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The Book Of Ruth Essay

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The Book of Ruth In the bible The Book of Ruth follows the story of the widowed Naomi and her two widowed daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth. Throughout the story, the three experience life during biblical times. Although the time frame of this particular passage of the bible is widely debated amongst scholars, most believe that it took place during the Period of the Judges. Through reading about these ordinary people, one can tell that their everyday life was generally uneventful. People often worked in fields to provide for their families and for generations to come. The women of the Book of Ruth lived simple lives, placing high value on loyalty to the family, the continuation of family lines, and marriage. In the everyday lives of the …show more content…

The line “Then Naomi, bereaved of her two sons as well as of her husband, got ready to return to her own country…” shows that once Naomi had no more family ties to Moab, and the famine in Judah had ended, she had motive to return to her own country, where she did have family. The importance of family ties, now in reference to ones created through marriage, can be seen when one daughter-in-law, Ruth, refuses to return to her own land and wishes to go with Naomi to Judah. At first, both daughters-in-law wanted to stay when Naomi spoke of returning to her home country. “They wept aloud and said, ‘No, we shall return you to your people.’” However, in the end Orpah returned home, remaining with her family of birth and Ruth stayed, remaining with her family of marriage. Another reference to the importance of family ties appears when the man Boaz, who is kin to Naomi, is speaking to Ruth, saying “You are proving yourself more devoted to the family than ever by not running after any young man, whether rich or poor.” Family can be assessed as being central to life in the Book of Ruth, as loyalty to family is mentioned several

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