Ruth 3:1 One day Ruth's mother-in-law Naomi said to her, "My daughter, I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for. Matthew Henry Commentary 3:1-5 The married state should be a rest, as much as any thing upon earth can be so, as it ought to fix the affections and form a connexion for life. Therefore it should be engaged in with great seriousness, with earnest prayers for direction, for the blessing of God, and with regard to his precepts. Parents should carefully advise their children in this important concern, that it may be well with them as to their souls. Be it always remembered, That is best for us which is best for our souls. The course Naomi advised appears strange to us; but it was according to the laws and usages of Israel. If the proposed measure had borne the appearance of evil, Naomi would not have advised it. Law and custom gave Ruth, who was now proselyted to the true religion, a legal claim upon Boaz. It was customary for widows to assert this claim, De 25:5-10.

But this is not recorded for imitation in other times, and is not to be judged by modern rules. And if there had been any evil in it, Ruth was a woman of too much virtue and too much sense to have listened to it. Ruth - All the Women of the Bible - Bible Gateway The Woman Who Rose From Obscurity to Riches Scripture References—The Book of Ruth, Matthew 1:5 Name Meaning—Since the Ruth of ancient Bible times, her name has ever been a most popular one for girls. Elsdon C. Smith, in his compilation of the first hundred female names in America, places Ruth seventh in the list, with an estimated number of almost one and a half million bearing the name. The author’s only daughter bears this honored name. As to its significance, we cannot do better than the interpretation Wilkinson gives us in his Personal Names of the Bible, in the chapter on “Heathen Names” &--; The most distinguished person of the Moabitish race is Ruth, who became the wife of Boaz, and ancestress of David.

Her name is a contraction of reuth, which may either be the word for “the act of seeing,” “sight” and hence, as in English, objectively “a sight,” “something worth seeing”—or the word for “friendship” or “a female friend,” like reu in Reuel, “friend of God.” If the former etymology be adopted, we must ascribe the name to the early beauty of the child; if the latter, it may be due to the exhibition in infancy of that amiable and affectionate disposition which was so characteristic of the woman. Both meanings of the name were true of Ruth, for as a beautiful girl from Moab she was certainly a sight worth seeing, and her character revealed her to be a woman capable of rare friendship. It took the grace of God to befriend a bitter woman as Naomi became, but Ruth was bound to her mother-in-law by the cords of love, and literature has no exhibition of friendship comparable to that dramatic episode on the way to Bethlehem ( Ruth 1:16, 17 ).

Not wanting to go back to Moab, as Orpah did, Ruth, cleaving to Naomi said with passion in her voice— Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. What an appealing and stirring demonstration of undying friendship that was, and Ruth meant it, and through it changed Naomi’s sourness into sweetness! We have dear friends like Ruth who cling to us, and others like Orpah whose friendship is only veneer and who quickly leave us (see href="/id/38364538-3545-4530-2D33-3630412D3338">Naomi and Orpah ).

Scripture gives us a fivefold profile of this famous Moabitess— A Young Widow The first glimpse we have of Ruth is as a young wife robbed by death of her husband. In our previous cameos of Naomi and Orpah we have already seen how Elimelech and his wife, along with their two sons Mahlon and Chilion, in order to escape prevailing famine in Bethlehem, emigrated to the neighboring country of Moab, the inhabitants of which were idolaters. After a while Elimelech died, and the two fatherless sons married women of Moab. Mahlon took Ruth to wife, and Chilion, Orpah. After some ten years' sojourn in Moab, Mahlon and Chilion died leaving their wives childless. In marrying women of Moab those two Hebrew men sinned against the Mosaic Law which prohibted any association with the idolatrous Moabites ( Deuteronomy 7:3; 23:3 ). Mahlon means “the sickly one,” or “invalid”; Chilion, “the pining one,” or “wasting away”—names probably associated with their natal frailty.

They may have been twins, and from their birth Naomi had to surround them with great care and attention. This is evident that life in Moab, with all its food and comfort, hastened their end. Like their father, Elimelech, they found graves in foreign soil, and the desolation of widowhood came upon both Ruth and Orpah, who became sharers of Naomi’s desolation. Ten years of widowhood brought the two younger women to a mature age. How far they had been influenced Godward by their marriage into a Hebrew family, with its recognition of God, and not their idols, as the only true object of worship, we are not told. As Ruth’s husband, Mahlon, was the first-born of Elimelech and Naomi, we can imagine how he would strive through their years together to draw her from her heathen ways. With all we know of Ruth’s honest nature, it is quite possible that she warmly received all her husband told her of the mighty Jehovah.

Bereft of her husband, Ruth, as well as Orpah, would be left without material resources of support, and would face the hard and bitter lot of a biting poverty, as many widows do when the breadwinner is taken. But if Ruth shed any tears over her sorry plight as she faced a gloomy future without her husband, there is no record of them. She did not seek for self-pity neither did she manifest the bitterness that had gripped the heart of Naomi because of her sad lot. Amid the shadows, Ruth maintained a poise and a serenity which even her mother-in-law must have coveted. When happy homes are ravaged by death, it requires grace to say, “The Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Naomi’s self-confessed bitterness over the loss of husband and sons spoke of her lack of faith in God’s good providence. But Ruth, heathen though she may have been, seems to have calmly acquiesced in the divine will. A Faithful Daughter-in-Law Bound together by a bond of common grief, the three widows found consolation in each other’s company.

