After Elimelech's family settle int the Moabite land Elimelech dies and Mahlong and Chilion die shortly after. The death of the three men leaves Naomi and Orpah and Ruth. Orpah and Ruth are two Moabite women that Naomi's sons married before they passed. The death of the men in Naomi's life leaves her no choice but to go back to Bethlehem, her home, where the famine was now over. .
Loyalty is initially shown when Naomi decides to start her journey back to Bethlehem. In the beginning of Naomi's journey back to Israel, Ruth and Oprah are along side her. However, Naomi commands the two widows to "Return home, my daughters.even if I had a husband and gave birth to sons tonight you would not wait until they grew up."(NIV Ruth 1:12-13) This reference means that Naomi is too old to find a new husband and provide more sons for Orpah and Ruth to marry, so there is no point for them to live her anymore. Naomi is also making a point that their is no point for both Orpah and Ruth to waste their time, especially in a foreign land to them with a different religion and culture. In the Israelite culture and Moabite culture woman usually retreated back to their own families and tribes to find a new husband especially if a widows family has no one else to provide.(Enns) Orpah agrees to return back to Moab, while Ruth refuses to leave Naomi's side which is a radical move at the time since she is going against her own religion and tribe by deciding to stay loyal to Naomi and her god Yahweh.
Ruth's loyalty to a woman is an important theme in this book, because it is rarely seen in the Old Testament since the Bible usually depicts woman living in a man's world. (Presseler 273) Ruth's act can be seen as rebellion, however she also could be making a decision of loyalty through her heart. Ruth has been with apart of Naomi's for a long time by now and they have grown close and close enough that it would be hard for Ruth to see her life without her mother-in-law not being part of it.
