I don’t get into date of writing much. When all you scholars agree on dating, let me know. We mentioned it was set in the same time as the book we had just studied (Judges, we have had one Ruth class).

The “power” theme is interesting. Was it strange for the woman to ask the man to marry her, (“spread your wings…)? I guess Boaz had done nothing because he was waiting on the first in line. How was that man concerned about endangering his inheritance if he married Ruth?

I generally tell them to ignore chapter divisions because they weren’t part of the original text. Psalms and Lamentations being exceptions. I guess they did it pretty good here though. In the first chapter, do you think Elimelech showed a lack of faith in Yahweh by leaving Israel during a famine? On the book as a whole, I gather that the inclusion of Ruth in Christ’s ancestry shows God’s interest in the Gentiles even in the Old Testament. There are other examples, of course. Boaz comes across as an excellent model employer. His respect for his workers seems to cause them to respect him. The cultural angles have always fascinated me. I wish I knew a lot more about that area. How strange how Ruth and Boaz get together in the threshing floor scene seems to us. Was it that unusual in that time?