Bible Strands
Ruth 4:17
The neighbor women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The neighbor women speak to the community at the moment of a newborn's naming, immediately after Naomi takes the infant to her lap. They announce the birth to Naomi and formally assign the child the name Obed.
The words — The text foregrounds שֵׁם (shem) meaning "a name" and יֻלַּד (yu.lad) meaning "he has been born." These terms mark the transition from private restoration to public designation.
The thread — The naming directly precedes the genealogical list in Ruth 4:18 and parallels the communal recognition of mercy in Luke 1:58. The verse explicitly links the child to Jesse and David.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to track how a broken lineage is formally repaired through documented ancestry. It asks for attention to the structural continuity of descent rather than narrative closure.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Cross-references
- Luke 1:58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.