A Center of the Bible: The Amazing Book of Ruth

Ruth: An Analytical Commentary Appendix E to the Red Line of Hope Because the Book of Ruth is so central and pivotal to the entire development of the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures), here is the entire text with commentary, commentary that is specifically in dialogue with the Red Line of Hope: Chapter 1 1 And it came to pass (va-yehi), in the days that the judges judged, that there was (va-yehi) a famine in the land; and a man from Beth Lehem Judah went to live in the fields of Moab, he and his wife, and his two sons. -The temporal setting of the Book of Ruth is established in the first va-yehi “and-it-was” clause; the book begins in the days when the judges judged. We have seen above how much of a painful time this was for human evolution, the time of the judges. It was a necessary but difficult stage, and very awkward, like a child growing through errors. However, the second “and-it-was” clause speaks of a family, and a journey to a better existence. This family will help usher in a new period of human history, leading to the advances in humanity represented by David and Solomon, the fruition of the Red Line of Hope. -The word “Judah” helps us to recall Tamar from Genesis 38, whom we discussed above. She will reappear at the end of the story. -The word “two,” u-shene, is cognate with shani, the word that is the Red Line of Hope. -Bethlehem is the birthplace of David and Jesus, two fruits of the Red Line of Hope. 2 And the name of the man Eli-melech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites from Beth Lehem Judah; and they came into the fields of Moab and stayed there. -The name Elimelech reminds us of Eli, whom we will meet in just four chapters, at the beginning of the First Book of Samuel. This, along with the first verse, helps us to see the Book of Ruth as representing a central pivot point between a past and a different future for ancient Israel, and for humanity. -Looking forward, four (4) chapters after this, in 1 Samuel 1, the same formula will be used to present and name the two wives of Elkanah, “Hannah” and “Peninnah.” -Moab is often considered a terrible enemy of Israel. Here, the poor family goes there and is given warm hospitality, and they are even welcomed to join the society, becoming part of the fabric of this new land. 3 And Naomi’s husband, Eli-melech, died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4 And they took wives to themselves, women of Moab; the name of the one, Orpah, and the name of the second, Ruth; and they lived there about ten years. 5 And they also died, both of them, Mahlon and Chilion; and the woman was bereaved of her two children and of her husband. -Job is an early book of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). The Book of Ruth was inserted much later. Here, Naomi is like a female version of Job. -This also reminds us of the Book of Tobit, where seven (7) marriage relationships are destroyed by deaths of men, caused by the evil demon Asmodeus. 6 And she rose up, she and her daughters-in-law, and turned back from the fields of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that YHWH had looked favorably upon His people, to give bread (lehem) to them. -We are given verbal echoes to Sodom and Gomorrah here. Women and men have both suffered in these two stories. Naomi has become pure sorrow. -“She heard.” The previous woman of the Red Line of Hope, Rahab, also heard some news from afar, when she told the two spies: “For we have heard how YHWH dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when you came out of Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites….” -We shall discuss “bread” below. Bread is leading the movement of the story, a bit like the manna in the desert led the Israelites for 40 years in the desert. 7 And she departed from the place where she had been, and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they went in the way to return to the land of Judah. -Again, there are echoes of Sodom and Gomorrah. She travels from desolation with her two daughters-in-law, like Lot and his two daughters. Her daughters-in-law had for a time been paired with her two sons, a bit like the strange complementarity between the visiting angels and Lot’s own daughters. This puts an angelic focus on Ruth, which becomes more concentrated as she is the only daughter-in-law who travels with Naomi to her homeland. 8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go each return to the house of her mother; may YHWH deal kindly with you, as you have done with the dead, and with me. -After Judah’s two sons died, Judah told Tamar to return to the house of her father (Gen 38:11). Naomi reverses the Feminine-Masculine roles again, telling them to return to the house of their mother. The woman of the Song of Songs also speaks of her mother’s house. -Naomi attributes divine love, hesed, to these two foreign women. This is a tremendous compliment. Centuries later in Bethlehem, divine love would become incarnate in Jesus. 