Some additional thoughts on the book of Ruth

While I enjoyed sharing my thoughts on the book of Ruth, as For Miss Austen, I would like to add a few thoughts that have developed along the way. There are some phrases in the Bible, which perfectly understood at the time of their writing, then translated from manuscripts some 2700 to 3000 years (depending on which version you use) after the original writing of the text, require a little homework to comprehend with a now 21st century mind. So, lets look at Ruth 3:9 in the King James. "Spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid," is the phrase that probably didn't cause too much difficulty even up to the turn of the last century; but now some interpret this as a Ruth going to the threshing floor to seduce Boaz: that is completely wrong!

Most of the older translations (relative term) such as Young's Literal Translation and Darby Translation follow the King James translation "thy skirt." Some of the newer translations render the term "the corner of your garment", and in one "the corner of your covering." This is a symbolic gesture. Look at the blessing Boaz gives to Ruth in chapter 2:11-12. Notice the phrase about God in verse twelve, "under whose wings thou art come to trust." That is the symbol that we see in Ruth's request. Clarke's Commentary says this, "Spread therefore thy skirt over thine hand maid - Hebrew, Spread thy wing. The wing is the emblem of protection, and is a metaphor taken from the young of fowls, which run under the wings of their mothers, that they may be saved from birds of prey. . . Even to the present day, when a Jew marries a woman, he throws the skirt or end of his talith over her, to signify that he has taken her under his protection." So we can see what a beautiful gesture this is: namely that Ruth asked Boaz, borrowing his phraseology, to be the instrument of the blessing he pronounced on her.

Finally, as to who the author of Ruth was, let me say this, I think it was David. Some suppose Samuel, in fact many, and others suppose Nathan but I think David makes sense. Think about it for a minute, who would best know this story? What does every little one ask mom and dad? They spend their early childhood learning how mom and dad got to be mom and dad. Then they start on how the grandparents came to be any of the hundred or so derivatives of grandmother and grandfather. David is closer to the story than anyone we know of, in fact is the great-grandson of Ruth. Remember King David grew up as just David, so there's little reason to suggest that this was a famous story outside of his family. The writing of Ruth and David's life time also overlap. So, that's my two cents worth about who wrote the book of Ruth. God bless you all.