So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
So the two women traveled together until they reached Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred up because of them, and people said, 'Is this really Naomi?'
The writer is showing how Naomi's return to her hometown after years away caused quite a stir, with people amazed to see her again.
📚 Historical Context
Naomi had left Bethlehem years earlier during a famine with her husband and two sons, seeking food in the foreign land of Moab. Now she was returning as a widow with her Moabite daughter-in-law Ruth, having lost her husband and both sons. The townspeople's surprise likely reflected how much hardship and grief had changed her appearance and circumstances.
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