Book of Ruth
The Book of Ruth (, ''Megillath Ruth'', "the Scroll of Ruth", one of the Five Megillot) is included in the third division, or the Writings ( Ketuvim), of the Hebrew Bible. In most Christian canons it is treated as one of the historical books ...
tribe of Judah
According to the Hebrew Bible, the tribe of Judah (, ''Shevet Yehudah'') was one of the twelve Tribes of Israel, named after Judah (son of Jacob), Judah, the son of Jacob. Judah was one of the tribes to take its place in Canaan, occupying it ...
and his wife Naomi. Together with their parents, they settled in the land of
Moab
Moab () was an ancient Levant, Levantine kingdom whose territory is today located in southern Jordan. The land is mountainous and lies alongside much of the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. The existence of the Kingdom of Moab is attested to by ...
during the period of the
Israelite
Israelites were a Hebrew language, Hebrew-speaking ethnoreligious group, consisting of tribes that lived in Canaan during the Iron Age.
Modern scholarship describes the Israelites as emerging from indigenous Canaanites, Canaanite populations ...
Judges. On foreign soil, Mahlon married the Moabite convertRuth (Ruth 4:10) while Chilion married the Moabite convert
Orpah
Orpah ( ''ʿOrpā'', meaning "neck" or "fawn") is a woman mentioned in the Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;Jewish Law
''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments ('' mit ...
, and which would likely mean readoption of Moabite culture including
idol worship
Idolatry is the worship of an idol as though it were a deity. In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the Abrahamic ...
.
Ruth in Israel
While Orpah returns and leaves Judaism, Ruth chooses to stay with Naomi, thus proving her conversion valid. The
Talmud
The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
discusses this and hints that Ruth and Orpah might have been very young when they converted, e.g. that they converted as a family with their parents. Since they had been young, their conversion was held in abeyance until declaring their consent as adults. In Israel, Ruth takes part in a
levirate marriage
Levirate marriage is a type of marriage in which the brother of a deceased man is obliged to marry his brother's widow. Levirate marriage has been practiced by societies with a strong clan structure in which exogamous marriage (i.e. marriage o ...
, according to Jewish law. By marrying a relative of Mahlon's, she ensures that Mahlon's paternal lineage is remembered. The nearest relative declines, however, giving the rights to the levite marriage to Boaz, who marries Ruth. Her child, Obed (biologically Boaz's legally Mahlon's), becomes the paternal grandfather of David ha-Melech (King David).
Meanings of referenced names
Mahlon means "sickness" and Chilion "wasting", which, as is the common theme throughout the scroll, aligns closely with the characters' roles in the relevant events. According to some of modern scholarship, this gives a consciously fairytale-like quality to the story.Christopher E. Ortega (2015) The Book of Ruth - Fairy Tale or Truth? /ref> It also reflects the cultural norm pervasive in
The Talmud (Bava Batra 91b) identifies them with Joash and Saraph, mentioned in 1 Chronicles 4:22, then debates which version of names was real and which are symbolic.