References (20)
The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and his two sons Machlon and Chilion. [Elimelech’s name means: ”my God is king”; Naomi ”well-being/sweetness”; the sons ”sickly” and ”fragile/weak”]. The family were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. [Ephraim was an area around Bethlehem, see ; ; .] They came to the land of Moab and stayed there.
[The first chapter begins and ends in the small town of Bethlehem in Judah. It is an almost ironic point that there is a famine in Bethlehem, in Hebrew ”house of bread”. The natural cause of the famine was probably several years of drought and crop failure. From a theological perspective, there were also spiritual causes. The people of Israel had abandoned God and devoted themselves to idols, and one consequence of this was that God’s hand of protection left the people, see ; .
Moab is located east of the Dead Sea, see ; . Only a generation earlier, the Israelites had been at war with Moab, see . The decision to go to Moab, and not to their Jewish brethren east of the Jordan River, may describe spiritual apostasy. Marriage to Moabite women was not forbidden, but no Moabite, or his sons to the tenth generation, were allowed to be admitted to the assembly of the Lord, see . The reason was the origin of the people, the incestuous relationship between Lot and his eldest daughter, see . Further, it was the Moabites who paid for Balaam to curse Israel, see .]
[Soon after moving to Moab, Naomi was grief-stricken.] Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, leaving her alone with her two sons. [The dream of a better life was shattered. Being buried outside one’s homeland was a disgrace and considered a punishment, see ; .]
[After some time, probably as they approach the border with Israel in the Jordan Valley, Naomi opens up a dialogue.]
Naomi said to her daughters-in-law, ”Turn around, go back to your mothers’ homes [You have followed me far enough now]. May the Lord (Yahweh) show you grace (unmerited favor, loving care, faithful love) as you have done to my dead [plural, my husband and my two sons] and to me. [This is the first time the book’s key word, Hebrew chesed, is used. The subject is the Lord, who is the source of grace and faithful, caring love. See also ; .]
But Naomi replied, ”Go back, my daughters. Why should you come with me? [I can no longer have any sons who could become your husbands.]
So the two women walked together all the way to Bethlehem.
When they arrived, the people in the whole town were surprised. The women said: ”Could it be Naomi?” [In the epilogue of the book, the women from Bethlehem return again, see .]
”Do not call me Naomi [”delight”, ”sweet”], but call me Mara [”bitter”], for the Great One (Almighty – Hebr. Shaddai) has caused me much sorrow.
When I left, I had everything I could think of [literally ”I was filled”, she had a husband and two sons], but now the Lord (Yahweh) has let me return empty-handed (destitute). Why do you call me Naomi, when the Lord (Yahweh) has testified against me and the Mighty One (Shaddai) has sent me such evil (misfortune)?” [From Naomi’s perspective, she feels abandoned, but by her side is Ruth, who will ultimately be the one to turn Naomi’s fate around.]
So Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth the Moabite, returned from the land of Moab. They came to Bethlehem when the barley harvest started [in the spring, around the month of April.]
[Although wheat was more desirable than barley, barley was an important grain because it was more durable and grew in places too dry for other grains. Its early harvest made it an important part of the food supply while waiting for other crops to mature. The barley harvest is the first harvest of the year. It takes place in April, which means that the bulk of Ruth’s story takes place in early spring.]
Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, an honorable (dignified, strong, courageous, influential) man of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz.
[Boaz’s name means something like ”with him there is strength”. He is included in Jesus’ genealogy, see ; . One of the pillars in Solomon’s temple was named Boaz by the smith Chiram, see , . The word honorable (Hebr. chayil) is used for military strength, courage, skill, wealth, triumph and power, see ; ; ; ; ; . The use of the word for Boaz, who is a picture of the Messiah, shows how Jesus is a mighty warrior who fights for his people. The word is also used of Ruth () and how her future generations will be ”mighty” ().]
One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, ”Let me go out into the harvest field. Perhaps someone will be kind enough (give me grace) and let me pick ears of grain.” [According to Moses’ teaching, landowners were to let the poor, widows and fatherless share in the surplus of the harvest, see ; ; .]
She said, ”Go, my daughter.”
The servant in charge of the reapers replied, ”She is a Moabite woman who returned here with Naomi from the land of Moab.
Naomi said to her son-wife, ”Blessed be he by the Lord (Yahweh), who has not ceased to show grace (unmerited favor, faithful love) both to the living and the dead.”
