SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2024 – Page 4

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:21

4:21

Salmon was the father of Boaz: Salmon may have been an ancestor rather than the father of Boaz. Other details given in the OT about the lives of Boaz, Obed, Jesse, and David suggest that there are no extra generations between any of them. However, the length of time between Nahshon and Boaz makes it likely that several generations were not listed. Matthew 1:5 records that Salmon married Rahab, who lived in Joshua’s time, when the Israelites were entering Canaan.

Boaz was the father of Obed: Obed’s birth is described in 4:13–17, but nothing more is written in the Bible about his life after that.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:20

4:20

Amminadab was the father of Nahshon: Nahshon was an important person who lived at the time of Moses. He was the tribal chief for the tribe of Judah (Numbers 1:7, 2:3). When the leaders of Israel dedicated the tabernacle, he was the first one to offer an offering (Numbers 7:12).

Nahshon was the father of Salmon: Scholars know little about Salmon. His name is spelled differently in 1 Chronicles 2.11, but the two spellings are probably just variations of the same name.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:19

4:19

Hezron was the father of Ram: From 1 Chronicles 2:9, it appears that Ram was the second son of Hezron. Nothing else is known about him other than what is mentioned in this verse.

Ram was the father of Amminadab: Aaron, Moses’ brother, had married one of Amminadab’s daughters, according to Exodus 6:23.

Hezron was closely related to Perez, and Amminadab lived at about the same time as Aaron and Moses, who lived many years later. So it is likely that in this first group of five names, some generation names were left out between Hezron and Ram, and/or between Ram and Amminadab.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:18

Section 4:18–22

A list of David’s ancestors

This section contains a list of the family line from Perez through Obed to King David. Five names represent all the generations from Perez, the son of Judah, to Nahshon, who lived at the time of Moses, about four hundred years after Perez. The names of the next five generations represent all the generations from Nahshon to David, who lived about 450 years later. Clearly, many names have been left out of the list.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

The ancestors of David
-or-
Obed in the Genealogy of David (NET Bible)
-or-

⌊ The list of⌋the ancestors of ⌊King⌋ David

The names in this listing agree with the lists in 1 Chronicles chapter 2, Matthew chapter 1, and Luke chapter 3. If you have already translated any of these books, refer to the way you transliterated the names there.

Paragraph 4:18–22

4:18

Now these are the generations of Perez: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the generations refers to a list of descendants.

These are the descendants of Perez: (NET Bible)
-or-
Here is a list of the descendants of Perez: (Translation for Translators)

The family line here starts with Perez. Perez was the son of Judah. His mother was Tamar. See the note at 4:12b. It might be helpful for you to provide a footnote saying that Perez was a son of Judah and a great-grandson of Abraham.

Perez was the father of Hezron: The Hebrew verb used in each occurrence in this list means “father a child.” So the Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Perez was the father of Hezron is literally “Perez fathered Hezron.” Translate this verse and the following verses into your language in whatever manner the people use to recite the list of their family’s ancestors or the names in their genealogies. For example:

Hezron was the son of Perez.
-or-
Perez’s son was Hezron, (Translation for Translators)

the father of: In some cases, the father mentioned in genealogies was not the actual father, but an ancestor. If in your language it is possible to use a word that could mean either father or grandfather (or even great-grandfather), it would be good to use that word here.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:17

4:17a

The neighbor women: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The neighbor women is a word that literally means “female inhabitants.” It refers to the women who lived in Bethlehem.

said: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as said is literally “called him a name, saying….” The words “they called him a name” is a Hebrew idiom that means “they named him” or “they gave him a name.” The Hebrew text of 4:17c repeats the phrase “they called him a name.” For example:

And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying… (Revised Standard Version)

If repeating the phrase in 4:17a and 4:17c would be unnatural in your language, you may follow the Berean Standard Bible and omit it in 4:17a.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

The neighbor women named him, saying, (NET Bible)
-or-
and the women neighbors gave him a name, saying, (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
The women living there said, (New International Reader’s Version)

4:17b

A son has been born to Naomi: The women meant that Naomi would help Ruth take care of the baby. Also, they thought about this child becoming a replacement for Naomi’s own sons. He would be the heir of the family property.

In Hebrew, as in many other languages, the word for “son” can also refer to a grandson. In other languages, it would be confusing, or impossible, to call Ruth’s baby Naomi’s son. In these languages, it may be necessary to use a word meaning “grandson.” Or you could use a simile and say, “The baby is like a son to Naomi.”

