RT Article
T1 Six Measures of Barley: Seed Symbolism in Ruth
JF Journal for the study of the Old Testament
VO 38
IS 2
SP 189
OP 199
A1 Stone, Timothy J. 1977-
LA English
PB Sage
YR 2013
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1777015588
AB In the book of Ruth, seed images help shape Naomi's reversal from emptiness to fullness. In ch. 1, Naomi has no hope of having another son, yet in ch. 4, she receives Ruth's son. In ch. 2 food is used to indicate Boaz's acceptance of and generosity towards Ruth beyond all expectations by consciously shaping his actions in a direct reversal of Deuteronomy's ban on Moabites. In ch. 3, Boaz tells Ruth to hold out her garment and then places six measures of barley on her—an unrealistically heavy amount—which makes her appear pregnant. Ruth tells Naomi that Boaz did not want her to return to her mother-in-law ‘empty’. This use of ‘empty’ plays off of the other occurrence in ch. 1, implying that Obed's birth fills Naomi's emptiness. Attention to the symbolic relationship between food and fertility gives greater shape to the interactions between Ruth, Boaz and Naomi and moves the story towards fullness in ch. 4.
K1 Redemption
K1 levirate marriage
K1 Ruth
K1 Boaz
K1 Naomi
K1 Fertility
K1 Intertextuality
K1 Food
DO 10.1177/0309089213511755