In the Hebrew Bible, the word ????? appears three times, contrary to the Korean Bible where it appears four times because Ruth 1:8b in the Korean Bible is interpreted as “as you have shown”. These problems will be solved through the understanding of Ruth 3:10.
The studies of ????? in Ruth 3:10 have repeated the discussions that have existed since Talgum’s interpretation. The atmosphere of the book of Ruth, as one of the five books read on special feasts of Israel and which includes the background of the Feast of Seven Weeks, is rural and peaceful. At the same time, the challenging life circumstances of the two women, Ruth and Naomi, who had to live in the established order of Israel, is strongly expressed. The ????? in Ruth, as the main theme, is located in these two contrasting backgrounds. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to illustrate, through a thorough study of ????? in Ruth 3:10, how Ruth along with Naomi dialogues with the established orders of Israel, that is, Levirate and Kinsman-redeeming, and pioneers through their social reality.
Boaz determines Ruth’s ????? in Ruth 3:10 as the “former” ????? and the “latter” ?????. Therefore, we can observe two kinds of ????? in Ruth. The “former” ????? starts with Ruth’s good deed which appears in Ruth 1:8. Her good deed was for the family of Elimelech, who went to Moab from Bethlehem because of severe famine, and was also expressed by her solidarity to Naomi who became a poor widow. This ?????, however, is not identified with the latter ????? in Ruth 3:10. It is related to being with Naomi for returning to Judah, her decision to find shalom in God’s guidance (1:16; 2:11), and supporting Naomi in Bethlehem. This former ????? in Ruth 1:8 lasts until the latter ????? in Ruth 3:10. In this sense, it, therefore, has a diachronic characteristic.
While the former ????? can be understood as the continuous good deed of Ruth with a diachronic feature, Ruth’s latter ????? has a synchronic feature, starting with her Halacha, dialoguing, and accepting the social system of Israel. Ruth, a poor Moabite widow, had to support Naomi in a similar situation. For this end, it was necessary for Ruth to dialogue, accept, and reinterpret Israel’s established order. Moreover, the process of admitting Ruth, a Moabite into the community of Israel is reflected in the latter ????? in Ruth 3:10. Therefore the writer of the book of Ruth demonstrates who can be admitted into the community of Israel as the true people of Yahweh through the understanding of the latter ?????.
We should therefore think whether translating ????? in Ruth 1:8b into “for your kindness (?????) to your husbands and to me” as in the Korean Bible is appropriate. As we have seen so far, Ruth 1:8b should not be interpreted as ????? from both semantic and syntactic perspectives, but rather as “as you have shown”.