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The Story of Ruth: a Chronological and Genealogical Perspective

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The Story of Ruth: a Chronological and Genealogical Perspective Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 20/1-2 (2009):3-18. Article copyright © 2009 by Paul Ray. The Story of Ruth: A Chronological and Genealogical Perspective Paul Ray Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Andrews University In an earlier study, I have attempted a reconstruction of the chronology of the period of the Judges.1 Here, I would like to extend that study by concentrating on the chronology of the Book of Ruth. Since the story of this ancestor of King David occurred during the days of the Judges (Ruth 1:1) it is necessary to try and locate it within that time frame. The story has been assigned to various places within the period of the Judges. Josephus2 located it at the time of Eli. The early Rabbis also made suggestions. According to Rab, Barak and Deborah were implied by the word judges in the first verse of the book. To Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, they were Shamgar and Ehud; and to Rabbi Huna, they were Deborah, Barak and Jael, since to him the word “judge” implied one, “judges” two, and “the judges” three.3 Another tradition identifies Boaz with the judge Ibzan,4 since both were from Bethlehem. Modern commentators usually make no attempt at a precise chronology since the opening phrase of the book rather loosely assigns the story to the period of the Judges.5 1 Paul Ray, “Another Look at the Period of the Judges,” in Beyond the Jordan: Studies in Honor of W. Harold Mare, ed. G. A. Carnagey, G. A. Carnagey, Jr. and K. N. Schoville (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2004), 93-104. 2 Josephus, Antiquities 5. 9.2. Probably on the basis of the position of the book in the LXX. 3 Ruth Rab. 1.1. 4 b. B. Bat. 91a. 5 Leon Morris, Ruth (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1968), 245. 3 JOURNAL OF THE ADVENTIST THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY Time and Location of the Sojourn The location of the sojourn is a factor which is sometimes seen as having chronological implications. The destruction of the crops during the Midianite oppression has been connected with the famine of Ruth.6 However, since the Midianites were a nomadic people this crop destruction was most likely seasonal, i.e., a series of raids when the crops came to fruition at harvest time, rather than by their constant presence in the region.7 The crop loss probably consisted of consumption of part of the harvest and destruction of what could not be carried away. The famine of Ruth suggests a drought8 rather than one due to a politically adverse situation. If the famine of Ruth was a local drought, something which was not uncommon in this part of the world (cf. Amos 4:7),9 the tribal territory of Judah may have been affected, while neighboring areas, even east in Transjordan, received normal amounts of precipitation. The question remains as to why Moab was chosen as a place to sojourn (lâgûr; cf. Ruth 1:1). Given the fact that Moab is mentioned in the text, it would seem reasonable that the sojourn described here occurred during some ten year period (Ruth 1:4) during the 18-year Moabite oppression (Judg 3:14; ca. 1321-1303 B.C., according to our earlier reconstruction).10 The Moabites, together with the Ammonites and the Amalekites (Judg 3:12-13) had taken over at least some of the land belonging to the Transjordan tribes of Reuben and Gad, and had also crossed the Jordan River into the central hill country areas inhabited by the tribes of Benjamin and Ephraim (Judg 3:15, 27). They had even taken possession of Jericho, the city of the palm trees (Judg 3:13; cf. Deut 34:3).11 6 Carl Fredrick Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Joshua, Judges, Ruth and 1 & 2 Samuel (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1982) 2.466, 470-71. 7 William H. Shea, Famines in the Early History of Egypt and Syro-Palestine (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Michigan, 1976), 232. 8 E. F. Campbell, Ruth (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1975), 59. 9 Denis Baly, The Geography of the Bible, rev. ed. (NY: Harper and Row, 1974), 71-76. 10 cf. Ray, “Judges,” 99, Table 1. There are no textual variants for the figure of 10 years in the ancient versions. 11Though some have argued that Eglon’s actual residence may have been on the Transjordan side of the Jordan River; cf. G. F. Moore, Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Judges (Edinburgh: T and T Clark, 1895), 100-101. 