Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2014
Abstract
IN RUTH 3:16, as Ruth returns to Naomi after her night with Boaz on the threshing floor, Naomi inquires, "Who are you, my daughter [יתב תא ימ]?"1 The question seems simple, yet both the ancient versions and modem commentators are perplexed. Who apart from Ruth would be entering Naomi's house so early in the morning, and if Naomi knows that it is Ruth, why does she ask for her identity? Scholars have suggested a number of solutions to resolve this tension, but none is entirely convincing. Thus, after reviewing past interpretations, I argue that we can best understand this verse if we recognize it as part of a wider allusion to Genesis 27 in Ruth 3. I then offer a few observations on how this new insight may further our understanding of the Book of Ruth.
Recommended Citation
Jones, Edward Allen III, ""Who Are You, My Daughter [יתב תא ימ]?" A Reassessment of Ruth and Naomi in Ruth 3" (2014). Faculty Publications - George Fox Digital. 22.
https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/dps_fac/22
Comments
Originally published in Jones, E. A. “Who Are You, My Daughter [יתב תא ימ]?” A Reassessment of Ruth and Naomi in Ruth 3. The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 76(4), 653–664. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43728526