The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 135
SECT. CXXXV.
The Book of Ruth.HEre the Hiſtory*Some think Samuel the Pen-man of this Hiſtory. of Ruth (according to the judgment of learned men) falls in, which ſerves mainly to declare how Ruth being married to Boaz (Son to Salmon, a Prince of the Tribe of Judah, who married Rahab that entertained the Spies at Jericho,) bore unto him Obed, who was the Grandfather of David, of whom, according to the Fleſh, Chriſt came, Matth. 1.5. As alſo to ſhew that Chriſt deriving his Humanity from the Gentiles as well as the Jews (Ruth being a Moabiteſs) Salvation by Chriſt belongs not only to the Jews, but to the Gentiles alſo.
The Hiſtory of Ruth is in brief this; God at this time (it ſeems) for the ſins of the people of Iſrael had ſent a Famine among them. Upon this Elimelech of Bethlem-Judah (or Bethlem-Ephrata, ſo called to diſtinguiſh it from another Bethlem in Zebulun, Joſh. 19.15.) with his wife Naomi, and his two Sons Mahlon and Chilion went over into the Land of Moab to Sojourn there during the Famine. Here Elimelech dies, and after his deceaſe his two Sons married to two Daughters of Moab, (i)If they had embraced the true Religion before they married them, doubtleſs they offended againſt the law, Deut. 7.2. Nehem. 13.23. That Ruth had embraced the true Religion appeareth plain, v. 16. & Ch. 2.12. of Orpah the caſe is doubtful, Ch. 1.15.whoſe Names were Orpah and Ruth, and having lived there with them about ten years, both theſe young men died without Children. Thus Naomi loſt both her Huſband and her two Sons in this Country; She hearing at laſt that the Lord had viſited his people in mercy, and ſent them plenty again, ſhe reſolves to return to her own Country. It ſeems both her Daughters-in-law did intend at firſt to have gone with her into the Land of Judah, and did both of them accompany her part of the way thither. But ſhe adviſed them both to return to their own Mothers, for 'twas pity they ſhould leave them, and go with a Mother-in-law into a ſtrange Country. Therefore ſhe ſaid to them, Return back, and the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with your Husbands (my Sons) that are now dead, and as ye have dealt with me. My prayer to the Lord is, that He would pleaſe to provide you good Husbands, with whom ye may live comfortably, and who may be able to defend you from Injuries, and provide things neceſſary for you, that ſo your Husbands houſes may be places of reſt and true content unto you. Then ſhe kiſſed them to take her farewel of them, but they lifted up their Voice and wept, and ſaid, They would not leave her, but would go along with her to her people. Naomi preſſed them again to return. Alas! (ſays ſhe) there are no more Sons in my Womb that according to the Law [Deut. 25.5, 6] might make you Husbands. There is no expectation of any ſuch thing from me, who am old. Beſides if it ſhould be ſuppoſed that I ſhould be married to an Husband this night, and ſhould have Sons by him, ſurely you would not ſtay for them, till they were of age fit to make you Husbands. Therefore return to your own Friends; For though the Hand of God is gone out againſt me, and is heavy upon me, and He hath brought me low; yet it grieves me not ſo much for my ſelf as for you, that I am not able to yield you any comfort or ſupport at all. Then they lift up their Voice and wept again, being much affected with theſe tender Speeches of Hers to them.Quia non Religione, ſed humanitate mota fuit ad ſequendum ſocrum. However Orpah (thinking it beſt for her to return) kiſſed her Mother-in-law, and