“Fellow-feeling, makes us wondrous kind.” The widowed Naomi, now bereft of her two sons who died childless, had no links with Moab. As famine had passed in Bethlehem, the decision was made to pull up stakes and return to her own country and people, perhaps with a faint hope that God would prove Himself to be the Guardian of widows. “Let thy widows trust in me.” What about Ruth and Orpah? Deeply attached to their mother-in-law, who had become a second mother to them, and to whom they clung as their friend and counselor, they decided to accompany the pilgrim on her way. Naomi used no persuasion, but left the two young widows to make their own choice. Therefore all three left Moab together, but on the way they stopped and Naomi urged them to return to their own country, marry again and settle down. She did not want them to face uncertainty in a strange land. With poor Orpah, ties of kindred and her own idolatrous practices won out. Her heart failed, and kissing her mother-in-law she went back to her people and to her gods.

It is possible that when among her heathen friends again, her conscience often whispered to her of the wrong course taken. As for Ruth, the choice was different. She loved Naomi and was willing to leave her own land and share the unknown future with the aging woman in whom her life was bound up. In her happier days with Mahlon, and then in her desolation and bereavement, Ruth found in Naomi a home for her heart. Orpah manifested a show of passionate affection as she kissed her mother-in-law good-by! But Ruth, as always, revealed a quiet fidelity so characteristic of her association with the embittered woman now returning to Bethlehem. We agree with the sentiment of Alexander Whyte that there is not a love story comparable to the love of the Moabite daughter-in-law for her Hebrew mother-in-law. Ruth’s love for her dead husband’s aged mother is as pure as gold and as strong as death. Many waters cannot quench Ruth’s love. And her confession of her love, when she is constrained to confess it, is the most beautiful confession of love in all the world.

Ruth’s declaration of love and loyalty for Naomi marks it out as being the purest and most unselfish form of devotion, especially when we remember that Naomi was more than twice the age of Ruth, and that, proverbially, it is not easy to live with a mother-in-law. Here we have a strong contradiction to modern flippancy—the passionate affection of a young widow for her widowed mother-in-law. History and literature cannot provide a more exquisite expression of love and loyalty as that to be found in the lovely idyll bearing the name of the lover herself. The matchless beauty of the character of Ruth appeared when she cried, “Intreat me not to leave thee.” As A. S.

Geden puts it, “The piety and fidelity of Ruth are early exhibited in the course of the narrative, in that she refused to abandon her mother-in-law, although thrice exhorted to do so by Naomi herself, on account of her own great age, and the better prospects for Ruth in her own country.” In an age like ours with its ever growing number of strained relationships, broken homes and loveless lives it is most refreshing to go back to the charming picture of loyalty found in a short yet sublime book in which every prospect pleases. A Determined Convert In spite of her heathen background and association with the degenerated tribe of Moab, Ruth became a devout worshiper of the true God. Just when she cast off her idolatry with its folly of bowing down to gods of wood and stone, and turned to the beauty and blessedness of true religion we are not told. Perhaps in her somewhat short married life, her heart was stirred by what her husband told her of the greatness of Jehovah. Then she must have seen that Naomi’s God was totally different from the lifeless deity she worshiped.

This much is evident, that her outburst of song of life devotion on the road from Moab to Bethlehem was the birth-strain of a new life. From henceforth the Hebrews would be her people, and Naomi’s God her God. Her new-found faith constrained her to say, “The Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.” Had Ruth accompanied Orpah to Moab and to obscurity, she would have returned to the altars of Baal. But now with God in her heart, she longed to live with those people “whose God is the Lord.” Faith burst forth into the light of day, took the form of quiet, humble service, and remained untainted by any trace of pride or of spiritual haughtiness, as Kuyper expresses it. To which we can add the sentiment of Fausset that, “Ruth is an instance of natural affection made instrumental in leading to true religion.

A blossom of heathendom stretching its flower cup desiringly towards the light of revelation in Israel.” The firm decision of Ruth to follow Jehovah, and to completely identify herself with His people, brought her a rich reward when she became the ancestress of the Saviour who came into the world to save idolaters and sinners of every race. With her surrender to the claims of God, Ruth’s “beauty of heart, generosity of soul, firm sense of duty and meekness” were sanctified, and were used to place her winsome portrait among the immortals. There are thousands of Christian parents whose heavy load would be lifted if only their unsaved children would come home one day confessing. “Thy God shall be my God, thy people my people.” The miracle happened in the heathen heart of Ruth, and God is still the same today as when He won the young widow of Moab for Himself. A Humble Gleaner Back in Bethlehem, Naomi was reminded of how her afflictions had changed her. Friends found it hard to believe that this was the beautiful woman who had left them ten years before.

At that time she was clothed so well, but now she is clad in a poor and sorrowful dress. Her brow was wrinkled and her back bent, but by her side was the “foreigner,” to share her sorrow, and to taste any joys that might come to her. At first it seemed as if they were to remain desolate and uncared for, but fortunately it was harvest time, and the golden sheaves were being gathered in. Naomi and Ruth must live, and Ruth, with her characteristic thoughtfulness, knew that her aged mother-in-law was not able to work. Thus she went out and was directed to join the poor gleaners in the fields of the rich, godly landowner, Boaz. We find ourselves in disagreement with those who try to portray Ruth as a lonely girl overcome with homesickness for her old Moabite friends as she bent her back to glean in an unfamiliar field. In his Ode to a Nightingale, Keats sought to immortalize such a feeling in the arrestive lines— Perhaps the self-same song that found a path Thro' the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home, She stood in tears amid the alien corn.

