The Book Of Ruth

Front 1

Narrative

Back 1

any work of literature, written or oral, that tells a story

Front 2

Motivation

Back 2

the cause of the behavior

Front 3

Infer

Back 3

make intelligent guesses

Front 4

Levirate marriage

Back 4

a Hebrews custom: the brother or a close male relative of the dead husband is obliged to marry the widow if the husband has left no son to be his heir. The first born son of this second marriage is raised in the dead husband's name and is considered his legal heir.

Front 5

Entreat

Back 5

beg; plead with

Front 6

Afflicted

Back 6

brought suffering upon

Front 7

Kindred

Back 7

family; relatives

Front 8

Recompense

Back 8

repay; reward

Front 9

Sufficed

Back 9

satisfied; had a need met

Front 10

Reproach

Back 10

scold; express disapproval

Front 11

Moral of the Story

Back 11

Despite being an outsider, Ruth goes to Israel and ultimately marries Boaz, a relative of her husband. The story emphasizes compassion toward outsiders who accept the Jewish faith.

Front 12

Bethlehem-Judah

Back 12

that is, Bethlehem in Judah. Judah was a region in southern Palestine that eventually become a kingdom rivaling Israel to the north.

Front 13

Ephrathites

Back 13

natives of Bethlehem, once known as Ephrath; members of the clan of Ephrah.

Front 14

Clave unto

Back 14

clung to; was faithful to

Front 15

Ought

Back 15

alternative spelling of aught, meaning anything

Front 16

Naomi ... Mara

Back 16

Naomi means “pleasantness” or “my pleasant one” in Hebrew; Mara means “bitterness” or “the bitter one”

Front 17

Glean ... Grace

Back 17

according to biblical law, the poor were entitled to glean in the fields – to gather any grain left or dropped by the reapers. The corners of the fields were also left for the poor to reap

Front 18

Hap

Back 18

luck

Front 19

Ephah

Back 19

amount slightly greater than a bushel

Front 20

Seek rest for thee

Back 20

seek a husband. Naomi wants to fulfill the duty of a parent to arrange a marriage for a child

Front 21

Spread therefore thy skirt

Back 21

formal act of betrothal

Front 22

Thou follwedst not young men

Back 22

Boaz, who is much older than Ruth, is praising Ruth for her willingness to fulfill the levirate marriage obligation by marrying him even though he is old

Front 23

Lest I mar mine own inheritance

Back 23

that is, by spending money on property that will go to the son legally regarded as Mahlon's rather than to his own son

Front 24

Like Rachel and like Leah

Back 24

two sisters who were Jacob's wives. Their sons were among the twelve sons of Jacob, founders of the twelve tribes of Israel

Front 25

Pharez ... Judah

Back 25

Judah was the fourth son of Jacob and leah. After his daughter-in-law Tamar had twice been left a childless widow after two of his sons died, she tricked Judah into becoming the father of her twin sons, Pharez and Zarah.

Front 26

Son born to Naomi

Back 26

not literally, but rather a son in the sense of a legal heir to both her husband and her son. Some biblical scholars suggest that the child may have been legally regarded as Naomi's.

Front 27

What did you infer about Ruth's motivation for leaving her people and devoting herself to Naomi? List the details that led to your inferences.

Front 28

If the relathionship between Ruth and Boaz is truly a love story, what attitudes toward love and marriage does it express?

Front 29

From this narrative we learn that David, the greatest king of Israel, is descended from Ruth. What is ironic, or unexpected about this detail?

Front 30

Is the Book of Ruth a more fully developed narrative than the stories from Genesis? Can it be considered a short story? Analyze such elements as plot, character, setting, and theme.

Front 31

Ruth promises to follow naomi. Naomi is Ruth's mother -in-law

Back 31

Ruth promises to follow Naomi, who is Ruth's mother-in-law.

Front 32

Naomi's husband dies. He leaves her with two sons.

Back 32

When Naomi's husband dies, he leaves her with two sons

Front 33

Naomi's sons, Mahlon and Chilion, die ten years later. She suffers another tragedy.

Front 34

Naomi plans to return to her home. Naomi is from the land of Bethlehem.

Front 35

Naomi does not expect Ruth and Orpah to stay with her. They can seek help from their own families.

Front 36

Orpah returns to her family. Ruth makes a promise. She will keep this promise for the rest of her life.

Front 37

Parallelism

Back 37

the repetition of words, phrases, or sentences that are grammatically similar or that compare or contrast ideas.

Front 38

Sucklings

Back 38

infants who are still being nursed

Front 39

Still

Back 39

put down; silence

Front 40

Ordained

Back 40

decreed; called into being

Front 41

Want

Back 41

lack the necessities of life

Front 42

Anointest ... oil

Back 42

it was Hebrew custom to show respect or hospitality toward a man by pouring oil on his head, since his hair and beard might be dusty from the roads or fields.

Front 43

Zion

Back 43

the Jewish homeland; also, the hill in Jerusalem on which the temple was built

Front 44

Edom

Back 44

country south of the Dead Sea

Front 45

In Psalm 8, how does the poet answer the question “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?”

Front 46

How would you describe the poet's tone, or attitude toward his subject, in Psalm 23? What image do you think is most effective in conveying this tone?

Front 47

In Psalm 121, what do “keep” and “keeper” suggest about human relathionships with God?

Front 48

Identify the line of Psalm 137 where the mood, or emotional atmosphere, changes sharply. Describe this shift. How did the final line of the psalm affect you?

Front 49

Each of the psalms you've just read contains many examples of parallelism, places where words, phrases, and sentence structures are repeated or an idea is restated. Find at least one example of parallelsim in each psam. The, described the effect this kind of repetition produces, especially in an oral reading.