took a final Farewel of her, but Ruth clave to her, and told Her, She would not forſake her. Naomi told her, She ſaw her Siſter was gone back to her people, and the Country where the(k)Poſſibly Orpah after her Husbands death had fallen back to the Idolatry of the Moabites. gods of the Moabites were worſhipped; Go thou therefore (ſays ſhe) after her. (l)V. 15. Tentativè dictum non poſitivé.Ruth deſir'd her not to preſs her to leave her, For (ſays ſhe) whither thou goeſt, I will go; and where thou lodgeſt, I will lodge; thy people ſhall be my people, and thy God my God. Where thou dieſt I will die, and where thou art buried there will I be buried alſo. The Lord do ſo to me, (m)A form of an Oath, which not only the Jews, but other Nations uſed, by which they prayed God to ſend ſome great evil upon them, if they did not ſpeak truly, ſee 1 King. 19.2. & 20.10. But they were naturally afraid to mention the evil they wiſhed to themſelves or others, not daring to uſe ſuch deſperate particular Imprecations as the prodigious Wretches of our Age do.and more alſo, if ought but death part thee and me. Naomi perceiving her ſtedfaſtneſs, left off preſſing her further, and ſo they went on till they came to Bethlem. When they came thither, the Inhabitants of that Town were amaz'd to ſee her, who had lived in ſo good faſhion among them, and went out with her Husband and two Sons, return now in ſo poor a Condition with only a young Widow hanging on her. And they ask'd with ſome admiration, Is this Naomi? She anſwered, Call me not Naomi (which ſignifies Pleaſant) but Mara (which ſignifies Bitter) for the Lord hath brought many bitter Sorrows and Afflictions upon me. I went out full, but the Lord hath brought me home empty. The Lord hath teſtified his Diſpleaſure againſt me, and convinc'd me of my Sins, by laying theſe ſharp Afflictions on me, Ruth 1.
'Twas about the beginning of Barley-Harveſt, in the Month Niſan (anſwering to part of our March, and part of our April) when they came to Bethlem, and there lived (as it ſeems) in a very poor Condition. Ruth told her Mother-in-law, She had a mind to go out and Glean, if ſhe could find a mans Field, who would ſo much favour her as to give her leave. And herein ſhe expreſſed her humility and modeſty, that ſhe would not make uſe of the liberty allowed by the Law, [Levit. 19.9.] without the leave and conſent of the Owner. Her Mother bids her go. She accordingly went, and it happen'd that ſhe lighted upon a Field that belonged to Boaz, a rich Kinſman of Elimelech's, and making ſuit to the Overſeer of the Reapers that ſhe might have leave to glean after them; ſhe obtained her deſire. Boaz coming to ſee his Reapers, ſaid to them, The Lord bleſs and proſper you and your labour; They anſwered, The Lord multiply his bleſſings on thee. Boaz ask'd his Bailiff, Who that Damſel was who was there gleaning? He told him, She was the Moabiteſs, that came back with Naomi out of Moab, to whom he had given leave to glean, and ſhe had followed her gleaning hard from morning to that time, only now in the heat of the day ſhe had reſted her ſelf in the Houſe or Hovel, where the Reapers did eat their meat. Boaz hereupon ſpake kindly to her, and bad her not go to any other Field but His to glean in, and to abide faſt by his Maidens, that follow'd the Reapers, and gathered up the Corn. He tells her, He had charged his men that they ſhould not hinder her, nor do her any wrong. And (ſays he) when thou art athirſt, go and drink of the Veſſels of water that my Servants have brought for themſelves. Ruth hereupon bowed her ſelf, and fell on her