Matriarch of Israel or Misnomer? Israelite Self-Identification in Ancient Israelite Law Code and the Implications for Ruth

Abstract

This study investigates the interaction between Israelite self-identification and biblical law code concerning the integration of foreigners in ancient Israel, and the ramifications for Ruth. Scholars to date have restricted their consideration of Ruth's final status exclusively to the perspective of her contemporary community. This article challenges this view, instead taking into account the broader spectrum of ancient Israelite law code across multiple periods. In doing so, it challenges scholarship to provide a more complete picture of the Israelite societies' views on foreigners. An evaluation of the evidence concerning the biblical law code will demonstrate that the apex of the story in Ruth 4.11–12 does not represent an assignment of an Israelite-equivalent status to Ruth. The law code of the ancient Israelites at no time provided a clear path for a foreigner to become an unqualified Israelite. If this is correct, Ruth cannot be considered a bonafide Israelite; she remained a partial foreigner even after her marriage to Boaz.