There is no trace whatever of such a doleful note in the record of Ruth. Having deliberately severed all association with Moab, she found joy among the strange people whom she had made her people, and when she went forth that bright morning to follow the reapers, it was with joy and confidence that the God under whose wings she had come to trust would undertake for her. Thus we much prefer the beautiful tribute Thomas Hood gives us in his poem on Ruth. She stood breast-high amid the corn, Clasped by the golden light of morn, Like the sweetheart of the sun, Who many a glowing kiss had won. On her cheek an autumn flush, Deeply ripened—such a blush In the midst of Brown was born, Like red poppies grown with corn. Round her eyes her tresses fell, Which were blackest none could tell, But long lashes veiled a light, That had else been all too bright. And her hat, with shady brim, Made her tressy forehead dim— Thus she stood amid the stooks, Praising God with sweetest looks.

“Sure,” I said, “Heav'n did not mean, Where I reap thou should’st but glean; Lay thy sheaf adown and come, Share my harvest and my home.” Ruth was not ashamed of the low order of her work as she took her place as a gleaner with the poor and outcast. The sacred historian tells us that as Ruth went out to secure food for Naomi and herself that it was “her hap to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.” But her entrance into the field of Boaz, and not into another man’s field, did not just happen. Under Jewish law Ruth had the right to glean in any harvest field. It was no mere chance, then, that brought Boaz and Ruth together, for even the steps of God’s children are directed by Him. In His plan for His own there is no such a thing as luck. Determined not to eat the bread of idleness, industrious Ruth walked right into the arms of divine providence.

Little did she dream that she would become the much-loved wife of the master of the field in which the reapers had given her a friendly welcome ( Ruth 2:12; Psalms 17:8; 36:7 ). Being one who feared God, and one who cared for the poor, Boaz went among his reapers, spoke kindly to them, and earned their benediction. Coming upon Ruth he was arrested by her staid and modest look. Although poorly clad there was a dignity in her mien, a refinement giving her distinction, and Boaz is arrested by her beauty and personality. Making inquiries about her, Boaz learns of her sacrifice for Naomi, and of her conversion to the worship of Jehovah ( Ruth 2:6, 7 ), and commands the reapers to purposely drop extra sheaves for Ruth’s benefit. Boaz also bade Ruth to glean only in his field, and to stand fast by his female workers. He wanted to preserve her from coarse contact with men who might take advantage of such a poor woman, who was in his admiring eyes a superior one. She was not to eat with others but present herself at his feasts.

As for Ruth, her heart was full because kindness had been shown her by a stranger in the solitude of a strange land. How excited she must have been when she reached home and told Naomi all about her good fortune, and showed her all the parched corn she had gathered. Was there a lyric note in Ruth’s story of that first day? Had she sensed that somehow Boaz had been strangely attracted to her, hence his generosity in spite of the alien blood in her veins? As for Naomi, when Ruth came to mention the name of her benefactor, Boaz, she recalls the name as that of a kinsman of her deceased husband, Elimelech. It may be that in the mind of Naomi there entered a feeling that perhaps a brighter future may be hers and Ruth’s. An Honored Mother We all know how matters between Boaz and Ruth developed which caused Goethe to say of the Book of Ruth that “we have nothing so lovely in the whole range of epic and idyllic poetry.” The name of Boaz became immortalized because of his loving-kindness toward Ruth, the poor Moabitess, while the kinsman who would not mar his own inheritance is unknown.

It turned out that Boaz was one of Naomi’s nearest relatives and one of the few remaining kinsmen of her husband’s family. Therefore he was able to befriend the widow of Mahlon, Elimelech’s son, according to the deep principle pervading the law of Israel regarding the preservation of families. This Levirate Law stated that where a husband died without issue, the nearest brother-in-law (levir) might be called upon by the widow to perform for her all the duties of a husband, and raise up seed for the deceased. In the case of Ruth, however, no brother-in-law was available seeing the only sons Elimelech had were dead. Consequently, the nearest of kin could be called upon to act as “redeemer” (goel) for the unfortunate, relieving them thereby of their distress. The nearest relative to Ruth by marriage was unable to function as her goel, and being the next relative, Boaz did not shirk his responsibility toward the lovely woman who had won his heart. Before the council of ten men at the city gate he announced before witnesses his decision to buy Ruth’s inheritance and marry her.

Although bachelor Boaz was advanced in years, he was determined to play his part and as Naomi said, “The man will not rest, until he has finished the thing this day”—and finish it he did! So the idyllic conclusion was reached, with Ruth being lifted out of obscurity into a happy union with Boaz, the mighty man of wealth. This story provides us with one of the first records in world history of a rise from rags to riches, from poverty to plenty. God smiled upon the marriage of honorable Boaz and virtuous Ruth, and blessed them with a son whom they named Obed which means “a servant who worships.” As Ruth was the servant who came to worship Jehovah, we can imagine her son’s name as being expressive of her own conversion from idolatry. Through the birth of Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who, in turn was the father of King David, Ruth found herself numbered among the elect, and God wove the thread of her life most intricately into the web of the history of His people, both before and after Christ. A Gentile by birth, Ruth yet became the chosen line through which later the Saviour of the world appeared.

As He came to redeem both Jew and Gentile alike, it was fitting that the blood of both should mingle in His veins. “A good name,” says Solomon, “is rather to be chosen than riches, and loving favour than silver and gold.” Ruth found it so, and thus her good name found a place in the royal genealogy of Jesus ( Matthew 1:5 ). As George Matheson so beautifully puts it, “In the soul of Jesus the wedding bells of Ruth and Boaz are rung once more. Here again Moab and Israel meet together. In the heart of the Son of Man the Gentile stands side by side with the Jew as the recipient of a common divine fatherhood.” Those of us who are Christians praise God for Ruth’s inclusion in His portraitgallery, for she was the ancestress of Him who, by His death, brought us nigh to God. It was from Boaz, an Israelite without guile, and from Ruth, who became an “Israelite not in race, but in mind; not in blood but faith; not by tribe but by virtue and goodness,” that Jesus came as the most perfect expression of all graces.

One could say much of the merits and message of the book to which Ruth gave her name, as well as of the many lessons to be gathered from it. Benjamin Franklin, who was ridiculed at one time in Paris for his defense of the Bible, was determined to find out how much of it his scoffers had read. He informed one of the learned societies that he had come across a story of pastoral life in ancient times that seemed to him very beautiful but he would like the opinion of the society. A night was arranged for Franklin to read to the assembly of scholars a lyric which impressed him. The Bible lover read the Book of Ruth, and when he had finished the scholars were in ecstasies and begged Franklin to print it. “It is already in print,” said Franklin. “It is a part of the Bible you ridicule.” There is nothing in the entire range of biography sacred or profane, comparable to the idyllic simplicity, tenderness and beauty of the story of Ruth, the young widow of Moab. There are only two books out of the sixty-six forming the Bible that are named after women. Ruth is one, and the other is Esther—and both books have enchanted succeeding ages. The Jews have a peculiar regard for both books.

At their Feast of Purim they read Esther, and at the Feast of Pentecost, the scroll of Ruth. Among the many typical features in the latter, the most outstanding is that of the composition of the true church of Jesus Christ. Ruth was a Gentile, Boaz a Hebrew. Boaz redeemed Ruth’s possession and then became her husband. All have sinned, both Jews and Gentiles, but Jesus died for all, and His church is composed of regenerated Jews and Gentiles whom He calls His Bride. Thus “the marriage-bells of Ruth at Bethlehem were the same bells which sounded at the marriage-supper of the Lamb.” From Ruth’s outstanding qualities of unselfishness and loyalty we learn that such virtues are the only foundation upon which true happiness can be built. Without them, abiding friendship is impossible, home ties are loose, and the social structure weak. Ruth also teaches us that attractive graciousness is worth cultivating; and that racial hatred and religious bigotry can be solved by a right relationship to Him who made of one blood all nations. Further, the rare literary gem of the Book of Ruth, which takes one some fifteen minutes to read, shows us how our industrial and labor problems can be solved.

Boaz was a wealthy farmer, yet he maintained a delightful relation to those who worked for him in a dark, chaotic period of Israelitish history. As he walked through his fields, meeting his servants he would say, “The Lord be with thee,” and such was the harmony that prevailed that they would reply, “The Lord bless thee.” In our time, the strained relationship between masters and employees would be quickly solved by the application of the good will manifested in those ancient days. Combining as it does all the traits of human life and character, Ruth is a book all can read with both pleasure and profit. © 1988 Zondervan. All Rights Reserved Bible Gateway Spoke 8 - Ruth's Mother-In-Law Ruth, Amos, 1 Thessalonians Ruth's Mother-In-Law And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. Ruth 1:14 (Spoke 8, Cycle 1) The bond of human relations is one of the strong themes of the little Book of Ruth.

It manifests most clearly in the Chet KeyWords chov (bosom) and chavar (companion), which can be interpreted as the Hebrew Word Picture spelt Chet Beyt (Bosom) Resh (Person) - the "bosom person" is our "friend" indeed! This theme is found with unparalleled clarity in the opening verses with Ruth's vow of feality to her mother-in-law Naomi: And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

Ruth 1.15f (Spoke 8, Cycle 1) And again, the main theme, with Boaz's action as Ruth's kinsman redeemer: And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. Ruth 2:11ff (Spoke 8, Cycle 1) This theme is a manifestion of one of the primary meanings of Chet as a symbol of the bond ( chebel ) with a friend ( chavar ) as discussed in the Chet Alphabetic Verses. The word translated as trust is the Chet KeyWord Chasah .

The great theme of Ruth integrates with many of the Chet KeyWords based on binding and enclosing, indeed, the name of Chet itself seems to come from the KeyWord Cheytz , denoting a wall or fence (from the Chet KeyWord Chetzah meaning divide). Exactly the same meaning manifests in another Chet KeyWord, Chomah (Wall), which is closely related to the words Cham and Chamoth which denotes the wife's father-in-law and mother-in-law. This then integrates with the ordinal position of Ruth in the Canon. The Book of Ruth is distinguished by containing 90% of all occurrences of the Chet KeyWord חמות (chamoth, mother-in-law, S# H2545 ). Here is a graph of the distribution: Questions? Comments? Join the discussion on the Bible Wheel Forum ! Copyright © 2016 Richard Amiel McGough All Rights Reserved Ruth 3:1-18, New International Version (NIV) One day Ruthʼs mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for. Now Boaz, with whose...

Traditional | Alphabetic 1One day Ruthʼs mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, I must find a home#3:1 Hebrew find rest (see 1:9). for you, where you will be well provided for. 2Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but donʼt let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. 4When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.” 5“I will do whatever you say,” Ruth answered. 6So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do. 7When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down.

8In the middle of the night something startled the man; he turned—and there was a woman lying at his feet! 9“Who are you?” he asked.“I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer#3:9 The Hebrew word for guardian-redeemer is a legal term for one who has the obligation to redeem a relative in serious difficulty (see Lev. 25:25-55); also in verses 12 and 13. of our family.” 10“The Lord bless you, my daughter,” he replied. “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. 11And now, my daughter, donʼt be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character. 12Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family, there is another who is more closely related than I.

13Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning.” 14So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and he said, “No one must know that a woman came to the threshing floor.” 15He also said, “Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and placed the bundle on her. Then he#3:15 Most Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac she went back to town. 16When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “How did it go, my daughter?”Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her 17and added, “He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, ‘Donʼt go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’ ” 18Then Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens.

For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.” RUTH in the BIBLE. Loyal to Naomi and faithful to God Ruth and Naomi, loyal women Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi. Courtesy of the artist Sandy Freckleton Gagon. Ruth is a short version of ‘retut’, ‘lovely friend’. Naomi means ‘pleasant’, but the name she called herself later was Mara, meaning ‘bitter’. Boaz means ‘powerful’ or ‘strong’. Mahlon and Chilion mean ‘sickness’ and ‘used up’. Orpah means ‘back of the neck’; she turned her back on Naomi. Elimelech means ‘my God is king’. Main themes of the story Friendship: Ruth was poor and a foreigner, but she listened to the advice of an older, wiser woman. In turn, Naomi was rewarded by Ruth’s unfaltering loyalty. The message? Courage and ingenuity triumph over misfortune. Family: The story of Ruth celebrates the family and the way it continues through many generations. Ruth, a childless widow at the beginning of the story, became the great-grandmother of Israel’s great king, David.

God’s plan: The story of Naomi’s family and the way it endured is a universal theme. Even Ruth, a foreigner from the despised Moabites, could move God’s plan towards fulfillment. Ruth has special significance for Christians: Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:2-17) lists four women. Ruth is one of them. The story has four episodes Gleaning in the fields at harvest time 1 Naomi and Ruth go to Bethlehem (see the Bible text at Ruth 1 – the anguish of losing someone you love Naomi and Ruth suffered terrible misfortune: the men in their family, including both their husbands, died. Marooned in Moab, the older woman Naomi decided to return to her home in Bethlehem. Ruth, though a Moabite herself, decided to go with her. She pledged her loyalty to Naomi and they set out on the long journey, arriving in time for the barley harvest. 2 Ruth meets Boaz – Ruth 2 – the love story Soon after, Ruth met Boaz, a rich land-owner and relative of Naomi. It seems to have been love at first sight for him, and he ordered that Ruth be well treated when she worked in his fields.

The older woman Naomi saw immediately what had happened, and encouraged Ruth to continue working in Boaz’s fields. 3 Ruth proposes marriage to Boaz – Ruth 3 – ribald peasant humour Shrewdly, Naomi advised the young woman how to catch her man. Ruth approached Boaz during the night, at the threshing floor, and the text obliquely suggests that there may have been some sexual hanky-panky. The next morning, Ruth suggested that they marry, reminding Boaz of his obligation to her as her nearest male kin. Boaz promised to do all he could. 4 Ruth and Boaz marry – Ruth 4 – the happy ending Naomi’s plan succeeded. Boaz proved as good as his word, and he and Ruth were married. She had a son called Obed, and Naomi cared for the child, who would grow up to be the grandfather of King David. Migrants Arriving in Sydney – 1966, David Moore Naomi and Ruth go to Bethlehem Book of Ruth, Chapter 1 Naomi was an Israelite woman who, during a famine, had gone with her family to live in the country of Moab.

When her husband and two sons died, she decided to return to her home town, Bethlehem. She had two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah. All three women were widows. Ruth was from Moab, east of the Jordan; Naomi was from Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem It would be interesting to know why all three died; it’s unusual for all the men in a family to die at more or less the same time. But it’s not really important to the story, so the Bible leaves it out. What is important is that their death leaves Naomi, Ruth and Orpah at the mercy of a predatory society. Unlike women in modern society, they could not seek a widow’s pension. They had to find a refuge, or starve. With a husband, Ruth’s life was more or less in balance; with the death of the three men, this balance was upset. To complicate things, Ruth and Orpah were Moabite women, not Israelites. The Moabite people were traditional enemies of the Israelites. There was frequent warfare between the two groups.