face to the ground before him, and ſaid, What an extraordinary thing is this, that I being a Stranger ſhould find ſo much favour from thee? Boaz told her, He underſtood how faithful and affectionate ſhe had been to her Mother-in-law, and how piouſly ſhe had demeaned her ſelf towards her in her old age, and how ſhe had left her Father and Mother, and the Land of her Nativity, to come to a people whom ſhe knew not. Now therefore (ſays he) the Lord Recompence thy work and labour of Love, and let the God of Iſrael bountifully Reward thee (of his free Grace) under whoſe Wings thou art come to truſt, and to commit thy ſelf to his Providence and Care, having left thy own Country, and joyned thy ſelf to the Church and people of God. She Replies, Though I be unworthy of the kindneſs thou haſt already ſhewed me, yet ſeeing thou art pleaſed of thy meer goodneſs to vouchſafe it to me, I pray thee continue thy favour ſtill to me, though I be meaner than one of thy Hand-Maids. Boaz bids her at meal-times to come to that Tent or Hovel where his Reapers did eat, and to partake of their Food and Proviſions, and to dip her Morſel in the ſauce made with Vinegar, wherewith (in thoſe hot Countries) they were much refreſhed. Or poſſibly he intends ſhe ſhould freely eat of the morſels of meat that were provided, and dip them in Vinegar, as others did. She accordingly came, and ſate by the Reapers, but did not boldly thruſt her ſelf in among them, but ſate down ſomewhere beſides them to receive what they would give her. Boaz perceiving her modeſty reached her parched Corn; that is, new Corn dried over the fire, an uſual Food in thoſe Countries, [ſee 1 Sam. 17.17. 1 Sam. 25.18. 2 Sam. 17.28.] and ſhe did eat, and ſatisfied her hunger, and what ſhe left ſhe carried to her poor Mother, verſ. 18. Boaz then commanded his Servants, that they ſhould permit her to glean even among the Sheaves, and not rebuke her for it; yea to let fall ſome handfuls on purpoſe for her. So ſhe gleaned unto the Evening, and then beat out her Gleanings, which came to about an Ephah or three pecks of our Meaſure, ſee Exod. 16.36. which (with her reſerved Proviſions before-mentioned) ſhe brought to her Mother, and told her in whoſe Field ſhe had gleaned, and what great kindneſs ſhe had met with from Boaz, and how he bad her follow his Reapers and his Maidens, (that gathered up the Corn] and to glean no where elſe but in his Fields. Naomi hearing this, ſaid, Bleſſed be Boaz of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindneſs to the living, nor to the dead, [ſee 2 Sam. 9.7.] He ſeems to remember my Husband, and thine, (to whom he was near of Kin*The next Kinſman had Right by the Law to redeem any Houſe or Land, which ſhould be ſold by thoſe of his Kindred, if they were not able to redeem it themſelves, ſee Levit. 25.25. And ſo alſo to marry the Widow of him that ſhould die without Cildren, that ſo he might raiſe up Seed to his Brother, Deut. 25.5. And thus ſhe gives Ruth an hint of what ſhe afterwards more fully imparted to her, viz. how Boaz was by the Law of God to marry her, that he might raiſe up Seed to her deceaſed Husband.) and for their ſakes to do us good. And ſeeing he has courteouſly invited thee to glean in his Fields, and to go no where elſe; I adviſe thee that thou go out with his Maidens, and only follow them, leſt if they ſhould ſee or meet thee in another mans Field, and tell it to their Maſter, He ſhould take it ill from thee, and look upon it as a ſlighting of his kindneſs. So Ruth continued gleaning in Boaz's Fields to the end of Harveſt.
Ruth Ch. 2. whole Chapter.