9 May YHWH grant to you that you find rest for yourselves, each in the house of her husband; and she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice and wept. 10 And they said to her, Surely we will go back with you to your people. 11 And Naomi said, Turn back, my daughters; why should you go with me? Are there yet sons to me in my belly that they should be husbands for you (lachem)? -In the word lachem we hear another strong echo of the war/bread word, lehem. -As Tamar was promised the youngest son of Judah, so too here Naomi speaks of (the impossibility of) future marriages for these women in Naomi’s house; two verses earlier, in verse 9, she speaks hopefully of their future marriages. 12 Turn back, my daughters, go; for I am too old to belong to a husband. Though I should say, There is hope for me, and I should be tonight with a husband, and also I should bear sons; 13 will you wait for them, that they might grow up? -This is an allusion to Tamar’s being promised to marry Judah’s youngest son, Shelah, after Judah’s first two sons have died after having been married to Tamar. Recall that God struck both of them dead, just like Naomi’s two sons have died. In fact, Judah told Tamar to wait for his third son, Shelah, to grow up (Gen 38:11). The entire work of the Red Line of Hope has been involved with the growing-up, the maturing, of humanity. Would you endure not to be with a husband? No, my daughters, for I am much more bitter than you, for the hand of YHWH has gone out against me. -This “going out” of the “hand” reminds us of the birth of Tamar’s twins, and the origin of the Red Line of Hope. 14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 And she said, See, your sister-in-law has turned back to her people, and to her gods; you turn back after your sister-in-law. -This is like Judah instructing his second son, Onan, to marry Tamar after his first son, Er, had died (Gen 38:8). Ruth, however, chooses a different route. 16 And Ruth said, Do not beg me to leave you, to turn back from following you; for where you go I go, and where you stay I stay; your people (shall be) my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I shall die, and there I shall be buried; may YHWH do to me, and more so, if (anything but) death part you and me. 18 And she saw that she had strengthened herself to go with her, and she ceased to speak to her. -This is a huge hint about the Holy Spirit and the Spirit’s hidden, mystical languages. 19 And they went, two of them, until they came to Beth Lehem; -This verse is speaking about the Red Line of Hope leading humanity to events in Bethlehem: one of them being the birth of David, the other being the birth of Jesus Christ. And it came to pass, as they came into Beth Lehem, that all the city was moved at them, and they said, Is this Naomi? -The city is unified in their strong feeling for Naomi. 20 And she said to them, Do not call me Naomi (pleasant); call me Mara (bitter), for the Almighty (Shaddai) has dealt very bitterly with me; -Four (4) chapters after this, in 1 Samuel 1, Hannah will call herself “bitter,” marat, because she has not yet borne a child (1 Sam 1:10). 21 I went out full, and YHWH has brought me back empty; why do you call me Naomi (pleasant), since YHWH has eyed me, and the Almighty has done evil (ra) to me? (There is one “and” here, at the beginning of the verse. This speaks of how community can rejuvenate us and keep us going. It is a foreshadowing of what will happen later in the story.) -There are reverse echoes here of Psalm 126, which is an important Psalm for the Mystical Psalm Structures. 22 And Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned from the fields of Moab; and they came to Beth Lehem at the beginning of barley harvest. -Beth Lehem and the barley harvest: Notice that bread has been a crucial theme from the beginning to the end of this chapter. As mentioned in the book above, the Hebrew word for “bread,” lehem, is also cognate with the Hebrew word for “war.” With David, Beth Lehem will be the house of war. With the promise of Jesus, Beth Lehem will again be the House of Bread. Chapter 2 1 And Naomi (had) a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of the family of Eli-melech; and his name (was) Boaz. -In the first temple, one of the two pillars is named Boaz. Three chapters after this verse, in 1 Samuel 1, Eli is seated by a post near the temple door at Shiloh (1 Sam 1:8). 2 And Ruth of Moab said to Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor. And she said to her, Go, my daughter. -Hannah will hope that God will “look upon” her affliction (1 Sam 1:11). 3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and her chance happened, the portion of the field (belonging to) Boaz, who (was) of the family of Eli-melech. -In the original Hebrew, there is much happening in this verse. First, the Holy Spirit leads her to Boaz’ field. Then, it is as if she is making the field more fertile and pregnant. 