Biblical Hebrew Forum

[dwashbur AT nyx.net]

On 2 Jun 2010 at 11:05, George Athas wrote:

> Bryant Williams asks about the arguments for a late dating of Ruth.
> Since this goes beyond the original thread in which it was placed,
> I've changed the subject name. Please continue the thread here.
> 
> What do we make of some of the personal names in Ruth:
> 
> Mahlon = 'Critically ill' (Guess what he does: he dies!)
> Chilion = 'Terminally ill' (Guess what he does: he dies!)
> Orpah = 'Back-of-the-neck girl' (Guess what she does: she turns her
> back on Naomi)
> Ruth = 'companion' (Guess what she does: she acts as Naomi's
> companion)
> Naomi = 'Sweetie' (She's anything but, and she knows it, too)
> Boaz = 'Strongly/Lively' (Guess what he does: he comes to the
> rescue)
> 
> Should these wordplays figure in a discussion on the dating of the
> book of Ruth?

I did a study of these names when I was in seminary.  As it turns out, most - 
maybe all, I 
forget - appear in Ugaritic and some other cognates, so they appear to be 
legitimate semitic 
names.  That doesn't necessarily mean they aren't a little "convenient" as 
plot devices, but 
at least there's a prima facie case for the idea that they're not made-up 
names.  I'm not sure 
what the significance of that is, but for what it's worth, there it is.


Dave Washburn

http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur