7.21.23 Ruth

Conspectus, 2010

The book of Ruth makes for many excellent expositional, narrative sermons. The theology is rich, the story is compelling, the themes are significant, and the cultural mores are fascinating. Therefore, much is gained from an intense study through Ruth. This journal article sets out to demonstrate exactly how rich and detailed this story is, as exemplified from the opening pericope of Ruth 1:1-5. Part of the exegetical task is to uncover many great morphological puns and ironic elements which are so eloquently placed within. There is also an inherent tension growing throughout the Old Testament between the dynasties of Saul and David that is partly played out in the setting of Ruth. This tension helps to express one of the primary purposes for the book of Ruth—a political advertisement for the house of David. This article will also demonstrate the necessary bridge that preachers must cross from exegesis to exposition through a suggested homiletical outline from the opening pericope.

A brief paper written to study the author's intent of using idiomatic expressions in this three verses.

In this paper I discuss one of the ways the gaps and ambiguities in the book of Ruth--which are, as I contend, intentional and relevant to the narration--can be understood as playing an important role in developing the theological message of the book.

Theology of redemption, repentance and restoration

Biblical Theology Bulletin, 2012

It is well known to both translators and students of the Bible, that some words or verses are very difficult, not only to translate but also to understand. The Hebrew text of Ruth 2:7b is one of them. The purpose of this paper is to consider some of the inherent problems of this text—such as unclear meaning of words and uncanny grammatical structures—and to provide an overview of ancient and modern ways to deal with the difficulties. While it is logical to assume that the author of Ruth expected to be understood (including when resorting to intentional ambiguity), we also need to consider that the original manuscripts are lost and that the possibility of a corrupted text could explain its awkwardness. The various translations of Ruth 2:7b stem from attempts to make sense of a text of which the exact original, word-by-word meaning might not be established beyond all reasonable doubt, but of which the basic intended meaning seeps through unmistakably: Ruth indeed is a hard worker, worthy of Boaz’s attentions.

The theme of Otherness is evident throughout the book of Ruth as it tells a tale of the displacement of the family of Elimelech from Judah to Moab and back again. The story focuses on the migration of two women, Naomi and Ruth, as they adapt to life in a foreign land. In this paper, I will examine one feature of this theme of estrangement by discussing the quality of Ruth’s Hebrew. I will suggest that while Ruth’s Hebrew is very good, it is uneven. The author of the book intentionally made her stumble over her words in one instance as he reminds the reader that she was “Ruth the Moabitess.”