4 And, behold, Boaz came from Beth Lehem, and said to the reapers, YHWH be with you. And they answered him, YHWH bless you. 5 And Boaz said to his young man who had been set over the reapers, Whose (is) this young woman? -This verse shows us how Boaz has developed a very tender and caring heart within the framework of the patriarchal system of that time. 6 And the young man who had been set over the reapers answered and said, She is a young woman of Moab, who came with Naomi from the fields of Moab. 7 And she said, Please let me glean, and I shall gather among the sheaves after the reapers; and she came and has remained since the morning, even until now; she sat in the house a little while. -This is another reversal of Feminine-Masculine—a man is speaking the speech of a woman. -The interesting final phrase of the verse, about being in the house for a bit, is an allusion to Hannah spending time in the house of God at Shiloh, a mere three chapters after this (1 Sam 1). It also foreshadows Ruth’s being in the house of Boaz. 8 And Boaz said to Ruth, Do you not hear, my daughter? Do not go to glean another field, and also do not leave this; and you shall stay close to my young women. -When Eli first sees Hannah praying, he did not hear her voice, because she was praying silently: “her voice was not heard.” (1 Sam 1:13) 9 Your eyes (shall be) on the field which they shall reap, and you shall go after them; have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? When you are thirsty, then you shall go to the vessels and shall drink from that which the young men draw. -This is in direct contrast to the bad behavior of Eli’s sons regarding their abuse of women, and their misuse of the sacred vessels and sacrifices in the house of the Lord. (see 1 Samuel 2) 10 And she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the earth, and said to him, Why have I found grace in your eyes, that you should notice me, a stranger? 11 And Boaz answered and said to her, It has been fully revealed to me all that you have done with your mother-in-law, after the death of your husband; and you left your father, and your mother, and the land of your birth, and came to a people which you had not known yesterday three (3). [meaning that Ruth didn’t know this land] -This language of Ruth leaving her father and mother echoes the language of Genesis, the 6th Day, when a man leaves his parents to marry a woman. Note the continued reversals of masculine and feminine roles, as women strive to develop their “animus” and men strive to develop their “anima,” as with the unexpected kindness and thoughtfulness of Boaz, which elicits a surprised response from Ruth. -The appearance of the number 3 here can signify newness. Additionally, Ruth is the third (3rd) woman of the Red Line of Hope. 12 YHWH shall repay your work, and your reward shall be complete from YHWH, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. -More echoes of Psalm 63, with “under whose wings.” -“Complete” is the Hebrew “shlemah,” which sounds like “Shlomo,” or, Solomon. In fact, a midrash states that Ruth was present when Solomon ascended to the throne, so she quite literally saw her work “complete” in the crowning achievement that is Solomon, or that Solomon represents for our human evolution. 13 And she said, Let me find grace in your eyes, my lord, because you have comforted me, and because you have spoken to the heart of your handmaid; and I surely am not as one of your handmaids. -comfort: David and Bathsheba: David does the strangest thing: He comforts a woman in her mourning. (Today, of course, we have evolved in some ways, and such behavior would be expected.) 14 And Boaz said to her, At meal time come here, and you shall eat of the bread and dip your morsel in the vinegar. And she sat at the side of the reapers, and he reached out roasted grain to her, and she ate and was satisfied, and had left over. -Her eating to satisfaction, and the extra grain, echoes all 6 bread-multiplication miracles in the 4 Gospels. -The dipping motion is reminiscent of Jesus’ action at the Last Supper, at the Institution of the Eucharist. Around this action of Jesus, Peter and the Beloved Disciple (who could certainly be the Evangelist John) share in a secret language of signs. This shows that men can also participate in the language that earlier was known to women only. -The vinegar (John 19:29) is also reminiscent of the Cross scene in John’s Gospel, where the masculine Beloved Disciple “takes into himself” the feminine Mother of Jesus (John 19:27). At Ruth 4:16, Naomi will take into her chest the child Obed, from whose offspring will arrive Jesse, David, Solomon, and, much later, the foster-father of Jesus. We will discuss this more at verse 4:16 below. This also echoes the action of Adam giving birth to Eve through his chest, and Thomas returning into the chest of Jesus in John 20. 15 And she rose up to glean, and Boaz commanded his young men, saying, She shall glean even between the sheaves, and you shall not cause her to be ashamed; -We hear language hear reminiscent of Joseph. Recall that the Joseph story was a capsule in which appeared the story of Tamar. 