Biblical Hebrew Forum

["George Athas" <george.athas AT moore.edu.au>]

Hi James!
 
The point is not 'to give Boaz a good time'. The point was that Ruth (at
Naomi's bidding) was trying to force Boaz' hand. By getting him to sleep
with her (knowingly or unknowingly), he would be obliged to take her into
his own household. It was risky for Ruth, for it could have backfired,
resulting in her expulsion from Boaz' care. Yet, the ploy works, and Boaz
evidently does not feel trapped by this, but rather welcomes the situation.
 
This puts the whole scenario of what actually happened in question. The text
simply does not say whether 'it' happened or not. Perhaps Ruth only wanted
to make Boaz think that he had slept with her. Perhaps she went all the way
to make sure of it. The narrative is silent here, except for making the
point that it all had to happen in secret. And the result was the one Ruth
and Naomi were looking for.
 
The text leaves it up to us to fill in the gap. I guess we'll never know for
sure...
 
 

Best Regards, 

GEORGE ATHAS 
Moore Theological College (Sydney) 
1 King St, Newtown, NSW 2042, Australia 
Ph: (+61 2) 9577 9774