Biblical Hebrew Forum

["George Athas" <gathas AT mail.usyd.edu.au>]

> I wonder whether it can farily be said that the text implies that
> Orpah should be regarded as "disloyal".  Both Ruth and Orpah
> set out with Naomi on the road from Moab to return to Judaea.
> And Orpah, along with Ruth, disregarded Naomi's first request
> for them to stay in Moab (Ruth 1:8-10).  It was only after Naomi's
> longer second speech (11-13) that Orpah is persuaded to stay
> behind.  Ruth is certainly presented as exemplary in her
> steadfastness, but it does not seem to me that the story as
> presented is intended to denigrate Orpah.

Orpah does what would have been the socially normal thing to do for a 
childless widow --
go back to her paternal household in order to be married off again to someone 
else. Since
she had no children, she reverted to her social status of "virgin" and came 
under the
protection of her paternal household. Ruth is the surprising one who doesn't 
return to her
paternal house, thus forsaking any protection and provision which might 
otherwise have
been afforded her by her own family-clan. She makes the deliberate choice to 
be vulnerable
along with the widow, Naomi -- a very risky situation for both of them. The 
happy ending
is that Boaz comes to the rescue and provides the social security for both of 
them. And
what's more, they turn out to be the ancestors of David and his dynasty.


Best regards,
GEORGE ATHAS
- University of Sydney
- Southern Cross College
- Anglican Chaplaincy, UNSW
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