Ruth
To the questions. Who was Boaz? and who was Rulh? no satisfactory answer can be given: all we know, for certain, is that Boaz was an Ephraimiie, of Bethlehem; and Buth a Moabitess, and consequently educated a Heathen. But what we want in certainty, several have attempted to supply by conjecture: with them Boaz was the same as Ibzan, Judges xii. 8 — 10.; and Ruth was the daughter of Eglon, king of Moab. This is the opinion maintained by the Chaldee Targum, on this Book; to which I shall, in the course of the Notes, have further occasion to refer. The rabbins say that Elimelech was brother to Salmon, who married Rahab; and that Naomi was his niece.
The genealogy of David, as stated in this Book, is as follows:—
This chronology is according to Archbishop Ussher; and includes, from Judah to David, six hundred and seventy years.
Year before (he romnion N'oar ofClirM, 1186. — Year from the I'looil, lir,2. — Year before the first Olympiud, 410. — Creution from Tisri, or September, 2S18. — This chronology is upon the iupposittou that Obed wat forty years of «ge at the birth of Jesse; and Jesse fifty at the birth of David.
F.limdcch, his wife Naomi, and their tvso sons, Mahlon and Chilian, Jlcefrom a famine in the land of Israel, and go to sojourn in flfoiib, 1, 2. J/cre his two sons married; and, in the space of ten years, both their father and the)/ died, 3 — (). Naomi sets out on her return to her ozcn cotnttri/, accompanied by her daughtcrs-in-laxu Orpah and Ruth; ichom she endeavours to persuade to return to their otcn people, 7 — 13. Orpah returns, but Ruth accompanies her mother-in-law, 14 — 18. They arrive at Bethlehem in the lime of the barley harvest, 19—22.
NOW it came to pass in the j'judali went to sojourn in the country days when ' the judc^es ^ ruled
lliat Ihfie was 'a famine in the land. And a certain man of '' Bethlehem-
Verse 1. When the judges ruled] We know not under what iudge this hnppened; some say under Ehud, others under Shamgar. — See the Priface.
There icas a Janiine^ Probably occasioned by the depredations of the Philistines, Ammonites, &c. carrying oti" the corn as soon as it was ripe; or destroying it on the field.
The Targum says, " God has decreed ten grievous famines to fake place in the world, to punish the inhabitants of the earth, before the coming of Me^iah the King. The^rst, in the days of Adam; the second, iu the days of Lamech; the third, iu the days of Abraham; the /our/A, in the days of INIoab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. 2 And the name of the man was of Isaac; the Jifth, in the days of Jacob; the sixth, in the Hays of Boaz, who is called Abtsan, (Ibzan,) the Just, of Bethlehem Judah; the seventh, iu the day* of Darid, king of Israel; the eighth, in the days of Elijah the prophet; the ninth, in the day.- of Kli^hah, in San-.aria; the tenth is yet to come; and it is not a famine of Oread or of voter, but of hearing the word of prophecy from the mouth of the Lord; and even now this famine is grievous in the land of Israel."
%!^c..Tm. Elimelech, and the name of his wife An. Exod. isr. Naomi, and the name of his two sons
Anno ante I. Mahlon and Chilion, 'Ephrathites oiymp^4io^ of Bcth-lehem-judah. And they came
*" into the country of Moab, and ' continued
3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died, and she was left, and her two sons.
4 And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.
5 And INIahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
■^B.c.mf" 6 H Then she arose with her An.Exwi.UT. daughters-in-law, that she might Anno ante 1. rctum from the country of Moab:
"'^'"P-'""- for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had "^ visited his people in ° giving them bread.
7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.
8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters-inlaw, 'Go, return each to her mother's house:
' the Lord deal kindly with you, as g" ^ ' fnt ye have dealt with *' tlie dead, and An. Exod. i=i.
9 The Lord grant you that ye ^'^''^■A^ may find ' rest, each oj'ytm in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
10 And they said unto her. Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.
11 And Naomi said. Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, '' that they may be your husbands?
12 Turn again, my daughters, go 3/o?<r w;«y; for I am too old to have an husband. If I
"tarry for them till they were ye stay for them from having my daughters; for ■■ it grieveth
Verse 4. And they took them mves] The Targum very properly observes, that they transgressed the decree of the zsord of the Lord, and took to themselves strange women.
Verse 5. And Mahlon and Chilion died] The Targum adds, And because they transgressed the decree of the word of the Lord, and Joined affinity with strange people, therefore their days icere cut off. It is very likely that there is more here than conjecture.
Verse 6. She had heard] By the mouth of an angel,! says the Targum. i
The Lord had visited his people] " Because of the j righteousness of Ibzan the judge, and because of the supplications of pious Boaz." — Targum.
It is imagined, and not without probability, that Mahlon and Chilion are the same with Joash and Saraph, mentioned 1 Chron. iv. 2^., where the Hebrew should be thus translated, And Joash and Saraph, who married in Moab, and 'lacelt in Lehem. — See the Hebrew.
me much for your sakes, that ° the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.
14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah *■ kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth ''clave unto her.