Naomi now tells Ruth, that ſeeing Boaz was ſo near of Kin to her Husband, He was bound by the Law of God to marry her, and no doubt would do ſo, if the buſineſs were wiſely managed. And (ſays he) ſhall not I do what I can to effect it, that ſo thou maiſt have reſt, and live in plenty, whereas now thou art expoſed to many Hardſhips. Therefore take this courſe that I adviſe thee to. Behold this night Boaz keepeth his Winnowing-Feaſt, and uſeth to be merry at it, and to lodge in his Threſhing-floor, (n)Their Threſhing-floors in thoſe times, wherein they winnowed their Corn, and where probably they kept this their Feaſt (which, as it ſeems, was at the end of their winnowing) were uſually in the open Fields, and the chief time of winnowing in thoſe hot Countries was towards the Evening, when the Wind begins to ariſe; and it ſeems Boaz did uſe at that time to lodge in the Threſhing-floor. Moris tum fuit ut Patres-familias etiam divites urgentibus negotiis ruſticanis in areis etiam ipſis quietem caperent. Ut uſurpari poterit illud, Ovid. Faſt. 1. Non pudor in ſtipula placidam cepiſſe quietem, Nec foenum capiti ſuppoſuiſſe ſuo.(poſſibly in ſome ſtraw there) ſo that thou maiſt have the more eaſie and private acceſs to him. Dreſs thy ſelf therefore handſomely in thy beſt Attire, and perfume thy ſelf, that thou maiſt be the more pleaſing in his eyes. Go down to the Floor, but do not appear in his ſight till after he is gone to take his reſt. And then go and lie down at his Feet (o)The way ſhe took in regard of ſome circumſtances ſeems unwarrantable, and ſavoured much of womaniſh weakneſs. 1. It had an appearance of ſcandal, and therefore Boaz was loth to have it known, verſ. 14. 2. It might have been an occaſion of ſin. It ſeems an immodeſt thing in Ruth to caſt her ſelf down at a mans feet in the night, and to uncover his feet. 3. It might have been a means of allenating Boaz's affection from her, and might have given him ſuſpition that ſhe was not ſo modeſt and chaſt, as ſhe ſeemed to be, had not God, by his ſecret Providence, turned it all to good.and lift up the Clothes that lie on his Feet to cover them, that ſo he awaking may look about and take notice who uncovered them. I confeſs this Counſel I give thee, if I were not well aſſured of the Piety, Gravity and Wiſdom of Boaz; as alſo of thy modeſty and inviolable Chaſtity, would not ſeem convenient, nor decent, nor free from ſcandal. But being aſſured of both theſe, I am not diſcouraged from giving thee this advice to draw on Boaz to marry thee, who by the Law ought to do it. Ruth follows the advice of her Mother-in-law, and when Boaz was gone to take his reſt at the end of the heap of Corn, ſhe came ſoftly and uncovered his Feet, and laid her down by him. At midnight Boaz awakes, and being much ſurpriz'd to find that a Woman lay at his Feet, He asks, Who ſhe was. She anſwers, I am Ruth thy Hand-Maid; Spread, I pray thee, thy Skirt (p)A proverbial Speech, ſignifying the taking of One into Protection.over me; that is, accept me for thy Wife, and perform to me what ſo near a Kinſman, as thou art, ought to do, viz. to marry me, and ſo to raiſe up Seed to my deceaſed Husband. Boaz ſaid, Bleſſed be thou of the Lord, my Daughter, for thou haſt ſhewed more kindneſs in the latter end, than in the beginning; as if he ſhould have ſaid, Thou ſhewedſt much kindneſs to thy Husband whilſt he lived, and ſince his death in leaving thy Country, and coming along with his Mother hither; yet thy preſent Act of chaſt love exceedeth all the reſt, and in thy preferring me, an old man, before young men, who are more ſuitable to thy age, and that out of love to thy deceaſed Husband, to revive his Name among the people of God. Therefore, fear not, I will do what lies in me to ſatisfie thy deſire, according to God's Law, in procuring for thee ſuch an Husband as it requireth; For this whole Town ſpeaks thee to be a vertuous Woman. And I muſt tell thee, though I be near of Kin to thee, yet there is one nearer than my ſelf, who ought to be preferred before me, and to marry thee, and to redeem the Land thy Mother will ſell. Therefore in the morning I will inquire whether he will perform that part of a Kinſman to thee, and if not, then will I do it my ſelf. Lie down therefore and take thy reſt until the morning, and then thou ſhalt know further concerning this matter. But let it not be known that thou cameſt hither, and layeſt at my Feet. For next to the keeping of a good Conſcience, we muſt be careful to keep and preſerve a good Name. Ruth accordingly repoſes her ſelf there till towards the morning, and then riſing to go away, Boaz bids her ſtay a little, and bring her Apron, and according to the honeſt plain bounty of thoſe Times he gave her ſix Meaſures of Barley, as a Token of his love, and for a preſent ſupply of Hers and her Mothers wants. Ruth coming to her Mother-in-law ſo very early in the morning, ſhe hardly knew her at firſt, and therefore asked who ſhe was? Ruth relates to her all that had happened. Then Naomi bad her reſt ſatisfied with what was already done, and quietly expect what iſſue God would give unto it, and to ſtay within, that ſhe might be in a readineſs, if Boaz ſhould ſend for her. For ſhe believed He would not be quiet till he had brought this buſineſs to ſome iſſue.