16 and also you shall surely pull out for her of the bundles, and shall leave; and she shall glean, and you shall not restrain her. 17 And she gleaned in the field until the evening, and beat out that which she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 And she took it up and went to the city, and her mother-in-law saw that which she had gleaned; and she brought out and gave to her that which she had reserved after she was satisfied. 19 And her mother-in-law said to her, Where have you gleaned today? And where have you worked? May he who noticed you be blessed. And she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, The name of the man with whom I have worked today (is) Boaz. 20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, Blessed (is) he of YHWH who has not forsaken his kindness with the living and with the dead; and Naomi said to her, The man (is) near (of kin) to us; he (is) of our redeemers. 21 And Ruth of Moab said, And he surely said to me, You shall stay close near the young people whom I have until they have completed the whole of the harvest which I have. -Again, there is a reversal. A woman is speaking the speech of a man. 22 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, Ruth, Good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, and that (men) may not attack you in another field. -Looking backwards, a crime, like that done to the Levite’s concubine, has just been averted by the good man Boaz, who, according to Matthew, is the son of Rahab. Looking forward, the potential violence of men on women is again reminding us of the unsavory actions of the priestly sons of Eli. 23 And she stayed close to the young women of Boaz to glean, until the completion of the barley harvest, and of the wheat harvest; and she lived with her mother-in-law. -Again, this reminds us of the Beloved Disciple taking into himself the mother of Jesus, at John 19:29. Chapter 3 1 And her mother-in-law Naomi said to her, My daughter, do I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? 2 And now, is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose young women you have been? Behold, he (is) winnowing the threshing floor of barley tonight. 3 And you shall bathe, and anoint yourself, and put your garments upon you, and go down to the threshing-floor; do not let yourself be known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. -“bathe”: the next and final woman of the Red Line of Hope, Bathsheba, will also have an important bath in her story. -The “anoint yourself” may indicate that in the relationship of woman and man, it is often the intuition of the woman that is the first developing knowledge of a new action in the life of the couple. -At the end of her beautiful hymn in 1 Samuel 2, Hannah speaks of the “anointed one.” (1 Sam 2:35) 4 And it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall note the place where he lies down, and shall go in and uncover his feet, and lie down. And he will tell you that which you are to do. -This is like the instructions of Eli to young Samuel, which we will encounter in merely 4 chapters after this episode, in 1 Samuel 3. 5 And she said to her, All that you say, I will do. 6 And she went down to the threshing-floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law commanded her. 7 And Boaz ate and drank, and his heart (felt) good; and he went to lie down at the end of the heap. And she came in secretly and uncovered his feet and lay down. -Later, in the David Story, two men will be killed when their “hearts are good.” These are Nabal, whose wife Abigail will become David’s wife, and Amnon, David’s son, who is killed by his half-brother Absalom. -Psalm 104:15 also mentions wine gladdening the heart. Later in the same verse, oil and bread are mentioned. Boaz will be taken from sleeping on the earth, from the “mere” nature of Psalm 104, and, led by Ruth, will enter into the fullness of Salvation History. 8 And it came to pass, at the middle of the night, that the man trembled and turned himself, and behold, a woman lying at his feet! -This is a powerful scene. On the one hand, it is humorous: Of course one would wake up when a beautiful woman joins one in sleep. On the other hand, there is something of the awe of creation, such as in the first chapters of Genesis, here. 9 And he said, Who are you? And she said, I (am) your handmaid Ruth, and you shall spread your skirt over your handmaid, for you (are) a kinsman-redeemer. 10 And he said, Blessed (be) you of YHWH, my daughter; you have dealt more kindly at the latter end than at the beginning, not to go after the young men, either poor or rich. -In Boaz’ words is an arc of time, such as is the Red Line of Hope. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear; all that you say I will do to you, for all the gate of my people know that you (are) an able woman. 12 And now, surely (it is) true that I (am) a kinsman-redeemer, but also there is a redeemer nearer than I. 13 Stay tonight, and it shall be in the morning, if he will redeem you, well; he will redeem; and if he does not delight to redeem you, then I will redeem you, (as) YHWH lives. Lie down until the morning. -This entire dialogue is powerfully reminiscent of the nocturnal dialogue between elderly Eli and the young boy Samuel, which will occur a few chapters after this in 1 Samuel 3. 