In the Hebrew Bible this book, as mentioned on page 1 occupies a later
place.
'The Book of Ruth is properly part of the Book of Judges, from which it
has been separated for no very obvious reason. From its brevity it is
not likely to contain many passages to aid us in our present inquiry.
Those which I have discovered are the following:--
'"Chap. i., v. 1. Now it came to pass in the days when the Judges ruled
that there was a famine in the land."
'This was written after the Judges had ceased to rule; and consequently
the work is not contemporary with Ruth, who lived "when the Judges
ruled."
'"Chap, iv., v. 21, 22. And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, and
Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David."
'Bishop Patrick's note to this is worthy of notice:--
'"Salmon married Rahab, and therefore lived at the time of the
Israelites' first entrance into Canaan. Now between this period and the
birth of David are computed 366 years. Thus, as only four generations
are mentioned, we must either suppose that some names of persons who
come between are omitted (for which we have no warrant), or that, as is
more probable, Salmon, Boaz, Obed, and Jesse all had their children born
to them at a very advanced period of their lives."
'I propose to adopt a different and more natural solution of the
difficulty. In 1 Chronicles ii., 11, Salmon is named "Salma," which
shows that there are some doubtful points in this genealogy. This was
likely to be the case; for the book being compiled out of original
papers, like all the rest of the Jewish History after the captivity of
Babylon, the compilers were likely to be puzzled by many discrepancies
of this nature, and choosing to preserve as much as possible the form
of their original sources, they have retained even their errors also.'
(_Vide_ "Hebrew Records.")
*Chapter i., v. 15. It seems unlikely that a Jewish woman would
recommend her daughter-in-law to commit idolatry.
Verse 22. Ruth did not _return_ to Bethlehem, never having been there
before.
*Chapter iv. v. 17. Obed was the son of Ruth, the Moabitish woman. He
was the father of Jesse, and grandfather of David, and, by the law of
Moses, the descendants of a Moabite for ten generations shall not enter
the congregation of the Lord (see page 85), so that David, 'the
man after God's own heart,' and Solomon, his son, and six of their
succeeding generations, were barred out of the congregation. I wonder
whether David knew this when he 'danced before the Lord;' or Solomon
when about to erect the temple.
Paine spoke of the Book of Ruth as 'an idle bungling story, {118}
foolishly told, nobody knows by whom, about a strolling country girl,
creeping slily to bed to her cousin Boaz.' Bishop Watson thus comments
on this:--
'As to Ruth, you do an injury to her character. She was not a strolling
country girl. She had been married ten years; and being left a widow
without children, she accompanied her mother-in-law returning into her
native country, out of which with her husband and her two sons she had
been driven by a famine. The disturbances in France have driven many
men with their families to America; if, ten years hence, a woman,
having lost her husband and her children, should return to France with a
daughter-in-law, would you be justified in calling the daughter-in-law a
strolling country girl? But she "crept slily to bed to her cousin Boaz."
I do not find it so in the history. As a person imploring protection,
she laid herself down at the foot of an aged kinsman's bed, and she
rose up with as much innocence as she had laid herself down. She was
afterwards married to Boaz, and reputed by all her neighbours a virtuous
woman; and they were more likely to know her character than you are.
Whoever reads the Book of Ruth, bearing in mind the simplicity of
ancient manners, will find it an interesting story of a poor young woman
following in a strange land the advice, and affectionately attaching
herself to the fortunes, of the mother of her deceased husband.'
The Bishop is apparently indignant that Ruth should be accused of
'creeping slily to bed,' but the Bible account is certainly that without
the knowledge of Boaz 'she came softly and uncovered his feet and laid
her down.' I cannot find the Bishop's authority for the statement that
Ruth lay down at the foot of 'an aged kinsman's bed.' Boaz is not stated
to be an old man. He evidently considered that it was necessary to keep
Ruth's visit a secret, and appears to have been young enough to have
children after his marriage. As for her neighbours reputing her 'a
virtuous woman,' that is nothing, for they were not aware of her
nocturnal visit to the bed-chamber of Boaz. This book scarcely needs
further comment at my hands. It is ridiculous to suppose it to be a
revelation from God, and with the exception of Ruth's devotedness to her
mother-in-law, there are no points raised in it worthy of a prolonged
notice.