Bitterness and friendship: a feminist exegesis of the Book of Ruth

S: ... and that if this unnamed relative doesn't redeem her, he will (3:12-13).

K: And then he tells her to spend the night (3:13b). We all know this story. There have always been some men out there who would say anything to get a woman into bed. I would have wanted to see results and a ketubah (4) before you would have caught me on that floor. Not to mention the fact that she is still painted as a prostitute.

S: I think it's more than just sex. There's obviously a great deal of affection there.

K: Maybe on the side of Boaz, who keeps calling her "daughter," which is another analysis altogether, but what of Ruth? We are given no information about how she feels. The situation also strikes me as fishy in that Boaz sends Ruth off early in the morning before anyone can tell who she is. He, of course, pays in full for her services with six measures of barley. It is truly a miracle that he follows through on his promises at all. Then she goes home to Naomi, who tells her to stay inside until the dealings are overwith (3:14-18).

S: And Boaz does follow through. The very next day he goes to the town gate and speaks with the other redeemer about Ruth (4:1-6).

K: Wait a minute, Shannon. Boaz talks about the land first. Ruth comes second, because she is attached to the land. If you read on carefully, you will notice that Boaz always talks of marrying Ruth as a consequence of redeeming the land. The other kinsman cares nothing for Ruth and Naomi but only of his own estate, which will be impaired by the redemption. [Sohn 1994)]

S: It is then that Boaz, before all the town elders, redeems Ruth, Naomi, and the land (4:7-10).

K: Which he does so that the name of Mahlon, Ruth's deceased husband, will not leave the land (4:10). Again, there is no mention of Ruth or Naomi's future or well-being. The only concern is for the land. The townspeople then bless Boaz and the offspring which the Lord will give him through this young woman. [Rosen, 1994]

S: I agree that this blessing is strange. Evidently, the first child of Ruth and Boaz would not be considered a descendent of Boaz but of Mahlon.

K: And, once again, Ruth is left unnamed. The townspeople refer to her as "this young woman" (4:12) who is "coming into your home" (4:11), a typical male viewpoint.

S: Ruth and Boaz marry. The two women have succeeded in gaining a new life for themselves. They have redeemed the property that belonged to them and have found a means of survival in the marriage of Ruth to Boaz.

K: So, once again, Ruth is defined by the man she is married to. In the end, things are no better than when they started. Maybe they're even worse. To get where they are, Naomi manipulated Ruth, and Ruth played the whore for a dominating kinsman. Not exactly a Disney ending.

S: But it isn't the ending. Ruth and Boaz have a son, whom the women of the neighborhood name Obed. The narrator emphasizes that this son is a divine gift: "the Lord made her to conceive and she bore a son" (4:13).