Ruth / Question
Elimelech died, leaving Naomi with her two sons. Later, both sons also died, leaving Naomi without her husband and sons. The sequence of deaths is stated in Ruth 1:3–5.
Ruth opens during the era of the judges, when a famine hits the land and pushes a family from Bethlehem in Judah to relocate temporarily in Moab (Ruth 1:1). The man, Elimelech, travels with his wife Naomi and their two sons. After settling in Moab, Elimelech dies, leaving Naomi with her sons. These verses function as the story’s setup, quickly establishing time period, location, and the central problem that will drive the rest of the narrative: Naomi’s family line and security collapse through repeated deaths.
Ruth opens by placing its story “in the days when the judges judged,” signaling a hard, unstable era for Israel (explicit claim). A famine then drives a family from Bethlehem in Judah to seek food by living for a time in Moab (explicit claim).
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with Ruth 1:3-5, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
3Elimelech, Naomi`s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.
4They took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they lived there about ten years.
5Mahlon and Chilion died both of them; and the woman was left of her two children and of her husband.