The Economics of Ruth (Pt.3)

Quick review: in chapter 1, Naomi and Ruth connect because of FOOD SECURITY, and their lives are melded together because of GRIEF; in chapter 2, they leave Ruth’s country to return to Naomi’s country, and both their FOOD and GRIEF journeys are greatly impacted during the harvest time. Here is Ruth chapter 3:

One day her mother-in-law Naomi said to Ruth, “My dear daughter, isn’t it about time I arranged a good home for you so you can have a happy life? And isn’t Boaz our close relative, the one with whose young women you’ve been working? Maybe it’s time to make our move. Tonight is the night of Boaz’s barley harvest at the threshing floor.

“Take a bath. Put on some perfume. Get all dressed up and go to the threshing floor. But don’t let him know you’re there until the party is well under way and he’s had plenty of food and drink. When you see him slipping off to sleep, watch where he lies down and then go there. Lie at his feet to let him know that you are available to him for marriage. Then wait and see what he says. He’ll tell you what to do.”

Ruth said, “If you say so, I’ll do it, just as you’ve told me.”

She went down to the threshing floor and put her mother-in-law’s plan into action.

Boaz had a good time, eating and drinking his fill—he felt great. Then he went off to get some sleep, lying down at the end of a stack of barley. Ruth quietly followed; she lay down to signal her availability for marriage.

In the middle of the night the man was suddenly startled and sat up. What in the world? This woman asleep at his feet!

He said, “And who are you?”

She said, “I am Ruth, your maiden; take me under your protecting wing. You’re my close relative, you know, in the circle of covenant redeemers—you do have the right to marry me.”

He said, “God bless you, my dear daughter! What a splendid expression of love! And when you could have had your pick of any of the young men around. And now, my dear daughter, don’t you worry about a thing; I’ll do all you could want or ask. Everybody in town knows what a courageous woman you are—a real prize! You’re right, I am a close relative to you, but there is one even closer than I am. So stay the rest of the night. In the morning, if he wants to exercise his customary rights and responsibilities as the closest covenant redeemer, he’ll have his chance; but if he isn’t interested, as God lives, I’ll do it. Now go back to sleep until morning.”

Ruth slept at his feet until dawn, but she got up while it was still dark and wouldn’t be recognized. Then Boaz said to himself, “No one must know that Ruth came to the threshing floor.”

So Boaz said, “Bring the shawl you’re wearing and spread it out.”

She spread it out and he poured it full of barley, six measures, and put it on her shoulders. Then she went back to town.

When she came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “And how did things go, my dear daughter?”

Ruth told her everything that the man had done for her, adding, “And he gave me all this barley besides—six quarts! He told me, ‘You can’t go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law!’”

Naomi said, “Sit back and relax, my dear daughter, until we find out how things turn out; this man isn’t going to waste any time. Mark my words, he’s going to get everything wrapped up today.”

* * *

This is quite a story. Those that follow me know how much I enjoy The MESSAGE translation specifically because the translators attempt to bring the ancient passages into something that makes sense to a modern reader. Based upon other translations I have checked out, in this particular case I think they have done a bit of a disservice. Not sure it changes the story. But in the context of “The Economics of Ruth,” I think it may.

Whenever you read the word “marriage” in the text above, you likely thought about something like we have in our modern world. Somehow we need to just pull that word out and consider that this was much more transactional of a situation than the typical 21st century “marriage.”

I do not believe that is what this was about at all. Naomi gives the clue in the first paragraph when she says, “My dear daughter, isn’t it about time I arranged a good home for you so you can have a happy life?” Naomi is trying to arrange FOOD SECURITY for Ruth. And there is likely a TRADE that is being offered, hence the bath and perfume. The translators have taken a scene that was likely “R” rated at best and turned it into family reading.

The scene is very seductive – although in the previous chapter it seemed to me that Boaz already had thoughts of something “more” in mind for his relationship with Ruth. Even his use of the word “love” here is translated something more like “loyalty” (to Naomi) in other versions. The thing about the young man isn’t about choosing older Boaz over the younger men. I think it is more about choosing the kinsmen redeemer Boaz (for Naomi’s sake) over something less loyal to Naomi.

I don’t want this to come of as me being cynical or overly suspicious here. I believe this was the reality of life and economics 3,000 years ago. As much as there is STILL inequity between men and women in this day and age, at that time it wasn’t close. Boaz had all kinds of power and influence. Ruth had NONE. She was a woman. She was a foreigner. She had already been married once. The fact that she made a living gleaning at the harvest infers to me she had no special skill set to fall back on.

She had her body and her ability to produce another generation – and even that was somewhat compromised by the laws around inheritance going back to her first husband’s family rather than the next. We will get a better glimpse at THAT little detail in the final chapter of the story…