Ruth Ch. 3. whole Chapter.
Boaz the next morning went to the Gate of the City, and there ſitting down, he waited for his Kinſmans paſſing by [who was neareſt of Kin to Ruths Husband, and was like to go forth that way into the Field about his occaſions,] as alſo that he might meet with ſuch Elders of the City (as did uſually ſit in that place of Judicature) and were fit to be called together for the hearing and determining that great and weighty buſineſs which he had in hand; of which number He called together ten. And immediately, as he expected, this Kinſman came by, to whom he applied himſelf, and told him, That the Widow Naomi, who was lately returned out of Moab, had a piece of Land made over to her for a Joynture or Dowry by her Husband Elimelech, which ſhe was to enjoy for term of life, and then it was to deſcend to Mahlon her eldeſt Son, but he was now dead. He tells him, This Joynture Naomi (being poor) intended now to ſell, to maintain her ſelf and her Daughter-in-law. He acquaints him that the right of Redeeming it belonged to him as next Kinſman to Elimelech; but if he refuſed to redeem it, then it belonged to himſelf, as next of Kin after him to Elimelech, The Kinſman hearing this, ſaid, He would buy it of Naomi. Boaz told him, If he would buy it of Naomi, he muſt buy it of Ruth (the Widow of Mahlon, the Son of Elimelech, who had alſo a Right in it,) and ſo coming in as next Kinſman to buy her Husbands Land, he was bound as next Kinſman alſo to marry her, that he might raiſe up Seed to her deceaſed Husband, and ſo continue his Name to his Inheritance. For as Naomi had enjoyed this parcel of Land as Elimelech's Widow, ſo it ſeems it was ordered that Ruth ſhould enjoy it after her, as Mahlon's Widow; and he that would Challenge from Ruth the Priviledge of next Kinſman in the purchaſe of her Land, was alſo to perform the duty of the next Kinſman to her in marrying of Her. The Kinſman hearing this, and perceiving whither it tended, told Boaz, He could not buy this Land clogged with ſuch a Condition. If he ſhould, he might thereby mar his own Inheritance. For his marrying with Ruth (a poor Widow) would be a great hindrance to his Eſtate, which might be much advanced by a rich Wife; and beſides if he ſhould marry her, and have but one Son by her, that Son of his would be called by the Name of Mahlon (Ruths former Husband) and he ſhould want an Heir (begotten by himſelf) to bear his own Name, which was Onans fear, Gen. 38.9. Therefore he freely renounced his Right which he had as next Kinſman unto Boaz, and in token thereof, as the manner was in all other Alienations, he plucked off his own ſhoe, (q)When the Widow complained to the Elders, and the next Kinſman notwithſtanding refuſed to marry her, in that caſe the Woman was to pull off his ſhoe, and ſpit in his face, Deut. 25.9. But here there was no ſuch thing done, but the man pulled off his own ſhoe and gave it to Boaz: The ground of which Cuſtom was this, the ſhoe ſignified the Right that a man had to go and walk at pleaſure upon any parcel of Land as his proper Demeans; for poſſeſſio is quaſi pedum poſitio. And the pulling off his ſhoe, and giving it to his Neighbour, intimated that he did forgo his own Right, and reſigned it to his Neighbour, and gave him power to go upon the ground as his own, ſee Pſal. 60.8.and gave it to Boaz, thereby ſignifying that he willingly reſigned his Right unto him.
