The book of Ruth and the house of David

Abstract

Recent scholarly evaluation of the Ruth narrative has paid little attention to the Davidic connection that is explicit in the canonical book. However, if the story is read in relation to the house of David, its leading theme is the providential preservation of the family that became the Judean royal house. This thesis is supported by the fact that two out of the three traditional canonical positions assigned to the book of Ruth assume a connection with David. The genealogy in Ruth 4:18–22 forges an explicit link between the family history of the book of Ruth and David. The link with David does more than endorse the book’s message that otherwise has nothing to do with David (e.g. a critique of exogamous marriage). God’s control of events in the Ruth narrative and his ‘kindness’ toward the ancestors of David prefigure his later dealings with David and his house. Finally, key scenes in Ruth 1 and 3 (Ruth’s refusal to part from Naomi, and Ruth’s appeal to Boaz) find parallels in the life of David.