with the event that happened next.
the whole city was stirred because of them: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as stirred means “excited” or “agitated.” All the people of the town were very surprised to see Naomi return home after many years away.
Here are some other ways to translate this verse part:
the entire town was excited by their arrival (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
When they entered Bethlehem, all the people became very excited. (New Century Version)
1:19c
and: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and introduces the next event.
the women of the city exclaimed: Here are some other ways to translate this:
The women who lived there asked (New Century Version)
-or-
and the women said (New Revised Standard Version)
Can this be Naomi?: This is a rhetorical question. It expresses surprise. The women were surprised that Naomi had come back after she had been gone for many years. There are at least three ways to translate this question to express surprise.
• Use a rhetorical question. For example:
Is it really Naomi? (New Living Translation (2004))
• Use a statement. For example:
Surely this cannot be Naomi!
• Use a statement followed by a tag question. For example:
This can’t be Naomi, can it? (God’s Word)
Some languages may have an idiom or phrase that expresses surprise. For example:
How on earth can this be Naomi?
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