Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;
Go back home, my daughters, and go your own way. I'm too old to get married again. Even if I said I still had hope, even if I got married tonight and had sons,
Naomi is telling her daughters-in-law that she's too old to remarry and have more sons who could eventually marry them.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Ruth, set during the time of the Judges in ancient Israel, Naomi is a widow who has lost her husband and sons while living in Moab and is now returning to her homeland. She is speaking to her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, urging them to go back to their own families because she feels too old to remarry and provide them with new husbands through sons. This reflects the cultural practice of levirate marriage, where a widow might marry a relative to secure her future and continue the family line.
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