In | Repetition in Ruth 2 and 3

Ruth tells a story of righteous behavior among a seemingly insignificant family in Judah’s hill country. These events contrast with Judges’ difficult and intense political history. 

Ruth tells a story of two women dealing with a difficult trial. A consistent theme in the story is “lovingkindness,” or hesed in Hebrew. The second and third chapters of Ruth drive home this theme repeatedly. 

We discover characters in this story looking out for each other. Instead of all the killing and intrigue we see in Judges, Ruth is a story of loyalty, courage and sensitivity. 

See the table below for some of the key plot developments in chapters 2 and 3. The verbs alone—“blesses,” “gives,” “recognizes,” “advises,” “nourishes”—give impressions of hesed among a handful of ordinary individuals. And this is happening at a time when the national scene was deeply troubled. 

Reference: André LaCocque, Ruth, 2004, p. 8.