[The term living and dead refers to Naomi’s entire family. Naomi and Ruth were alive; Elimelech, Machlon and Chilion were dead. This verse is the second time the book’s important keyword chesed is used, see also . The word describes grace, love, care, goodness, faithfulness, etc. Here the emphasis is on God’s faithfulness and care for Naomi’s family.] Naomi also said to her: ”That man is a close relative of ours; he is one of our redeemers (protectors).”
[According to Jewish tradition, Boaz was Elimelech’s nephew, and therefore cousin to Ruth’s deceased husband Machlon. So Boaz’s father was the brother of Naomi’s late husband Elimelech. Redeemer, Hebrew gaal, is a close relative who has extra legal care for their relatives. In some ways it can be compared to a godfather. The three voluntary commitments of a redeemer were:
1. If his older brother dies childless, he is to marry his wife, see . These marriages are called levirate marriages, from the Latin word levir, meaning brother-in-law. In a society where the widow would otherwise be forced into begging, it guarantees her livelihood and preserves the deceased man’s name. The custom existed even before the teaching of the Pentateuch, see . In Israel, it was particularly important to have heirs in every family so that the people of Israel could continue to occupy the land that God had given them. It was primarily the eldest son who inherited, but daughters could also inherit in order to preserve the land of Israel in the Jewish families. The daughters of Zelophehad are one such example, see .
2. Redeeming land that a relative had been forced to sell, see .
3. Avenging a murdered relative, see .]
Naomi said to her son’s wife, ”Yes, it is good, my daughter, that you are with his female workers. If you work in any other harvest field, someone may harm (molest) you.”
[After the harvest was gathered, it was time to thresh the barley and wheat to separate the chaff from the grain. This took place during the dry period in late May and June. The threshing site was usually in an open area exposed to the wind. The surface was paved or hard-packed, often in a circle up to 15 meters in diameter. The kernels of barley or wheat were loosened and spread out at a height of a few decimeters. At smaller threshing sites, the grains were knocked out by hand with a staff, see . At larger threshing sites, animals were used to trample and crush the grains, see . Sometimes threshing sleds were used, see . The events here in chapter 3 probably take place in June when the harvest is over. One to two months have passed since the events of chapter 2 and the barley harvest is being threshed, see . Ruth is no longer in the fields but at home with Naomi during the day. One day, Naomi brings up a topic that we understand she has been thinking about for a long time. She has also devised a plan.]
Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, said to her: ”My daughter, it is my responsibility to see to it that you can have peace [a safe home and a good husband], so that things go well for you (so that you have a good life).
Then he said to the redeemer, ”The land that belonged to our relative (brother, half-brother) Elimelech is now given to Naomi, who came back to us from Moab.
Then Boaz explained [that the situation is complex and there are more commitments]: ”The day you acquire the field from Naomi, you must also acquire [marry] Ruth the Moabite, the wife of our dead relative. [It is then your responsibility to ensure that she has children.] This is so that her deceased husband’s name (honor, memory) will be preserved in the inheritance.”
[The last expression is a quote from Deut. 25:7 which speaks precisely of levirate marriage. Technically, however, there is nothing in this statute that forced either Boaz or the nearest unnamed redeemer to marry Ruth. However, the situation revealed the redeemer’s motives and heart. Again, grace (Heb. chesed) is described. Boaz was prepared to take a step in love, further than the regulations required. The question is whether the nearest redeemer was willing to do so.]
Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people [who were there in the square]: ”You are my witnesses (hebr. edim) today. I have acquired (bought) from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and that belonged to Chilion and Machlon.
Then the women [of Bethlehem] said to Naomi, ”Praise the Lord (Yahweh), who today has made it so that there is no lack of a redeemer [referring to the child]! May his name be honored in Israel!
Naomi took the child and held him in her arms (put him in her bosom) and became the nurse of him.
The neighbor women named [confirmed and witnessed the naming of] the boy by saying: ”A son has been born to Naomi!” They named him Oved [meaning ”one who serves”]. He became the father of Jishaj [Jesse], David’s father.
[The Hebrew letter Beth is pronounced either ”b” or ”v” depending on its placement in the word. If ”Bet” begins the word, it is usually pronounced ”b”, otherwise ”v”. Ruth’s son’s name is spelled Obed but is pronounced Oved and is usually transliterated that way. The Hebrew name of David’s father is Yisay. Other common forms are Isai or Ishai; the English name is Jesse.
There is a beautiful balance in the book. The conclusion, verses 13–17, has 71 Hebrew words, exactly as many as the introduction, verses 1-5. The introduction focuses on Naomi’s emptiness and the conclusion on her fullness.]