According to the Israelite belief, Moabites came from the act of incest between Lot and his older daughter (Genesis 19:30-38), and so the whole nation was tainted and inferior. The 1960’s movie RUTH shows this well, though it can’t resist throwing in some Hollywood touches to the story. Naomi assumed that Ruth and Orpah would not want to return to Bethlehem with her, even though the women respected and loved each other. One of them, Orpah, decided to return to her people and the Moabite way of life, but Ruth could not be persuaded. She had shared loneliness, anxiety and grief with Naomi, and now that the older woman was completely alone, Ruth would stand by her and return to Bethlehem. This part of the story contains Ruth’s famous speech of loyalty to her mother-in-law Read Ruth 1:16-17 ‘But Ruth said, “Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people and your God my God. Where you die, I will die There I will be buried.

May the Lord do thus and so to me And more as well If even death parts me from you!”’ So the two women returned to Bethlehem in time for the autumn harvest of barley. Read Ruth Chapter 2 Now although Naomi was destitute, she has good family connections. Furthermore, both she and Ruth were women of initiative. They did not believe in sitting down and letting events simply happen. Women took an active part in all stages of food production – see Bible Archaeology: Work, and Ruth decided she would help to glean the barley in the fields, to feed herself and Naomi and to get a store of grain for winter. Ruth meets Boaz, drawing by Edward Burne-Jones Gleaning was a common practice in ancient Israel. It was a form of charity for the disadvantaged in society (see Leviticus 23:22 and Deuteronomy 24:19). Recognized groups of the poor, such as widows, orphans and foreigners, could walk behind the harvesters, picking up what was left. This is what Ruth did. ‘Now Naomi had a kinsman on her husband’s side, a prominent rich man, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.

And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain, behind someone in whose sight I may find favor”. She said to her “Go, my daughter”. So she went. She came and gleaned in the field behind the reapers. As it happened, she came to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. Just then Boaz came from Bethlehem.’ Ruth in the fields, Merle Hugues, 1876 Ruth 2:3 says that ‘as it happened’ Ruth went to the field of Naomi’s rich relative, Boaz. This phrase is often used in the Bible to suggest that God is setting the scene for something significant. It also implied, with a touch of Jewish humour, that Naomi and the people of Bethlehem saw a good match for Ruth and edged her into meeting Boaz. Naomi knew that Ruth was beautiful and respected, and she knew that a rich husband for Ruth would solve all their problems. Boaz was the ideal choice. He was available, childless, well respected and rich.

He was also a relative of Naomi’s through her husband’s family, so he had a legal obligation to help Naomi. Boaz was second in line to the position of go’el in Naomi’s, and therefore Ruth’s, family. In English, the word go’el is often translated as ‘nearest kin’, but in ancient Judah it meant much more than that. A go’el was a close male relative with the duty of looking after a family when the male head of the family was absent. In earlier times, the go’el of the family was expected to marry the widow of an Israelite man if she wished it (Deuteronomy 25). Ruth, who may not have understood the niceties of Israelite law, called Boaz go’el. Read Ruth 2:8-23 Love was in the air… By great good luck, Boaz seems to have been smitten from the outset. He went to great lengths to get extra grain for Ruth, to protect her from young men who might harass her, and to see that she was properly fed. ‘At mealtime Boaz said to her “Come here, and e at some of this bread, and dip your morsel in the sour wine”.

So she sat beside the reapers, and he heaped up for her some parched grain. She ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over.’ Of course, the point of the story is that it was not just love or luck, but God who nudged them into their destiny. Ruth proposes marriage to Boaz Book of Ruth Chapter 3 This part of the story took place at the threshing floor, at a golden time of the year when the harvest had been brought in and the weather was still warm. Love was in the air, with the fertility of Nature reflected in the lives of the characters. Naomi was a shrewd older woman who had seen a lot of life, and she now devised a plan to prod Boaz into proposing to Ruth. She knew men, and she gave Ruth specific instructions on everything she must do. Fortunately, Ruth had the good sense to heed the older woman. She perfumed herself, dressed in her most becoming clothes – (see Clothing and Housing in the Bible for the type of clothes she might have worn) and waited until Boaz had eaten a good meal – both women knew a man with a full stomach was easier to handle.

When Boaz finally lay down to sleep, Ruth approached him where he lay on the threshing floor – someone always slept there at night until the grain was removed, to guard against thieves. Read Ruth 3:1-18 ‘When Boaz had eaten and drunk, and he was in a contented mood, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came stealthily and uncovered his feet, and lay down.’ This action would seem strange unless you knew that in ancient times ‘foot’ was a euphemism for the male genital organ, as ‘sandal’ was for the female organ. An ancient threshing floor Threshing floors at harvest time were often the scene of sexual shenanigans, what the old Irish priests used to rail against as ‘fockin’ in the fields’, a time for license forbidden at other times. Lying beside Boaz, Ruth suggested that he, as the go-el of Naomi’s family, should ‘cover her with his blanket’, a euphemism for marriage. She had the right to demand marriage of the go-el of her family, so that she could have the children that Israelite women longed for.

