Ruth
3:1 - 4:17
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- Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
- Hebrew Interlinear Bible, WLCv, WLC5, CHES, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Hebrew text with concordance, commentaries. Chapter 4.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons. Chapter 4.
- Historical References, Commentary and Comparative
Texts:
- Rashi's Commentary, c. 1075. chabad.org.
- From the Geneva Notes. Chapter 4.
- From
Matthew Henry's
Commentary.
Chapter
4.
- "The married state should be a rest, as much as any thing upon earth can be so, as it ought to fix the affections and form a connexion for life. Therefore it should be engaged in with great seriousness, with earnest prayers for direction, for the blessing of God, and with regard to his precepts."
- From Wesley's Notes.
Chapter 4.
- "Took Ruth - Which he might do, though she was a Moabite, because the prohibition against marrying such, is to be restrained to those who continue Heathens; whereas Ruth was a sincere proselyte and convert to the God of Israel. Thus he that forsakes all for Christ, shall find more than all with him."
- From the
Commentary on the Whole Bible
(Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
Chapter 4.
- "The winnowing process is performed by throwing up the grain, after being trodden down, against the wind with a shovel. The threshing-floor, which was commonly on the harvest-field, was carefully leveled with a large cylindric roller and consolidated with chalk, that weeds might not spring up, and that it might not chop with drought. The farmer usually remained all night in harvest-time on the threshing-floor, not only for the protection of his valuable grain, but for the winnowing. That operation was performed in the evening to catch the breezes which blow after the close of a hot day, and which continue for the most part of the night. This duty at so important a season the master undertakes himself; and, accordingly, in the simplicity of ancient manners, Boaz, a person of considerable wealth and high rank, laid himself down to sleep on the barn floor, at the end of the heap of barley he had been winnowing."
- Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
- Commentary, Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17, Cameron B.R. Howard, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org,
2018.
- "The book of Ruth’s gritty beginning eventually finds its way to a happy ending."
- "That It May be Well with You," Bob Cornwell, Ponderings on a Faith Journey, 2018.
- "Grandmother," Lynn Miller, Art & Faith Matters, celebrating our creative and living God by generating art and architecture resources for congregations and individuals. Art and Faith Matters facebook page contains additional resources.
- Commentary, Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17, Alphonetta Wines, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org,
2015.
- "Through her friendship with Ruth, Naomi again experiences a joy untold. In a world, ancient or contemporary, where people are unwilling to extend themselves on behalf of others and be changed for the better by the encounter, this story stands as an indictment of closed hearts, minds, and spirits of any age."
- Pulpit Fiction, plus podcast. Reflections of lectionary text, pop culture, current events, etc. Robb Mc Coy and Eric Fistler, 2015.
- "Fully a Woman's Tale," John C. Holbert, Opening the Old Testament, 2015.
- "The powerhouse woman Ruth is beyond compare. In short, it should be concluded that in this magical tale YHWH is nothing less than a Moabite widow!"
- The Center for Excellence in Preaching commentary and sermon illustrations, Scott Hoezee, 2015.
- "Ruth," sermon discussion from Frederick Buechner, Frederick Buechner Blog.
- "Ruth followed her mother-in-law's advice to the letter, and it worked like a charm. Boaz was so overwhelmed that she'd pay attention to an old crock like him when there were so many young bucks running around in tight-fitting jeans that he fell for her hook, line, and sinker and, after a few legal matters were taken care of, made her his lawful wedded wife."
- Commentary, Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17, Pentecost 24B,
Patricia Tull, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org,
2012.
- "This week's reading concludes the book of Ruth, which was begun last week. The prescribed passages appear to be representative of the book overall, and especially this week preachers must fill in the gaps."
- Risking Relationships that Redeem, Pentecost 24, Mary Lautensleger, 2012.
- "What does the Lord require of you? Is it to be a present-day redeemer for another? It will not be necessary for you to give your life, or even to relocate to another country. Much simpler acts of reaching out to help others in need is what the world needs now."
- "What More Can We Say?" John C. Holbert, Opening the Old Testament, 2012.
- "The redoubtable Ruth, ever risky, ever devoted to Naomi, is heroine here. It is she who has moved the empty, famine-haunted world where the story began to a rich, fecund community, full of joy and hope for the future."
- Commentary,
Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17, James Boyce, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org,
2009.
- "Of course, not all stories that begin with profound misery end in great joy. Even when they do, the later joy does not always cancel out the prior grief?at least not completely, nor, ever, easily."
