Exegetical Paper on Ruth 3:8-10

An Exegetical Paper On Ruth 3:8-10 Introduction The passage being studied for this paper is Ruth 3:8-10 which displays the execution of Ruth’s agreed plan with Naomi. One thing observable in this scene is the play of words from ‫( ִשׁ ְפ ָחה‬2:13) to ‫( אָ ָמה‬3:9b) in line with the use of a metaphor ֶ֙ ‫ך‬ ְׂ ֶ֙ ‫ּופָ ַרשְׂ ָתְָּׂ֤כנָפ‬. Did the author intentionally used those play of words to bring climax to the story or was it just part of the narrative writing style? From this point, this paper focuses the study on the use of words to help explain the development of the narrative.

Structure Verse 8 begins with a wayyiqtol form ֶ֙ ‫ וַי ִהְׂי‬which indicates a new scene.1 According to Barrick and Busenitz, the frequent occurrence of ‫“ וַי ִהי‬And it came to pass” as the first word of a section or paragraph in the biblical Hebrew behaves as a macrosyntactic markers.2 Holmstedt also indicates that the typical construction of ‫ יהיו‬followed by a temporal phrase, ‫ִ֣יְׂהלַַּ֔ ילָ ה‬ ַ ‫ ַבחֲ ִצ‬establishes a certain time/place of a new narrative section.3 In this case, Ruth’s execution of the plan4 which culminated in verse 9.

1

Robert B. Chisholm, From Exegesis to Exposition: A Practical Guide to Using Biblical Hebrew (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Books, 1998), 120. 2

William D. Barrick and Irvin A. Busenitz, A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew, Rev. ed. (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2004), 127. As quoted, macrosyntactic signs serve to mark major text divisions as well as to highlight the flow of thoughts. Bruce K. Waltke and Michael Patrick O’Connor, An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1990), 634. In this sense, it describes an action picked up from a previous situation. Bill T. Arnold and John H. Choi, A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 85. Robert D. Holmstedt, Ruth : A Handbaook on the Hebrew Text, Baylor Handbook on the Hebrew Bible Series (Waco, Tex. : Baylor University Press, 2010), 52. The use of preposition ְׂ‫ ב‬attached the noun indicates a specific point in time. Ronald J. (Ronald James) Williams and John C. Beckman, Williams’ Hebrew Syntax, 3rd ed. (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007), 97. 3

4

Holmstedt, Ruth, 160.

An Exegetical Paper on Ruth 3:8-10 | Levi Aniñon

Key Verse Study (Vv.9b-9c) The concentration of this study focuses on the ambiguity of the word ‫( אָ מָ ה‬3:9b&c) in line with the use of an idiom ֶ֙ ‫ת ְכנָפֶ֙ך‬ ָּ֤ ָ ‫( ּופָ ַר ְש‬3:9c). The breaking of the verse with literal translation are the following: v. 9a And he said, who are you?

‫י־אָ֑ת‬ ָ ‫רְׂמ‬ ִ ‫וַיֹּ֖אמ‬

v. 9b And she said, I am Ruth your maidservant

‫ְֶׂ֙רּותְׂ אֲמָ ַּ֔תך‬ ִ֣ ‫ו ַֹּ֗תאמר אָ נ ִכי‬

v. 9c So spread your wing over your maidservant

ְַּׂ֔ ‫תְְׂׂכנָפֶ֙ךְְֶׂׂ֙עַ ל־ א ֲָמִ֣ת‬ ‫ְׂך‬ ָּ֤ ָ ‫ּופָ ַרש‬

v. 9d For you are a redeemer

‫ֹּ֖לְׂאתָ ה‬ ָֽ ָ ‫ִ ִּ֥כיְׂגא‬

Earlier in 2:13, Ruth identified herself as ‫שפחָ ה‬, ִ “your maidservant” but changed her tone by using the word ‫ אָ ָמה‬in 3:9.5 A play of words that captured the attention of many scholars. Although both words can be used interchangeably with the same literal meaning as “maidservant,”6 Chisholm and Jepsen sees a clear distinction. Chisholm distinguishes the first with an emphasis of subservience while the latter a “marriageable servant.” 7 Jepsen as quoted, acknowledges a virtual identity of meaning. 8 Hubbard on the other hand stated that the repetition of “your maidservant” implies an improved status; no longer a lower class “servant” but identifies herself among those eligible for marriage or concubinage.9 In other words, the wise use of the construct form ‫ אֲמָ ַּ֔תך‬has lifted Ruth’s social status as belonging to a marriageable servant.

