“May the LORD Show You Kindness”: A Joyful Walk Through Ruth 1:8

וַתֹּ֤אמֶר נָעֳמִי֙ לִשְׁתֵּ֣י כַלֹּתֶ֔יהָ לֵ֣כְנָה שֹּׁ֔בְנָה אִשָּׁ֖ה לְבֵ֣ית אִמָּ֑הּ יַעַשׂ יְהוָ֤ה עִמָּכֶם֙ חֶ֔סֶד כַּאֲשֶׁ֧ר עֲשִׂיתֶ֛ם עִם־הַמֵּתִ֖ים וְעִמָּדִֽי׃
(Ruth 1:8)

Literal English Translation

And Naʿomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each woman to her mother’s house. May YHWH do kindness with you, as you have done with the dead and with me.”

Word-by-Word Explanation

1. וַתֹּ֤אמֶר – “And she said”Verb, past tense (called “perfect” in Hebrew). The prefix וַ tells us this is part of a story (called vav-consecutive). The root is אָמַר, meaning “to say.” This is a common way Hebrew begins a narrative sentence—with the verb!
2. נָעֳמִי – “Naʿomi”Proper noun. This is the subject of the sentence—Naʿomi is the one doing the speaking.
3. לִשְׁתֵּ֣י – “to the two of”This is the preposition לְ (“to”) attached to שְׁתֵּי, a form of the number “two” used before feminine nouns.
4. כַלֹּתֶ֔יהָ – “her daughters-in-law”Noun. The root is כַּלָּה (daughter-in-law). The ending ֶיהָ means “her.” So this means “her two daughters-in-law.”
5. לֵ֣כְנָה – “Go!”Imperative verb (command), feminine plural. From the root הָלַךְ, “to go.” This special form is used when addressing more than one woman.
6. שֹּׁ֔בְנָה – “Return!”Another imperative verb, feminine plural, from the root שׁוּב (“to return”). The נָה ending again shows that she’s speaking to multiple women.
7. אִשָּׁ֖ה – “each woman”Noun. Though it usually means “woman” or “wife,” here it means “each woman” individually.
8. לְבֵ֣ית – “to the house of”From בַּיִת (“house”) with the prefix לְ meaning “to.” The form changes to בֵית in construct state—think of it like “of the house.”
9. אִמָּ֑הּ – “her mother”Noun. Root: אֵם (“mother”). The suffix ָהּ means “her.” So this means “her mother’s house.”
10. יַעַשׂ – “may he do”Verb, future/imperfect form from עָשָׂה (“to do” or “to make”). This is a jussive form—a soft way to express a wish or prayer. “May he do…”
11. יְהוָ֤ה – “YHWH”This is the sacred name of God. Naʿomi is praying that YHWH would bless her daughters-in-law.
12. עִמָּכֶם֙ – “with you (plural)”Preposition עִם (“with”) + suffix כֶם = “you all.” Naʿomi is speaking to both women together.
13. חֶ֔סֶד – “kindness”Noun. A powerful Hebrew word meaning loyal love, kindness, or covenant faithfulness. This is the kind of goodness that goes beyond duty.
14. כַּאֲשֶׁ֧ר – “as” or “just as”This is a conjunction, helping us compare: “May YHWH do kindness with you just as you did…”
15. עֲשִׂיתֶ֛ם – “you (plural) have done”Verb, perfect form (completed action), from עָשָׂה again. The תם ending means “you all (plural)”—speaking to both women again.
16. עִם־הַמֵּתִ֖ים – “with the dead”עִם = “with”; הַמֵּתִים = “the dead ones” (plural). Refers to their deceased husbands.
17. וְעִמָּדִֽי – “and with me”וְ = “and”; עִם = “with”; דִי = “me” (an older form for “me” attached to prepositions). Together: “and with me.”

Word Order and Sentence Flow

Biblical Hebrew loves to lead with verbs, especially in stories. The very first word is וַתֹּאמֶר (“And she said”), setting the stage. Naʿomi is the speaker, and her speech unfolds with a chain of short, action-filled phrases:

→ Go! → Return! → May YHWH show kindness!

Notice how Hebrew often saves the subject (like “Naʿomi”) until after the verb. This is typical! It builds drama and movement, especially in narratives.

Bonus Visual: The Flow of Naʿomi’s Words

What This Verse Just Taught You

> “You’ve just read a full Hebrew sentence, full of action, prayer, emotion, and family care. And you understood how it works!”

You saw a real Hebrew verb in command form. You saw how Hebrew uses prefixes and suffixes to pack in meaning. You saw Naʿomi’s prayer rise in poetic form, sentence by sentence. And most of all—you read it in the original language of Scripture.

Keep walking—this is just one verse, and already, you’re starting to unlock the language of the Bible itself.

Shalom!