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NASB | Ruth 1:1 Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ruth 1:1 In the days when the judges governed [Israel], there was a famine in the land [of Canaan]. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live temporarily in the country of Moab with his wife and his two sons. |
Subject: Which "land of Moab" in Ruth? |
Bible Note: Hi MP, Thank you for your clarifications and thoughts on Ruth. I appreciate your arguments; you have made a commendable presentation of your views. My apology if it seems I twisted or misrepresented your thoughts as that was not my intent. Your words speak well enough for themselves. I was not offended by your reference to ABC, just my little attempt at humor. I didn’t ignore your conjunction that created a joint assertion. (I’m not that smart!) But, now that you’ve brought it to my attention, I still don’t see the connection. However, did you notice in the verse what was opposite “the fords of the Jordon”, the land occupied by Gad and Reuben? The fact that the nation of Moab is clearly identified as an enemy would support that Ruth was Moab by residence in the occupied area. (Judges 3:28) The translation of the words Elohim and Nokriah would depend on the context in which they are used. If you think Ruth was a daughter of Moab, then God and foreigner would seem correct. If Ruth is a Moab because she is an Israelite from “the land of Moab,” then Judge and stranger would be correct. I cannot get over the hurdle of “the land of Moab” being Israelite occupied country. Land that was good for livestock, which indicates it could have been fairing better in a time of famine. Nor can I get past the law in Deuteronomy 23:3. It seems that if Ruth was a Moabite by birth it would make a mockery of God’s law. If Mahlon was foolish enough to violate God’s strict law and marry a foreign woman, then surely there was no requirement in the law that would require any other Israelite to perpetuate the offense. Certainly, this would have been the first argument of the closest kinsman when he refused to redeem Ruth. Yet we are to believe that all of these kinsmen of Naomi who were so diligently and correctly observing the law would simply overlook the fact that she was a Moab by birth. Some may think that the nearest kinsman rejected Ruth for that reason. Yet, it was not a matter of “if”, but by whom would she be redeemed. Boaz was waiting, willing and eager to make Ruth his wife. He was encouraged to do so by the nearest kinsman. Would all the people in the court, and the elders rejoice at this further violation of God’s law and actually compare a foreign woman to Rachel and Leah? Remember, the law applied down to the 10th generation! But for the sake of argument, lets say that Ruth was a Gentile and so was the mother of Boaz, that is, Rahab the harlot. That would mean that Obed, the grandfather of King David, was ¾ Gentile, being ¼ Canaanite and ½ Moab. How then can scriptures be consistent when we read Ezra’s reaction when he learned that the exiles who returned from Babylon had intermingled with the Moabites and other foreign women? (Ezra 9:1-3 After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, "The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and Amorites. They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness." When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled.) Did Ezra not know of Ruth? What chance would Ezra have to actually enforce Deuteronomy 23:3 if Ruth was a Gentile? Yet that is exactly what happened in Ezra 10:3, not only were the foreign women put away, but also the children of those marriages. As much as we might like Ruth to be Gentile, we would do well to remember the words to the Hebrews recorded in Deuteronomy 7:6 "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” Jim |