14 And she lay at his feet until the morning, and rose up before one could discern another. -Again, there is a sense of time and historical evolution in this verse. -An ancient midrash speaking of universal love may be alluding to this. The midrash goes something like this: And he said, Let it not be known that a woman has come to the floor. 15 And he said, Give me the covering which is on you, and hold on to it. And she kept hold on it, and he measured six (measures) of barley, and lay (it) on her; and she went in to the city. 16 And she came in to her mother-in-law, and she said, Who (are) you, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her. 17 And she said, He gave me these six (measures) of barley, for he said, You shall not go empty to your mother-in-law. -The double-mention of “six” represents the Mystical Psalms Ladder, which we will not discuss at this time. This Ladder also represents the Female, the mature human person, and the pregnant (seeded) womb. 18 And she said, Sit, my daughter, until you shall know how the matter falls, for the man shall not rest until he has completed the matter today. Chapter 4 1 And Boaz went up to the gate and sat there; and, behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz has spoken was passing by. -Is Boaz mystically connected, just like Ruth, and especially Naomi? Has Boaz been taught by Rahab, whom the inspired Evangelist Matthew says is the mother of Boaz? Does Boaz know the Spirit? And he said, Such a one, turn aside, sit down here! And he turned aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten (10) men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit down here. And they sat down. -Again, the 12 men, including the potential redeemer and Boaz, who are now all sitting according to the instructions of Boaz, also represent the Mystical Psalms Ladder. -This may also be an early foreshadowing of the 10 concubines of David who are raped by Absalom on the roof, and the 10 brutes of Joab who torture Absalom while David is at the city gate. This story of the death of Absalom is involved in the circumcision of David’s heart, which is at the center of the entire evolutionary development of the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures). 3 And he said to the near kinsman, Naomi, who has returned from the fields of Moab, will sell a portion of the field which (belonged) to our brother, to Eli-melech. 4 And I said, I would uncover your ear, saying, Buy (it) before those sitting and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem, (then) redeem; but if you will not redeem, tell me so that I may know; for there is no one besides you to redeem, and I after you. And he said, I will redeem (it). 5 And Boaz said, In the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, then you have bought (it) from Ruth of Moab, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead over his inheritance. -Throughout this dialogue are allusions to Jacob’s purchasing of the tomb where he was to be later buried (see Genesis 23). 6 And the near kinsman said, I am not able to redeem for myself, lest I mar my own inheritance; you redeem for yourself my right of redemption, for I am not able to redeem. 7 And this formerly (was done) in Israel for redemption, and for changing, to confirm every thing, a man would drew off his sandal and give to his neighbor; and this (was) the attestation in Israel. -Moses was instructed by God to take his sandal off at the burning bush. This was a most powerful manifestation of the power and being of God. Yet in the Book of Ruth, God stays out of the (direct) action. God wants human beings to be nice to each other. And they do this. In this story, everyone acts in the most charitable way possible. Everyone tries to help everyone. As a result, God stays quiet, and blesses everyone. Recall that Naomi tells Ruth that she, Ruth, acts with divine loving-kindness, hesed. Slowly, the love of God is becoming something that humans can participate in with more agency and authority. This is a major theme of the Book of Ruth. So, the sandals are exchanged with each other. Every human being on the planet is holy ground, the holy land. 8 And the near kinsman said to Boaz, Buy for yourself, and drew off his sandal. 9 And Boaz said to the elders, and all the people, You (are) witnesses today that I have bought all that (belonged) to Eli-melech, and all that (belonged) to Chilion and Mahlon, from the hand of Naomi; -This almost sounds like a wedding. 10 and also Ruth of Moab, the wife of Mahlon, I have bought for myself for a wife, to raise up the name of dead over his inheritance; and the name of the dead shall not be cut off from among his brothers, and from the gate of his place; you (are) witnesses today. -There is something also deeply redemptive about this verse, as if the errors of human history are being here addressed and healed, including those sins of Er and Onan, and of Judah. Psalm 103 discusses Salvation History. 