4 RAY: THE STORY OF RUTH The location of the sojourn in this setting is literally “the fields” of Moab (Ruth 1:1). Although fields (œedê), the noun used with Moab, is a synonym of land ( 'ereî),12 it is usually localized to a specific portion of land. If Moab was in control of Israelite territory in Transjordan at the time of this sojourn, the term œedê, here (and in vv. 2, 6a, 22) could refer to Moab Proper (the land of Moab), which is relatively isolated and basically pastoral land;13 the Mishor, the land north of the River Arnon, which is very fertile, and in terms of climate, similar to the area around Bethlehem,14 or less likely, the Plains of Moab, which is part of the Jordan rift valley, across from Jericho, and rather arid15 due to its location in the rain shadow. Egypt was the normal place to go when widespread famine occurred in Palestine, but as mentioned above, this famine was probably local. Therefore, a location with a climate similar to their own land ( 'ereî; cf. Ruth 1:1a) might seem preferable. If the above locations were indeed available, it seems unlikely that Elimelek and his family chose to sojourn in Moab Proper, which although it potentially receives 300-400 mm of rainfall annually, the amount is actually unpredictable16 due to its more southern location. If this supposition is correct, it seems probable that they obtained permission from the Moabites to sojourn in a territory (œedê, cf. 1:6b, 2:6, 4:3) of which they were now in control, just across the Jordan River, in the Mishor. This is indicative given the legal implications of the word “sojourner” as one who comes under the protection of those who are 12 Robert B. Girdlestine, Synonyms of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1897), 261. Interestingly, the term land ( 'ereî) is used only three times in the book, two times referring to the land of Judah (Ruth 1:1, 7), of which Naomi and her family were native, and one time in the abstract, referring to the “land” where Ruth was born; i.e., her homeland (Ruth 2:11). However, the term land ( 'ereî) of Moab, or Moab Proper is not found in the book. 13 Burton MacDonald, East of the Jordan: Territories and Sites of the Hebrew Scriptures (Boston: American Schools of Oriental Research, 2000), 174. 14 Bethlehem is located in a climatic zone that receives 300-500 mm of rain per year. However, since it is on the eastern edge of the zone, it probably averages 300-400 mm. Climatically, the Mishor is similar to Cisjordan hill country (Baly, 54, 60), also receiving 300-400 mm of rain per year (Baly, 55; fig. 24; MacDonald, 32; fig. 4). 15 Yohanan Aharoni, Land of the Bible: A Historical Geography (trans. by A. F. Rainey), Philadelphia: Westminster, 1979), 34. 16 Baly, 54. 5 JOURNAL OF THE ADVENTIST THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY not his blood relatives.17 And this would have been the only time in which Moab was in control of this region during the period of the Judges (cf. Judg 3:12-30, Ruth 1:4, 8). It is also the only time during this period when Israel served or became vassals to Moab (Judg 3:14).18 Evidence from the Genealogy of Ruth 4:18-22 It is beyond the scope of this study to discuss the arguments for and against the genealogy at the end of the book as being part of the original text. It is usually considered a later appendix.19 However, assuming it was part of the original text, it has possible chronological implications. Unfortunately, the genealogy seems to be incomplete, with several links missing in various places.20 It will, therefore, be necessary to reconstruct the genealogy in order for it to have any chronological significance. This will be done by sifting through the biblical data on the period of time represented in the genealogy, as well as setting that data alongside recent research on genealogy and history. The genealogy of Ruth 4:18-22 is linear. This type of genealogy traces one line of descent from a living individual to a single ancestor.21 A later genealogy in 1 Chronicles 2:3-5, 9-15, to which there is close correspondence, though also linear, is part of a larger segmented genealogy, which traces more than one line of descent to a single ancestor.22 Both types of genealogies exhibit fluidity,23 omitting unimportant names, thus they seem incomplete to Westerners. In addition, as with modern oral 17 D. Kellermann, “gûr,” Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, ed. G. Johannes Botterweck and Helmer Ringgren (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1977), 2:443. 18 Walter C. Kaiser, “vâbad,” Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason J. Archer, Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke (Chicago, Il: Moody Press, 1980), 2:639. 19 Campbell, Appendix, 3; C. J. Goslinga, Joshua, Judges, Ruth (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1986), 513, 517. 20 Goslinga, 556. 21 Robert R.
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