MARRIAGE

The story of the marriage of Ruth and Boaz



The story of the marriage of Ruth and Boaz

Ruth is a shortened version of 'retut', which means 'lovely friend'.

What the story is about:

Ruth was poor, a foreigner, and a woman, and all this counted against her, but she was helped by an older woman to overcome the difficulties she faced. She had the good sense to listen to the advice given to her by Naomi, and the older woman was rewarded by Ruth's unfaltering loyalty. Her story illustrates the triumph of courage and ingenuity over adverse circumstances. She has special significance for Christians. In the gospel of Matthew, four women were included in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:2-17), and Ruth was one of the four.

The story is set in the period of the Judges before the birth of King David, but it was almost certainly written much later, when the two tribes of Judah were set free from their captivity in Babylon and allowed to return to Jerusalem. It has the qualities of an historical novel - based on real people but with a message and theme directed at a later audience.

The story contains four different episodes that together form a beautifully constructed novella:

1 Naomi and Ruth go to Bethlehem (Ruth 1) - the anguish of loss

Naomi and her family suffered great misfortune in a foreign land. Ruth, a girl from that foreign land, decided to migrate with Naomi to Bethlehem. They arrived in time for the barley harvest.

2 Ruth meets Boaz (Ruth 2) - the love story

Ruth, a young widow, met Naomi's relative, a rich man called Boaz. 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) - this chapter contains some ribald peasant humor. Ruth approached Boaz during the night, at the threshing floor, and the text obliquely suggests that there may have been some sexual hanky-panky. Subsequently, 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

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.

Ruth Meets Boaz

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, 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. Gleaning was a common practice in ancient ...