"Whither thou goest, I will go," has been an eloquent expression of unbreakable human bonds for centuries. Many have spoken the elegant King James phrase, or a more modern and prosaic version of it, without knowing its origin and context in the Biblical Book of Ruth.
Israel Before the Kings
The Book, or Scroll, of Ruth, named for its heroine, a Moabite convert to the Israelite faith, is a brief and simple four-chapter story set in the pre-monarchical period of the ancient Judges. It tells of the emigration of a prominent family of the Tribe of Judah to the nearby Land of Moab during a famine, the marriage of a son to a Moabite woman, the son's death, and the return of his impoverished widowed mother, Naomi, and the widowed daughter-in-law, Ruth, to the ancestral home in Judah.
As often in Scripture, we are told nothing of the relationship that existed between the women in what was exile for one and home for the other. How had Naomi felt about the "intermarriage" of her son? How did Ruth feel about converting, if in fact she did? What now prompted Naomi to return to Judah and what moved Ruth to want to accompany her? Although traditional and modern commentators have attempted to answer the questions, the narrative itself is silent.
The Bible, more interested in the lessons for human behavior than the details of a story, wants us to see the mutual devotion between Ruth and Naomi blossom into a paragon of unselfish love. What we are told is that Naomi attempts to dissuade Ruth from following her, pointing out that she has nothing to offer her, economically or socially, and that she is better off remaining in her land and returning to her family. Ruth responds with the abovementioned familiar quotation, and continues:
"..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 there will I be buried; the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me."
Beyond Words
The words, in a sense, have themselves become deathless. But the essential beauty of the Book of Ruth is that words follow deeds. Ruth unhesitatingly goes out to perform field labor, taking advantage of the Biblical commandment authorizing the poor to collect grain left behind by harvesters, to support herself and her mother-in-law. Naomi advises Ruth on how to present herself to a wealthy relative who is in a position to restore their fortunes by purchasing the long-deserted lands of Naomi's family.
The happy ending, by no means typical of Biblical stories, is that the wealthy relative, Boaz, not only redeems the lands but also marries Ruth and fathers a child who becomes the grandfather of King David. Thus, the Moabitess convert becomes the ancestress of the Royal House of Israel and of the eventual Messiah.
The brief narrative portrays an agricultural Israelite society implementing the compassionate features of its Torah. The people carry out the provisions for supporting the poor and families see to the interests of relatives who have fallen on hard times. But shining above all are the loving acts of a bereft Naomi and a devoted Ruth seeking only what is best for the other.
Neither history nor literature has topped this model of selfless love.
Source
- The Five Megilloth (Scrolls), Soncino Books of the Bible, Soncino Press, London, 1959
David Hornestay - DavidH began a career as a freelancer after 34 years in government management. Keeping a hand in as a consultant in federal human ...
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