Boaz (as it ſeems) hereupon bought of Naomi the Land before-mentioned, and called the Elders there preſent to be Witneſſes thereof, and as a Conſequent thereof he tells them, He had purchaſed Ruth to himſelf for a Wife (the Widow of Mahlon) to raiſe up the Name of the dead upon his Inheritance, that it may not be cut off from among his Brethren, and from the Gate of his Place; that is, from among the Inhabitants of Bethlehem, who daily go in and out at the Gates of the City, and upon all civil Occaſions reſort thither, as to their place of Judicature. Hereupon the Elders, and all the people there preſent, declared that they were all Witneſſes to theſe Tranſactions. And ſo they wiſhed Boaz all happineſs with Ruth, whom he intended to take for his Wife, praying unto the Lord that ſhe might be to him, what Rachel *Here Rachel is named before Leah, becauſe ſhe was Jacob's true and lawful wife; Leah was fraudulently put upon him.and Leah (which two did build the Houſe of Iſrael) were to Jacob, viz. that ſhe might be very loving and comfortable to him, and might bear him many Children as they did, that thereby the Iſrael, or Church of God, might be increaſed. Then ſpeaking to Him, they ſaid, As for thy ſelf, we heartily wiſh thou mayeſt do worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem. We heartily wiſh thy Houſe may be like the Houſe of Pharez;†See Sect. 35. of Chap. 3. that is, as Pharez (of whoſe Stock thou art) was bleſſed in his Poſterity (though his Mother was a Stranger, and not of the Stock of Iſrael,) ſo that his Children, and Childrens Children have been moſt honourable in the Tribe of Judah; ſo we wiſh that thou maiſt be bleſſed in thy Children begotten of this poor Stranger, and that they may ſtill uphold the Honour of that Houſe. So Boaz took Ruth to wife, and God gave her to conceive, and ſhe bare him a Son. Upon this the Women congratulated Naomi, ſaying, Bleſſed be the Lord who hath not left thee this day without a Kinſman, a pious Kinſman indeed who hath raiſed up Seed to his Kinſman thy Son deceaſed, and let his Name be famous in Iſrael for it. He will comfort and revive thee, and reſtore thee (as it were) to a new life; He will be a Nouriſher of thy old age, and make thee as it were young again; For Ruth thy beloved Daughter-inlaw [who is better to thee than ſeven Sons] hath now born him*Verſ. 15. foreign poterit verti peperit ei, ſcil. vindici. Pronomen enim affixum ſaepe ponitur. Et exponendum eſt per dativum ſeparatum. Capel. a Son, which muſt needs be matter of great joy to him. Then Naomi took the Child, and laid him in her Boſom, and became a dry-Nurſe to him. And the Women, her Neighbours, ſaid, There is a Son born to Naomi, becauſe this Son of Ruth was to raiſe up the Name of her deceaſed Husband [Mahlon the Son of Naomi] and to be accounted his Son rather than the Son of Boaz. However they gave their advice that his Name ſhould be called Obed, importing that they hoped he would be very ſerviceable to his Mother and Grand-Mother. Indeed every where in the Genealogies Obed is reckoned the Son of Boaz, but that is becauſe there it is fit the line ſhould be drawn according to the natural Deſcents, that we may truly know the Anceſtors of whom Chriſt came, without any reſpect to this legal Ordination. This Obed was the Father of Jeſſe, who was the Father of David. The principal end of ſetting down this Genealogy †By the Genealogy of David ſet down in the end of this Book, 'tis manifeſt it was written after David's time, unleſs that were added to the Book in ſucceeding times by ſome other Author.here, ſeems to be to ſhew the truth of Jacob's Propheſie concerning Chriſt's coming of the Tribe of Judah; and therefore it begins with Pharez Juda's Son, and ſo deſcendeth to David, of whoſe Stock it was alſo known that the Meſſiah was to come.
Ruth Ch. 4. whole Chapter.