2. Ruth

Scene 1. The Israelite family of Elimelech and Naomi was forced to move to Moab because of a famine. The irony of the story is that this family from Bethlehem (the Hebrew name means "house of bread") left the supposed land of plenty to live in Moab. In this foreign land the two sons, Machlon and Kilion, married Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah.

Figure 16.2 Judah and Moab

    After a time in Moab, Elimelech, the father, and his two sons died. Only Naomi, the mother, and her two daughters-in-law survived. Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem and urged her daughters-in-law to remain in Moab and find security with their families there.

Table 16.B displays the plot of the book of Ruth in relation to the movement from emptiness to fullness that is a central theme of the story.

    Orpah chose to remain, but Ruth refused to part from her mother-in-law. Ruth demonstrated dogged loyalty.

¹⁶ Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or quit following you! Where you go, I will go. Where you live, I will live. Your people will become my people, and your God my God. ¹⁷ Where you die, I will die. That is where I will be buried. May YHWH do thus and so to me, and even more, if even death separates me from you!" (1:16-17)

    Ruth insisted on staying with Naomi. Verse 17 contains an oath formula ("May YHWH do thus and so to me . . . if") invoking divine sanction for her pledge. Together Naomi and Ruth entered Bethlehem, with Naomi bemoaning her plight to the women of the city who came out to meet them. The first scene ends with the narrator's comment that they had come to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. Once again there is food in Bethlehem, no doubt hinting that Naomi and Ruth might find fullness back in Naomi's homeland, perhaps in more ways than one.

Scene 2. Ruth went to glean in the field of Boaz, who was a relative of Elimelech, Ruth's deceased father-in-law. Gleaning is the practice of scavenging a field for stalks left behind by the hired workers (see Leviticus 19:9-10). Boaz took an interest in her, noting especially her loyalty to Naomi in her time of trouble. At mealtime he shared his food with her and arranged for the workers to leave extra stalks behind just for her. On returning home, Naomi noted Boaz's kindness, which continued through the harvest season.

Figure 16.3 Threshing Floor A threshing floor is a stone patio set on a hill. Here grain is beaten out to separate the head from the husk. This threshing floor is located near Bethlehem. Photo by Barry Bandstra

Scene 3. Naomi urged Ruth to capitalize on Boaz's interest. During the harvest celebration, an overnight party held on the threshing floor near the new grain, Ruth secretly snuggled up to Boaz. She asked Boaz to spread his cloak over her, metaphorically to give her protection, but perhaps also to spend the night with her. Boaz was overwhelmed by her initiative and interpreted it as an additional sign of her loyalty to Naomi and her dead husband. Boaz promised to secure legal rights to claim her in marriage the next day and act as her dead husband's "next-of-kin." The Hebrew term used here is go'el, which can also be translated "redeemer."

Scene 4. Boaz went to the city gate in the morning. This is where all public business was conducted. Boaz brought the issue to a conclusion in this way. He announced that Naomi was seeking to sell the property of Elimelech. Another man stood closer in family relationship to Elimelech than Boaz, and this unnamed man initially expressed interest in purchasing the property. Then Boaz added that the one buying the property was required to marry Ruth and raise up sons to her dead husband. This other man withdrew his interest, and Boaz claimed the right to redeem.

Levirate Marriage. According to the Israelite law of levirate marriage (from Latin levir, "a husband's brother"), a childless dead man's brother is required to raise children to his dead brother's name by marrying the widow (see Deuteronomy 25:5-10).

    The transaction was made official with a sandal-passing ceremony that transferred ownership from one party to another, and Boaz took Ruth to wife. In time Ruth had a son and Naomi was the first to rejoice. He was given the name Obed, and he became the father of Jesse, who was the father of David. Thus, Ruth, a Moabite foreigner, and Boaz became the great-grandparents of the greatest monarch of Israel.
    This is a heartwarming story, as remarkable for its simplicity as for the excellence of its values. The story of Ruth is one of those rare Hebrew stories that on its most basic level was intended to be paradigmatic. That is, the characters are portrayed as models of virtue and goodness who should be emulated. Naomi is notable for the way she was concerned about the welfare of her daughter-in-law. Boaz, whose name means "strength" and was also the name of one of the pillars of the Jerusalem temple (1 Kings 7:21), went out of his way to show kindness to Ruth and provide for her protection.
    Above all, Ruth displayed absolute loyalty to her mother-in-law and her adopted family, especially her dead husband. She was never motivated out of self-interest but faithfully sought to preserve the Elimelech estate. The book demonstrates that ordinary people will find peace and security when they behave unselfishly.
    Additionally, moral lessons may have been intended. The main character of the story is Ruth, a female. She stands as yet another example of strong and influential women who influenced the course of Israelite history. Just as significantly, she was a foreigner, and a Moabite at that. The Moabites were hated by the Israelites through most of their history, but especially in the exilic and postexilic periods. Yet this story demonstrates how a Moabite could possess the qualities of loyalty and piety, and indeed could become part of the royal line of David.
    The story of Ruth was set in the time of the judges, making her pre-monarchic. Because the book was set "in the days when the judges judged" (1:1) and provides background to the family of David, the early Greek version placed the book of Ruth between the books of Judges and Samuel, a practice followed by Christian versions of the Old Testament.
    The actual time of the book's final composition is disputed, with Hals (1969) and Campbell (1975) advocating a date of composition in the early monarchical period. Most authorities today maintain a postexilic date. If this is the case, the book may have been intended as a counter voice to that of Ezra, who governed Jerusalem in the fifth century B.C.E. The Jewish community under Ezra took on a very nationalistic and religiously defined character. Foreigners were unwelcome, and Ezra made Jewish men divorce their Moabite wives (see Ezra 10:1-5 and Nehemiah 13:23-27).
    The book of Ruth appreciates the Moabites, and perhaps foreigners in general, and demonstrates that they could be loyal to Yahweh, too. Viewed in this way, the book of Ruth may be a protest against excluding all non-natives from Judaism. Ruth projects a universalistic picture of Israel that includes non-Israelites. This openness is also glimpsed occasionally in prophetic literature as, for example, in the Rahab story in Joshua, in the inclusiveness of Second and Third Isaiah, and in the book of Jonah--but nowhere more clearly than in the book of Ruth. The point is that foreigners can and sometimes do acknowledge Yahweh, and can demonstrate loyalty to the people of Israel.
    The tale of Ruth is self-contained and has a remarkable wholeness to it. But the book in its final form gives evidence of canonical transformation. The tale of Ruth was taken and given another purpose beyond that of modeling ideal people of God. The original story of Ruth was repurposed and used to say something about David, even though David's line does not play any role in the body of the story.
    The story in its bare form was probably not about ancestors of David. It could stand alone without the concluding Davidic notes. But the addition of 4:17b and the genealogy of 4:18-22 give the book an expanded meaning within the national epic. With these additions the book says that God was at work in the life of Naomi's family to provide for Israel's kingship needs. The genealogical additions do not add anything to the story line, but instead give the story an added context of significance as background to the royal family. Composed in the postexilic period from a pre-existing Ruth tale, and given a Davidic context of interpretation, the book of Ruth is probably evidence for an intense interest in the royal messianic line in the late biblical period.