Misinterpretations of this passage often portray Naomi as harshly rejecting or abandoning Orpah and Ruth out of selfishness or bitterness, ignoring her deep affection and the cultural context of levirate marriage where a childless widow's kin provided heirs; others mistakenly see it as discouraging loyalty or family bonds, overlooking how Ruth's choice to stay highlights true devotion contrasting Naomi's realistic counsel for their survival in a patriarchal society without male providers.
Ruth 1:11
King James Version (1769)
11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
Naomi's words in Ruth 1:11 reveal her selfless love and pragmatic concern for her daughters-in-law's future, as she urges them to return to their own people since she is too old to bear more sons who could serve as their husbands under levirate marriage customs, emphasizing her sacrificial prioritization of their welfare and security over her own companionship amid shared grief and uncertainty.