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The Structure Of 'Ruth' By Interpreter

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To properly understand a story, one must understand the background that correlates with it. Ruth was a Moabite and consequently disliked by the Israelites. This tension initiated when the Israelites looked at conquering the land of Canaan and the King of Moab, Balak, had his ritualistic prostitutes seduce the Israeli men in hope to subdue the Israelites and make them commit adultery. The Lord was furious with this and told Moses to destroy the Moabites, igniting a hatred that surpassed the anger felt towards the Egyptians (Numbers 25). This history between the two groups is what makes this story of Ruth so incredible. As with most of the Old Testament, the structure of the story indicates the key aspects of the story, and for Ruth it shows us the central point of the story. The story of Ruth is written as a chiasm, which is the repetition of the same element in inverted order, such as a-b-c-b’-a’, where part c would be the main focus (Interpreter's Dictionary 587). Due to this structure, it is seen that the main point of the book of Ruth is the turning point of the story, where she meets her kinsman redeemer, Boaz, who was a relative of her father-in-law Elimelech. From identifying the structure and central point of the text, the audience may realize that Ruth’s journey …show more content…

Naomi’s family lived in Judah and worshiped god’s other than Yahweh, praying to them for their crops and harvests. The book of Ruth opens with the “famine in the land of Judah” that caused Naomi’s family to leave the promise land, showing their lack of faith in Yahweh (Ruth 1:1). Naomi and Elimelech’s distance from Yahweh was evident in the fact that they had given their son’s Canaanite names, Mahlon and Chilion. This family moved even farther away from Yahweh when they abandoned their family inheritance to move to Moab (Ruth 1:2). This distance from Yahweh bears relevance since it signified what life is like outside the presence of

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