Edward F. Campbell, Ruth : A New Translation with Introduction, Notes and Commentary, vol. 7, The Anchor Bible (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1975), 123. 5

6

William L. Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, (The Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2000), BibleWorks. v.9. 7

Robert B. Chisholm Jr., A Workbook for Intermediate Hebrew: Grammar, Exegesis, and Commentary on Jonah and Ruth (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2006), 184. Also, the use of preposition‫ עַ ל־‬in v.9c speaks of Boaz’ position in relation to Ruth. Having this in mind was probably the reason that Ruth changed her use of word to raise herself a level higher that the general maidservants. Arnold and Choi, A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, 122. 8

Campbell, Ruth, 7:123.

9 Robert L. Hubbard, The Book of Ruth, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Eerdmans, 1988), 211.

An Exegetical Paper on Ruth 3:8-10 | Levi Aniñon Another thing that has gain textual criticism in this passage is in the use of an idiomatic expression, ‫ך‬ ְַּׂ֔ ‫ ּופָ ַרש ָתְָּׂ֤כנָפֶ֙ך ְֶׂ֙עַ ל־א ֲָמִ֣ת‬which means “spread your wing over me” in literal translation. The BHS has indicated the ambiguity of the construct form ֶ֙ ‫ ְכנָפֶ֙ך‬from the root word ‫ כָ נָף‬with 2ms suffix and marked the variant’s note with letter c10. According to Brotzman, the BHS indicates a special kind of Kethiv-Qere in this issue.11 The Tiberian (indicated by Kocc) with more than twenty medieval manuscripts read ֶ֙ ‫ ְכנָפֶ֙ך‬as “your wings” while the Babylonian (indicated by KOr) in agreement with the Qere, Septuagint, and Syriac read “your wing.”12 According to Daniel Block, the idiom “to spread one’s wings over someone” is a commonly used in Hebrew that means a “euphemistic idiom for marriage.” 13 Bush adds, “the plural reading of the Q… is probably to be understood as a request for protection but Beattie opposed by saying that “a request for protection from a woman to a man in such a context as this would be understood as a request for marriage.” 14 Due to its ambiguity, HALOT defines the word not only as wing of the bird, but also as skirt of garment.15 Campbell states that “this translation points up the word-play between Yahweh’s wings in 2:12 and the “wings” or “corners” on Israelite’s garments (Deut 22:12;

10 Karl Elliger and Wilhelm Rudolph, eds., Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1998), 1323.

Ellis R. Brotzman, Old Testament Textual Criticism : A Practical Introduction (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1994), 153. Bush and Chisholm acknowledges the complications in interpreting the text. The MT vocalization approaches a dual/plural form while the consonantal text approach a singular form. Chisholm Jr., A Workbook for Intermediate Hebrew, 185. Frederic William Bush, Ruth/Esther, vol. 9, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas, TX: Word Book Publishers, 1996), 164. 11

12 Brotzman, Old Testament Textual Criticism, 153. Not to mention, Pratico and Van Pelt noted that the Tiberian MT, prior to having the standardized BHS edition was regarded by early scholars as authoritative. Gary Davis Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt, Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001), 403. 13

Block, Judges, Ruth, 6:691. He added that this act is being practiced in the Near Eastern custom in which it establishes a new relationship and symbolizes the husband’s declaration to provide “for the sustenance of the future wife.” The thing that Naomi is speculated to have in mind. 14

15

Bush, Ruth/Esther, 9:165.