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

A grandson has been born to Naomi
-or-
Ruth has given birth to a baby boy. He will be like a son to Naomi

4:17c

and they named him Obed: The women gave the baby a name that means “servant.”

Here is another way to translate this clause:

They gave the baby the name Obed.

4:17d

He became the father of Jesse, the father of David: In the lists of names of family descendants (as in the list given at the end of this story), father of can sometimes mean “ancestor of.” In this verse, however, father does refer to the man’s immediate parent.

Here are some other ways to translate this sentence:

Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David. (New Century Version)
-or-
He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
When Obed grew up he had a son named Jesse, who later became the father of King David. (Contemporary English Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:16

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))

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:15

4:15a

He will renew your life: The women used this Hebrew idiom to express their hope that Naomi’s grandson would give her new joy and delight in life. Now Naomi could look forward to seeing the boy grow up and have children of his own so that her husband’s family line would not end.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

The child will be a comfort to you (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Because of him, you(sing) will feel as if you have new life in you.
-or-
He will encourage you (NET Bible)

4:15b

and sustain you in your old age: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sustain means that Naomi’s grandson would “provide for” her as she grew old. He would probably provide Naomi with food, clothing, and a place to live when she would be too old to take care of herself.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

and care for you in your old age (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
He’ll take care of you when you are old (New International Reader’s Version)

4:15c

For your daughter-in-law, who loves you…has given him birth: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the reason why the women expected that the baby would bring Naomi such joy. The reason was that he was the child of her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Since Ruth loved Naomi very much, the women were sure that her son would love her too.

and is better to you than seven sons: The general attitude of the people of Israel was that sons were more valuable or more important than daughters were. The Israelites thought that a family that had seven sons was an ideal family. When the women said that Ruth was more valuable to Naomi than seven sons, they were saying that Ruth was a very special daughter-in-law.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

because he is the son of your daughter-in-law. And she loves you more than seven sons of your own would love you. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
She helps you(sing) more than seven sons would help you

General Comment on 4:15a-c

Some languages require that the reason be stated before the result. In 4:15 this would mean that the verse would begin with the clauses in 4:15c. This would then be followed by 4:15a-b. For example:

Your daughter-in-law loves you, and has done more for you than seven sons. And now she has given you a grandson, who will bring new life to you and give you security in your old age. (Good News Translation)

See 4:15a-c (combined/reordered) in the Display for another example.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:14

4:14a

Then: his verse happened after Ruth’s baby was born.

the women said to Naomi: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the women refers to the women who lived in Bethlehem.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

The village women said to Naomi (NET Bible)
-or-
Then the women of the town said to Naomi (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Then the women said to Naomi (New Revised Standard Version)

4:14b

Blessed be the LORD: The women meant that the LORD deserved to have people praise him. They themselves praised the LORD, and they encouraged Naomi and everyone else to praise the LORD for what he had done for Naomi and her dead husband’s family.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

May the Lord be praised (NET Bible)
-or-
We should praise the LORD
-or-
Praise the Lord ! (Contemporary English Version)

4:14c

who has not left you this day without: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as who has not left you this day without means that the LORD has given a kinsman-redeemer to Naomi. In many languages, it may be best to translate this as a positive statement rather than use a double negative (“not left…without”).

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

has provided you with

this day: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as this day means “today” or “now.” Perhaps the women were speaking on the very day that Ruth gave birth to a son.

a kinsman-redeemer: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as kinsman-redeemer refers to a close male relative who is responsible for helping or taking care of other relatives. The women were talking about the newborn baby, not Boaz. This is made clear in 4:15c. The women expected that when the boy grew up, he would provide for his grandmother in her old age.

Here are some other ways to translate this verse part:

Today he has given you a grandson to care of you. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
He has now provided you with a grandson who will care for you when you are old.

4:14d

May his name become famous: The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as May his name become famous means that the women wanted the baby to be well-known. In 4:11e, all the people had said that they desired that Boaz would be “famous.” In some languages, the same translation can be used in both verses.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

May the boy become well-known
-or-
We pray that the boy will grow up to be famous (Contemporary English Version)

in Israel: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as in Israel means that they wanted him to be famous throughout the land of Israel and not just in Bethlehem.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

throughout Israel (New International Version)
-or-
everywhere in Israel (Contemporary English Version)

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2024

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:21

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:20

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:19

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:18

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:17

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:16

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:15

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 4:14

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