Boaz happily agreed, but pointed out to her that there was another man who had that right, a closer relative even than himself. Boaz had to square matters with him before he could marry Ruth. He seems to have been at pains to do everything correctly, so that there could be no question about the legality of the marriage. Ruth stayed beside Boaz until morning, stealing away before first light to return to Naomi, who pounced on her and demanded to know how things had gone, and whether the plan had worked. Was Ruth to be married or single? The two women waited impatiently to see how events would unfold. The marriage of Ruth and Boaz Book of Ruth Chapter 4 The Bride, Frederick Goodall Of course, the villagers were well aware of what was happening, as people in small towns usually are. When Boaz went next morning to the meeting place at the gate of the town, he was met almost immediately by the official go-el of Naomi’s family – and probably by a good many interested onlookers as well. Some complicated negotiation went on regarding a small parcel of land that Naomi either owned outright or had put up for sale at some previous time, but this was just a formality.

The outcome of this story was never in doubt. ‘So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next of kin. May his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourishment for your old age. For your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him”. Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse.’ Read Ruth 4:1-22 Ruth and Boaz were married, and she had a son, Obed. Eventually, Ruth would be the great-grandmother of King David. In the ancient world, women hunched over a hole hollowed in the ground, standing on bricks or stones placed at either side. They gave birth in a squatting position, with relatives and friends taking turns to support them under the arms. See Childbirth in ancient times.

The marriage of Ruth and Boaz created a family with a good chance of success, because – Naomi was shrewd, courageous and persevering – Ruth was intelligent, strong, loyal and level-headed – Boaz was a good manager of people, and not afraid to get his hands dirty. The full Bible text of the Book of Ruth is available here . The Story of Ruth, Thomas Matthews Rooke, 1876 For a short version of the story of Ruth, go to Bible Men and Women: Ruth Try Bible Study Activities for interesting ways of delving into this story. Ruth 1, King James Version (KJV) | Chapter 1 | The Bible App | Bible.com 1 1Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth–lehem–judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.#ruled: Heb. judged 2And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth–lehem–judah.

And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.#continued: Heb. were 3And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. 5And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. 6Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread. 7Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. 8And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. 9The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband.

Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. 10And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. 11And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;#should have…: or, were with an husband 13Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.#tarry: Heb. hope#it grieveth…: Heb. I have much bitterness 14And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.

15And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. 16And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:#Entreat…: or, Be not against me 17Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. 18When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.#was…: Heb. strengthened herself 19So they two went until they came to Beth–lehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth–lehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?

20And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.#Naomi: that is, Pleasant#Mara: that is, Bitter 21I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? 22So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth–lehem in the beginning of barley harvest. Crown Copyright in UK Ruth 1:14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. Matthew Henry Commentary 1:6-14 Naomi began to think of returning, after the death of her two sons. When death comes into a family, it ought to reform what is amiss there. Earth is made bitter to us, that heaven may be made dear. Naomi seems to have been a person of faith and piety. She dismissed her daughters-in-law with prayer.

It is very proper for friends, when they part, to part with them thus part in love. Did Naomi do well, to discourage her daughters from going with her, when she might save them from the idolatry of Moab, and bring them to the faith and worship of the God of Israel? Naomi, no doubt, desired to do that; but if they went with her, she would not have them to go upon her account. Those that take upon them a profession of religion only to oblige their friends, or for the sake of company, will be converts of small value. If they did come with her, she would have them make it their deliberate choice, and sit down first and count the cost, as it concerns those to do who make a profession of religion. And more desire rest in the house of a husband, or some wordly settlement or earthly satisfaction, than the rest to which Christ invites our souls; therefore when tried they will depart from Christ, though perhaps with some sorrow. Ruth: Bible | Jewish Women's Archive by Phyllis Trible Ruth’s name provides the title for the Book of Ruth, probably a piece of historical fiction set in the time of the judges.

Ruth is a Moabite woman who marries a Judean immigrant named Mahlon (1:1–4; 4:10). Upon his death she becomes a childless widow who chooses to accompany her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Judah. Naomi protests the decision (1:11–13), but Ruth perseveres. She pledges total loyalty, even unto death, to Naomi, her people, and her god YHWH (1:16–17). When the women of Bethlehem greet them both, Naomi fails to acknowledge that Ruth is with her. Instead, the storyteller reports her presence as Moabite immigrant (a foreigner) and daughter-in-law (1:19–22). In scene one (1:1–22) Ruth emerges in tension with her culture. She marries outside her own people, disavows the solidarity of her family, abandons her national identity, and renounces her religious affiliation. In the entire biblical epic of Israel, only Abraham approaches this radicalness, but then he had a call from God (Gen, 12:1–3) and also a wife. Ruth stands alone, without support human or divine.

Moreover, she reverses sexual allegiance. A young woman commits herself to an old woman in a world where life depends upon men. Scene two (2:1–23) portrays Ruth taking the initiative to find food. By chance (a code for the divine) she comes to the field of a prosperous man named Boaz, a relative of Naomi (2:1–3). He asks, “To whom does this young woman belong?”—truly a patriarchal question. Though the question fits his culture, it does not fit Ruth, who remains in tension with the culture. The servant’s answer fails to give her name but identifies her as “the Moabite who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab” (2:6). It derives her identity from her strangeness and from another woman. Boaz allows Ruth to glean in his field and arranges for her safety. She responds with appropriate deference, noting his favor and her foreignness (2:8–9). Yet ironic subtlety marks her speech. The favor Boaz gives her is the favor that she has sought. Therefore, she (and chance), not he, is shaping her destiny. Boaz recognizes her distinctiveness.

