A Dialogue of Determination

Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God (Ruth 1:16b)

With these words, Ruth the Moabite states her intention to stay with Naomi her mother-in-law, even as Naomi tries to send her away. There is something unfathomable about Ruth's pledge. It is unexpected and lacks reasonable motivation. Her words reflect an undeterred faithfulness that stands out against their dire circumstances of barrenness and widowhood. That is why Ruth's expression of fidelity composes one of the most beloved portions of Scripture and has secured a place in the Christian tradition, most notably in the marriage ceremony, to express a lifelong commitment.

Ruth said these words to Naomi "on their way to go back to the land of Judah" (v. 7). It is the pivotal moment in the first chapter. It takes place when Ruth and Naomi are between their respective homelands, moving from Ruth's land to Naomi's home. It is when neither one is "at home" that Ruth makes a vow to Naomi that will demand a new understanding of family and home, changing both of their identities forever.

"In the days that the judges ruled ..." (1:1-5)

The story of Ruth begins "in the days that the judges ruled," with a man named Elimelech and his family, which includes his wife, Naomi, and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. The family lives in Bethlehem, but a famine forces their migration to Moab. While there, Elimelech dies. The two sons take Moabite wives named Orpah and Ruth. Sometime later, both Mahlon and Chilion die. In the wake of these losses, Naomi receives word that there is now food in Bethlehem and she embarks on her return journey with her two daughters-in-law.

Literary Analysis

The introductory verses of this narrative present the characters, setting, and action of the story. In verse 1, the reader is introduced to a "certain man" who is of Bethlehem in Judah. In this same verse we learn he has a wife and two sons. In addition to their names, this introduction tells us about their geographic location and their family ties. They belong to the tribe of Judah and they are further identified as Ephrathites from Bethlehem. Ephrathah is an established region in Judah. In much the same way we identify ourselves with a first name, a surname, and then a geographic location, this "certain man" comes into focus with each additional bit of information.

Once the main players are identified, the narrative moves quickly and unceremoniously changes the setting. This established family encounters a series of tragedies, beginning with a famine. The crisis of the famine leads to other losses. The family moves because of the famine, and Elimelech dies. The sons marry and then also die. The deaths of the men, who provide for their family, create another type of famine. Now the narrative shifts its attention to Naomi, Elimelech's widow, who will begin the return home.

Exegetical Analysis

The setting and action in the first five verses are wonderful examples of the way Scripture functions on a number of levels. We begin with the setting (time and location) that provides the backdrop for the action. The chapter begins with a temporal reference, "In the days when the judges ruled," approximately thirteenth to twelfth century BCE, before the monarchy. This time marker, along with the concluding genealogy, means the narrative takes place toward the end of Israel's time without a king and anticipates the advent of the monarchy, thus providing a geographical and political setting. In the days of the judges, Israel lived in tension with her surrounding neighbors. A sojourner would be at the mercy of the citizens of the land in which he or she traveled.

It is also the case that "in the days when the judges ruled" there was a pattern of narrative action that is established in the book of Judges. This pattern connected the political life of Israel to its relationship with God. In Judges, the Israelites would forget YHWH and begin worshiping the other gods of the people who surrounded them (2:10b-19). In response to their disobedience, God would "hand them over" to their enemies who oppressed them. The people would cry out to God, who would raise up a judge to deliver them, establishing peace in the land for a period of time, usually a generation, forty years. At the end of that time, the people would forget and pursue other gods, and the cycle would begin again.

In the book of Ruth, there is no mention of a judge, and oppression comes not from another nation but from a famine. Is this a punishment from God because of Israel's disobedience? The famine and the resulting movement into the territory of Moab seem to go against the pattern in Judges where disobedience results in outsider incursion and oppression. Whereas the action in Judges takes place so that Israel will correct her disobedient behavior and worship YHWH only, here the narrative action forces an Israelite family out of its homeland only to return with a Moabite who will become one of the people of Israel.

The action begins in Bethlehem (house of bread). Location takes the foreground as it will be an interpretive lens throughout the narrative. Bethlehem is significant in the history of Israel. Here are a few examples:

1. Bethlehem was taken by the Philistines for a period of time until it was reclaimed by David and made the capital city.

2. In the fifth century BCE, Bethlehem was reoccupied by the returning exiles.

3. Bethlehem is referred to by the prophet Micah as the birthplace of the anointed one or Messiah (Mic 5:2).

The location of the family in a significant city creates some anticipation on the part of the reader. Ephrathah is a name associated with the area around Bethlehem, and it means "fruitful." The additional designation as Ephrathites may serve to strengthen the connection to Bethlehem. Ephrathah is a territory in Judah, and in this context it could refer to a city, district, tribal, or kinship group (Campbell 1975, 55). So the first reference to Elimelech as "a certain man of Bethlehem" suggests this is very likely a well-established Bethlehemite family. And this family, both by virtue of its location and the subsequent action of the narrative, will play a vital role in the story of Israel.

The strong ties to Bethlehem make Elimelech's sojourn to Moab more of a trauma because someone with strong ties to home does not leave easily. The famine is a powerful force, one with the power to uproot and create sojourners out of the well established. Elimelech's sojourn places him in the company of the ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who became sojourners because of famine. In the cases of Abraham and Isaac, there was a very real threat to their families on account of the wives who could have been taken from the husbands (Gen 12; 20; 26). For Abraham, Sarai was twice taken by the ruling monarch because of her beauty, to be saved by some supernatural act of God on her behalf. Jacob and his family settled in Goshen to avoid famine (Gen 46), and his descendents became...