Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Ruth 3:7-9

I've always found this particular portion of Ruth a little strange, where Ruth uncovers the feet of Boaz:

Ruth 3:7-9 When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet. "Who are you?" he asked.
"I am your servant Ruth," she said. "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer."

I recently listened to Ruth again on MP3, and this one had me curious. I did a little research, and also asked a Rabbi about any meaning behind "uncovering feet", and his comments were basically that there's really nothing more to read out of this than, when you uncover your feet at night, you get cold and you wake up! The passages sort of support this, too: something startled Boaz and he woke up (no doubt, having chilly feet added to a sense of alarm) and then the text continues. Nothing like waking up startled with cold feet!

Curious thing is, I always sleep with my feet uncovered, so not sure how this verse would work for me, heh, but all the same, this was just one of those minor things I've wondered about in my study of the Word. The book of Ruth is a beautiful book of the Bible and paints a very beautiful image of romance within the cultural context of Old Testament Israel, and also reveals how, through this union the lineage of David would be established, and ultimately, the Messiah.

1 comment:

  1. very inspiring post..thanks for sharing this...especially that great Bible words!

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