Ruth Chapter 1

Chapter 1 gives the setting, and explains Naomi's dilemma. Her husband had moved them to Moab due to famine in Israel. Then he and their sons died. Widows, especially childless widows, in that day and culture faced destitution. They were totally dependent on a male provider, with few exceptions. They could own property in some situations.

The Law provided that if a woman's husband died, the husband's next of kin, usually a brother, was obligated to marry her, and raise up a son to the deceased brother's name. He would have to buy the property of the deceased, knowing that the firstborn son born to the union of him and the widow would inherit it when he came of age. So there was nothing in this for the brother who married the widow. He could use the property until the son inherited it, but that was all. Everything was done for the widow and her deceased husband.

Naomi was aware of this provision, and we see later in the Book of Ruth, how this came into play. Naomi suspected that her foreign daughter's-in-law would not fare well in Israel, which is why she tried to persuade them to return to Moab. Ruth chose to stay with her. Orpah did not. Naomi was bitter due to her circumstances, and doesn't seem to harbor any hope at the beginning of the story.

The fact that we are told they arrived in Israel at the beginning of the barley harest, tells us that the Lord is up to something. So far in the Book of Ruth, the story is about Naomi, but that is about to change.