Koehler, Ludwig and Walter Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, Revised Walter Baumgartner and Johann Jakob Stamm, trans. And ed. under the supervision of M.E.J. Richardson. 5 vols. CD-ROM Edition. (Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill NV, 1994-2000), BibleWorks. v.9.

An Exegetical Paper on Ruth 3:8-10 | Levi Aniñon Ezek 5:3).”16 Van Wert also states that spreading the corner of the bridegroom's garment over his prospective wife is part of the Hebrew marriage ceremony to symbolize the marriage covenant.17 In this sense, it is fitting to use the phrase “spread the corner of your garment” in this context. By way of saying, the use of idiom in this context is understood to propose a marriage as reinforced by the use of the preposition ‫ ִ ִּ֥כי‬18“for” is in its causal clause in the phrase ‫ֹּ֖לְׂא ָתה‬ ָֽ ָ ‫“ ִ ִּ֥כיְׂגא‬for you are a redeemer.” Holmstedt clearly understands that “this is the only occasion in the Hebrew Bible that marriage is linked to the role of the redeemer.” 19

Conclusion Based on what was presented regarding the shift of the word ‫( ִשׁ ְפחָ ה‬2:13) to ‫אָ מָ ה‬ (3:9b) in line with the use of a metaphor ֶ֙ ‫ך‬ ְׂ ֶ֙ ‫ּופָ ַרש ָתְָּׂ֤כנָפ‬, it appears that the play of word was part of the writing style as customarily practiced in the Jewish’ culture as well as the Near Eastern custom. Therefore, regarding the ambiguity of the word ֶ֙ ‫ך‬ ְׂ ֶ֙ ‫כנָפ‬, it is fitting to use the phrase “spread the corner of your garment” in relation to the proposal of marriage by Ruth to Boaz.

Bibliography Arnold, Bill T., and John H. Choi. A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Barrick, William D., and Irvin A. Busenitz. A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew. Rev. ed. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2004. drbarrick.org/files/studynotes/Other/B_B_Hebrew_Grammar_2005.pdf. Block, Daniel Isaac. Judges, Ruth. Vol. 6. The New American Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999. Brotzman, Ellis R. Old Testament Textual Criticism : A Practical Introduction. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1994.

16

Campbell, Ruth, 7:123. See Block on the additional note on the play of word. Block, Judges, Ruth,

6:165. 17

Leon G. Van Wert, The Jewish Popes: The Two Harbingers of the End Times (Mustang, OK: Tate Publishing & Enterprises, 2009), 384. 18

Williams and Beckman, Williams’ Hebrew Syntax, 156.

19

Holmstedt, Ruth, 162.

An Exegetical Paper on Ruth 3:8-10 | Levi Aniñon Bush, Frederic William. Ruth/Esther. Vol. 9. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas, TX: Word Book Publishers, 1996. Campbell, Edward F. Ruth : A New Translation with Introduction, Notes and Commentary. Vol. 7. The Anchor Bible. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1975. Chisholm Jr., Robert B. A Workbook for Intermediate Hebrew: Grammar, Exegesis, and Commentary on Jonah and Ruth. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2006. Chisholm, Robert B. From Exegesis to Exposition: A Practical Guide to Using Biblical Hebrew. Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Books, 1998. Elliger, Karl, and Wilhelm Rudolph, eds. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1998. Holladay, William L. A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. The Netherlands, n.d. Holmstedt, Robert D. Ruth : A Handbook on the Hebrew Text. Baylor Handbook on the Hebrew Bible Series. Waco, Tex. : Baylor University Press, 2010. Hubbard, Robert L. The Book of Ruth. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich. : Eerdmans, 1988. Koehler, Ludwig, and Walter Baumgartner. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Netherlands, n.d. Pratico, Gary Davis, and Miles V. Van Pelt. Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001. Waltke, Bruce K., and Michael Patrick O’Connor. An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1990. Wert, Leon G. Van. The Jewish Popes: The Two Harbingers of the End Times. Mustang, OK: Tate Publishing & Enterprises, 2009. Williams, Ronald J. (Ronald James), and John C. Beckman. Williams’ Hebrew Syntax. 3rd ed. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007.