11 And all the people who (were) in the gate, and the elders, said, (We are) witnesses! May YHWH make the woman who is coming in to your house as Rachel and as Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you do worthily in Ephratah, and proclaim the name in Beth Lehem; -A pair of sisters are mentioned here. Although these two are not part of the Red Line of Hope, there is the theme of Feminine connectedness here. 12 and let your house be as the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give to you of this young woman. -To a person reading this book for the first time, it might seem just plain bizarre that Tamar and Perez would be mentioned here. Perez’ brother Zerah, who was mentioned adjacent to the story of Rahab, is not mentioned here. 13 And Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her; And YHWH gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 And the women said to Naomi, Blessed (be) you this day without a redeemer; and let his name be called in Israel. 15 And may he be to you a restorer of soul/life, and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, has born him, who is better to you than seven (7) sons. -This gives hints about the next chapter of the Bible, 1 Samuel 1. A mere fifteen verses after this, we hear the echo in: “Her husband Elkanah said to her, ‘Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat: Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you then ten sons?’” (1 Sam 1:8) -There is a hint about Bathsheba again, whose name means “Daughter of 7”. Bathsheba is the fourth woman of the Red Line of Hope, the wife of David and the mother of Solomon. Ruth was a wisdom teacher of Bathsheba: a midrash states that Ruth was present when Solomon ascended to the throne. Bathsheba was given the throne on Solomon’s right. Ruth was the power behind the thrones. -With the assembly at the gate, we now have “gate,” “7,” and “12.” This is the climbing formula of the Ladder, the Ladder that appears in the Psalms, in the Psalms whose mythical author is David, who is about to make his very first Biblical appearance in two (2) verses as a modifier, and in seven (7) verses as a more developed person. -A Moabite woman loves her Hebrew mother-in-law. This proves that YHWH wants people of the world to overcome racism and superiority. All people are equal, and all are meant to love each other. All four women of the Red Line of Hope are foreigners, goyim. However, everyone has a role to play, and everyone is worthy of love. John’s Gospel says that salvation comes from the Jews. We all have different roles at different times. Women are often on the front lines of forging friendships between peoples. Additionally, this verse is again echoed in 1 Samuel 1:5, where of Elkanah and Hannah, the text reports “he loved her.” The deep and rich music of love between peoples on a national and global scale, and of the developing blossoming of greater love between woman and man, is here beginning to play. 16 And Naomi took the child, and laid him in her bosom, and became nurse to him. 17 And the neighboring women gave him a name, saying, This is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed; he is the father of Jesse, the father of David. 18 And these (are) the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 and Hezron fathered Ram, and Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 and Amminadab fatherered Nahshon, and Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 and Salmon fathered Boaz, and Boaz fathered Obed, 22 and Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David. -These last five (5) verses are identical to the parallel generations in Matthew 1:3-6, at the very beginning of the New Testament. -The final word of the book, in the original Hebrew, and in most translations, is “David.” The Book of Ruth has been placed into the middle of the historical books of the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) as a sort of hinge, a pivot-point. The fact that the final word of the book is “David” shows how important David is to the ongoing development and divinely-led evolution of Humanity. -With the theme of ‘continuity’, there are far more connections between the Book of Ruth and the first chapters of 1 Samuel than we have here discussed. In conclusion: In this final chapter, the name “Perez,” the breachmaker, appears three times, and “David” appears twice. As mentioned above, the name of Solomon is hinted at in the text. Additionally, there is strong textual agreement between this concluding genealogy and the genealogy of Matthew that opens the New Testament. The tiny Book of Ruth is abundantly full of references to earlier and later books of the Bible. Ruth suffered and rose again in love. Her love changed the course of Salvation History, leading humanity away from a defensive and fearful posture, pivoting us, turning us, to a more loving posture, towards a loving shared existence and interdependence with all other people, and with the cosmos.