Six Measures of Barley: Seed Symbolism in Ruth
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...
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| Tipo de documento: | Recurso Electrónico Artigo |
| Idioma: | Inglês |
| Verificar disponibilidade: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Carregar...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Publicado em: |
Sage
2013
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| Em: |
Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Ano: 2013, Volume: 38, Número: 2, Páginas: 189-199 |
| Outras palavras-chave: | B
levirate marriage
B Ruth B Naomi B Fertility B Intertextuality B Boaz B Redemption B Food |
| Acesso em linha: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Recurso Electrónico
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| Resumo: | 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. |
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| ISSN: | 1476-6728 |
| Obras secundárias: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0309089213511755 |