Although it was their duty to go, Naomi here implied that the choice was to be theirs and not hers. She implicitly relinquished her rightful claims to their submission and graciously left the decision up to them. This no doubt represented considerable sacrifice on her part, for she was “too old to have an husband” herself (v. 12) and would, in the normal course of events, look to the two younger women to provide for her and to serve her in her old age.