Ruth "Quoque" —A Coquette? (Ruth 4:5) -- By: Murray D. Gow

Journal: Tyndale Bulletin
Volume: TYNBUL 41:2 (NA 1990)
Article: Ruth "Quoque" —A Coquette? (Ruth 4:5)
Author: Murray D. Gow

TynBul 41:2 (1990) p. 302

Ruth Quoque —A Coquette? (Ruth 4:5)1

Murray D. Gow

The recent publication of The Revised English Bible2 and its choice of translation for Ruth 4:5 gives reason to reconsider this notable crux. REB gives the following rendering:

Boaz continued: ‘On the day you take over the field from Naomi, I take over the widow, Ruth the Moabite, so as to perpetuate the name of the dead man on his holding.’

Discussion centres on two portions of the text in this verse: (i) the phrase ומאת רות המואביה (‘and from Ruth the Moabitess’), and (ii) the problem reading, Kethibh קניתי (‘I acquire’)/Qere, קנית (var. קניתה) (‘you acquire’). Considering first the Qere קנית (‘you acquire’), we note that the Hebrew syntax is problematical in that normally the verb קנה requires an object, which is lacking here. Attempts to resolve the problem abound and we shall now note some of the major proposals.3

I. Alteration Of The Punctuation

One possible solution is to retain the Masoretic text, reading the Qere, but changing the punctuation, so that the phrase ‘wife

TynBul 41:2 (1990) p. 303

of the deceased’ becomes the object of קנית.4 C.H.H. Wright mentions that one of his Mss, by placing a rebhia on המואביה, supports such a translation, but then comments, ‘This affords a good sense, but I have not found it supported by any other Mss., and it has no support from any of the ancient versions.’5 In agreement with Wright, we may note that the LXX, the most literal of the ancient versions of Ruth, clearly accords with the Masoretic punctuation here. Further, there is a certain clumsiness to this rendering, and an ambiguity concerning the reference of the phrase, ‘wife of the deceased’, as to whether it would refer to Ruth or Naomi.6

II. Emendation Of ומאת רות

We shall now consider a cluster of views which attempt to resolve the difficulty by variously emending ומאת רות on...

You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
Click here to subscribe
visitor : : uid: ()