-
Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17,
Commentary, Background, Insights from Literary Structure, Theological
Message, Ways to Present the Text. Anna Grant-Henderson, Uniting Church in
Australia.
- "Righteousness is different to Law in that the actions are not necessarily decreed, but in light of God's love are right for the situation. Some people might refer to this as situational ethics, but the last clause is the controlling factor."
- Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17, The Old Testament Readings: Weekly Comments on the Revised Common Lectionary, Theological Hall of the Uniting Church, Melbourne, Australia.
-
Megillat
RUTH: Hesed and Hutzpah, A Literary Approach, study guide by Noam
Zion, Tichon Program, Shalom Hartman Institute, Jerusalem, 2005 (.pdf).
- "Is this love? sex? seduction? Blackmail? a discrete religiously-motivated discussion about accepting the legal responsibilities of a redeemer? The negotiation of a shiduch without the good offices of one?s mother or father or guardian?"
- Commentary, Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17, Cameron B.R. Howard, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org,
2018.
-
Recommended articles
from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are
linked below.
ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of
selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices.Annotated list of "starting place" articles at ATLAS for this week's texts (includes direct links).
- Beattie, D.R.G.,
"The Book of Ruth as Evidence for Isarelite Legal Practice," Vetus
Testamentum, 1974.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Beattie, Derek R.G., "Kethibh and
qere in Ruth 4:5," Vetus Testamentum, 1971.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Bertman, Stephen,
"Symmetrical Design in the Book of Ruth," Journal of Biblical
Literature, 1965.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Blotz, Joseph W.,
"Bitterness and Friendship: A Feminist Exegesis of the Book of Ruth,"
Currents in Theology and Mission, 2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Box, Johanna W.H.,
"Out of the Shadows: Genesis 38, Judges 4:17-22, Ruth 3," Semeia,
1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Brenner, Athalya,
"Female Social Behavior: Two Descriptive Patterns within the 'Birth of the
Hero' Paradigm," Vetus Testamentum, 1986.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Britt, Brian,
"Unexpected Attachments: A Literary Approach to the Term HSD in the
Hebrew Bible," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 2003.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Davies, Eryl W.,
"Ruth IV 5 and the Duties of the GO'EL," Vetus Testamentum,
1983.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Fewell, Danna Nolan,
and David M. Gunn, "Boaz, Pillar of Society: Measures of Worth in the Book of Ruth,"
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 1989.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Gow, Murray D., "Ruth quoque--a
coquette, Ruth 4:5," Tyndale Bulletin, 1990.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Hubbard, Robert L.,
"Ruth IV 17: A New Solution," Vetus Testamentum, 1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Irwin, Brian P., "Removing Ruth:
tiqqune sopherim in Ruth 3:3-4?" Journal for the Study of the Old
Testament, 2008.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Manor, Dale W., "A Brief History of
Levirate Marriage As It Relates to the Bible," Restoration Quarterly,
1984.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Martin, Michael W., "Betrothal Journey Narratives,"
The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2008.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Moore, Michael S.,
"Ruth the Moabite and the Blessing of Foreigners," The Catholic
Biblical Quarterly, 1998.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Thompson, Thomas and
Dorothy,
"Some Legal Problems in the Book of Ruth," Vetus Testamentum,
1968.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Tucker, Gene M., "Witnesses and
'Dates' in Israelite Contracts," Catholic Biblical Quarterly,
1966.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Van Wijk-Bos, Johanna W.H., "Out of
the Shadows: Genesis 38, Judges 4:17-22, Ruth 3," Semeia, 1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Weisberg, Dvora E.,
"The Widow of Our Discontent: Levirate Marriage in the Bible and Ancient
Israel," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 2004.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Beattie, D.R.G.,
"The Book of Ruth as Evidence for Isarelite Legal Practice," Vetus
Testamentum, 1974.
- Sermons:
- "The Word We Don't Mention," Samuel Wells, Faith and Leadership, 2009.
- "Loyalty, Lovingkindness, Mercy and Redemption," the Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada.
- With Children:
- Worshiping with Children, Proper 27B, 2015. Including children in the congregation's worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown,
- "Storypath Lectionary Links: Connecting Children's Literature with our Faith Story," 2015, Union Presbyterian Seminary.
- "Ruth," Illustrating the Story (lessons, children's sermons), coloring pages, activity sheets, crafts, children's songs. MSSS Crafts.
- Drama:
- Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
- Images for this week's readings, Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive.
- Clip Art: Ruth, Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld woodcuts, World Mission Collection, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
- Hymns and Music:
- Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
- Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
- Study Links and Resources for the Book of Ruth
