Monday, January 22, 2024

Reading for January 30th

 Read Ruth 1.6-22. In 1.6-22: Two return to Bethlehem. Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem (reversing Elimelech's decision to go to Moab). Her impassioned speech assumes that if she cannot offer Orpah and Ruth husbands then they have no future with her. In verses 8-14: Told to return to the house of their mothers ("house of the father" is more common). Orpah obeys Naomi, but Ruth clings to her (in Gen 1.24, this verb describes martial union). In verses 16-17: Ruth's beautiful poem of loyalty states her willingness to exchange her gods, family, and land in order to be with Naomi. May the Lord do thus and so is a typical oath formula. In verses 19-22: Naomi's silence, her insistence on being Mara ("bitter") upon her entry into Bethlehem, and her reference to returning empty indicate that Naomi is not initially comforted by the presence of her Moabite daughter-in-law. Comments or Questions..

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