He describes her as one who has left her mother and father and her native land to live among a people she did not know (2:11). His language echoes the call of Abraham (Gen 12:1) and so locates Ruth within the saga of Israel. Further, Boaz invokes blessing upon her from YHWH under whose protective “wings” (kenafayim) she has taken refuge (2:12). At evening, when Ruth reports to Naomi, the daughter learns that Boaz is a redeemer within their larger family. Her own concerns, however, remain loyalty to Naomi and the availability of food (2:17–23). If scene two portrays Ruth’s struggle to survive physically, scene three represents her struggle to survive culturally (3:1–18). It involves a bold act, potentially dangerous and compromising. At the insistence of Naomi, Ruth agrees without question to pursue marriage with Boaz. The plan calls for her to visit him on the threshing floor after he has celebrated the harvest and gone to sleep. She is to uncover his “feet,” a euphemism for genitals, and then he will tell her what to do.

Ruth’s actions elicit from Boaz a second question (see 2:5). Unlike his first, it addresses her directly and asks for her personal identity: “Who are you?” (3:9). In answering, Ruth gives her name. Then, contrary to Naomi’s assurance, she tells Boaz what to do: “Spread your wing [kanaf, translated “cloak” in the NRSV] over your servant, for you are next-of-kin.” By a wordplay on wing Ruth challenges Boaz to heed his earlier prayer for her blessing (2:12). This foreign woman calls an Israelite man to responsibility. Even though Boaz informs Ruth that another man has first rights to her, Boaz himself responds graciously to her proposal. He calls Ruth a “worthy woman” (eshet hayil), the same phrase that Proverbs uses to depict the “capable wife” (Prov 31:10). He protects Ruth from discovery and provides her with food (3:14–15). In the morning she reports to her mother-in-law all that Boaz has done, yet omitting any report of her own bold words and deeds.

Characteristically, Ruth’s last words focus on her mother-in-law and the availability of food (3:17). In scene four (4:1–22) Ruth, like Naomi, does not talk but is talked about. Before the male elders at the city gate, the place where issues are settled by the community, Boaz presents the case of the women to the unnamed man who has first rights. When this man learns that his obligation to purchase land from Naomi entails the marrying of Ruth, he refuses (4:1–6). The way is then open for Boaz to do the redeemer’s part. The elders who witness the transaction address him with words about Ruth, though they never use her name. She is “the woman” and “this young woman” whom they compare to the ancestral mothers Rachel, Leah, and Tamar. These men see her as fulfilling the traditional values of fertility and the continuation of a male lineage (4:7–12). Accordingly, Boaz takes her as his wife, and she bears a son (4:13). A man’s concerns have subsumed the woman Ruth.

Her story ends, however, not with the male elders but with the women of Bethlehem (see 1:19). In transferring Ruth’s child to Naomi, they remind her that “your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him” (4:14–15). Ruth leaves the story exalted above the ideal number of male children and identified through the woman to whom she swore allegiance even beyond death. Feminist readings of Ruth diverge sharply. One perspective faults her for perfection, for being compliant, self-effacing, and a mere pawn of Naomi. Another praises her for faithfulness, for making radical moves, for risking dangerous acts, and for being a devoted partner of Naomi. Still another sees her used to espouse the patriarchal values of marriage and progeny, and then discarded. The counter view sees her challenging patriarchy even while trapped within it. Her foreign identity also receives opposing interpretations. One view holds that the story affirms this Moabite woman, embracing her fully within Judah as the great-grandmother of David (see 4:17–21).

Another view holds that the story rejects this Moabite woman, erasing her at the end by giving her child to Naomi and so according David a pure genealogy. Outside the story, the Gospel of Matthew claims Ruth as the mother of her child. Moreover, it places her alongside Tamar, “the wife of Uriah,” and Mary as the only women in the genealogy of Jesus (Matt 1:3, 5, 6, 16). Bibliography Brenner, Athalya, ed. A Feminist Companion to Ruth. Sheffield, England: 1993. Kates, Judith A., and Gail Twersky Reimer, eds. Reading Ruth: Contemporary Jewish Women Reclaim a Sacred Story. New York: 1994. La Cocque, André. “Ruth.” In The Feminine Unconventional: Four Subversive Figures in Biblical Tradition. Minneapolis: 1990, 84–116. Levine, Amy-Jill. “Ruth.” Women’s Bible Commentary, edited by Carol A. Newsom and Sharon H. Ringe, 78–84. Kentucky: 1992.

Meyers, Carol, General Editor. Women in Scripture. New York: 2000. Trible, Phyllis. “A Human Comedy.” In God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality. Philadelphia: 1978, 31–59. Ruth 1 NIV - Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons - In - Bible Gateway Ruth 1New International Version (NIV) Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons 1 In the days when the judges ruled,[ a ] there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there. 3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth.

After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. Naomi and Ruth Return to Bethlehem 6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. 8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9 May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.” Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands?

12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!” 14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. 15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” 16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” 20 “Don’t call me Naomi,[ b ]” she told them. “Call me Mara,[ c ] because the Almighty[ d ] has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted[ e ] me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” 22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. Footnotes:

Question: Who in the Bible was the mother in Law of Ruth?
Answer: NAOMI