15 And she said. Behold, thy sister-in-law is
spoken in allusion to the custom that when a married brother died, without leaving posterity, his brother should take his widow; and the children of such a marriage were accounted the children of the deceased brother. There is something very persuasive and affecting in the address of Naomi to her daughters-in-law: — Let us observe the particulars.
4. That though she should marry that night, and have children, yet they could not wait till such sons were marriageable: she, therefore, begs them to return to their own country, where they might be comfortably settled among their own kindred.
Verse 14. And Oipah kissed her mother-in-lazo] The Septuagint add, Kai tirsfpe'l'c f'f tov Aaov aurr,f, And returned to her own people. The Vulgate, Syriac, and Arabic, are to the same purpose.
not to leave thee, or to return from foljovvinf:; afler (liec: for uliltlicr thou fjooHt, I will fro; find where Iliou I(itlf;cs(, I will lodge: " tliy people shall be my people, and tiiy Ciod my God:
17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: 'the Loan do so to me, and more niso. >!' nu^hl but death part thee and me.
IS "^ >\'luii she saw that she *■ was stcdfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.
]9 II So they two went until they came to
bably hofh idolaters: their having been proselytes is an unfounded conjecture. Chemosh was the grand idol of the Monbites. The conversion of ilulh probably commenced at this lime.
Verse 16. And Ruth said] A more perfect surrender was never made of friendly feelings to a friend: / icill not leave thee; 1 will follow thee: / Kill lodge ichere thou lodges!; take the fnnae fare with which thou ineetest: — llij/ people shall be my people; 1 most cheerfully abandon my own country, and determine to end my days in thine. I isitl also, henceforth, have no god but thy God; and be joined with thee in worship as I am in atlection and consanguinity. I will cUaTe unto thee even unto death, die ithere thou diest, and be buried, if possible, in the same grave. This was a most e.vtraordinary attachmeni, and evidently without any secular motive.
The Targum adds several things to this conversation between Naomi and Ruth: I shall subjoin them. "And Iluth said, Kntreal nie not to leave thee, /or I desire to become a proselyte." And Naomi said, H'e are commanded to keep (he sabbath, and alher holy d,iys; and on it not to travel more than two thonsand cubits. — ytnd Ruth said, " Whither thou goest I will go." And Naomi said, We are commanded not to lodge tsith the Gentiles. — Ruth anszcered, "Where thou lodgcst 1 will lodge." And Naomi said, He arc commanded to observe the one hundred and thirteen precrpfs. — Ruth ans-^ered, Jl'hat thy people observe, that isill I observe; as if they had been my people of old. And Naomi said, ff'e are commanded not to icorship icith any strange zcorship. — Ruth twss:ered, " Thy God i-hall be my God." Naomi said, H'e have Jour kinds of capital punishments for criminals; start' ing, burning, beheading, and hanging. — Ruth ansrzercd, " In whatsoever manner thou diest, I will die." Naomi said) fVe yO And she said unto them, ("all mc not ' Naomi, rail me "' Mara: for the.Minightv hath dealt very bitlerly vvitii me.
21 I went out full, 'and the Lord hath lirmif^lit nie home again oinpiv: ^^hy thtri tall \e rue Naomi, seeing the Loan hath testified against me, and the Almighly hath aHliticd me?
22 So Naomi relumed, and niilh the Moabitess, her daugiiter in law, with her, which returned out (if the country of IMoab: and they came to IJethlehciii " in the beginning of barley harvest.
have a house of burial. — Ruth anmereif " And there will I be buried."
It is sery likely that some such conversation as this took place between the ciders and thoie who were becoming proselytes. This verse is famous among those who strive to divine by the Bible. I should relate the particulars, but am afraid they might lead to a continuance of the practice.
Verse 17. The Lonn do so to me, and more].Mav lie inflict any of those punishments on me, and any worse |)unishment, if I part from thee till death. And it appears that jhe was true to her engagement; for Naomi was nourished in ihe house of Boaz in her old age, and became the I fosterer and nurse of their son Obed, chap. iv. 15, IC.
Verse 19. All the city tras moved about them] It appears that Naomi was not only well known, but highly respected also, at Bethlehem; a proof that Elimelech was of high consideration in that place.
Verse 20. Call me Mara] That is, bitter; one whose life is grievous to her.
The Almighty] ns Shaddy, He who is self-sufficient has taken away the props and supports of my life.
The Lord hath brought me home again empfii] HaviDg lost all three by death. It is also likely ihnt F.limelech took considerable property with him into the land of Moab; for, as he fled from the face of the famine, he would naturally take his property with him; and on this Naomi subsisted till her return to Bethlehem, which she mightnothave thought of till all was spent.
Verse 22. In the beginning of barley ^harvest.] This was in the beginning of spring, for the barley harvest began immediately after the pass-over; and that feast was held
The Targum says, " They came to Bethlehem on that day, in which the children of Israel began to mow the sheaf of barley which was to be waived before the Lord." This circumstance is the more distinctly marked, because of Ruth's gleaning, mentioned in the succeeding chapter.
1. The native, the amiable simplicity in which the story of the preceding chapter is told, is a proof of its genuineness. There are several sympathetic circumstances recorded here which no forger could have invented. There is too much of nature to admit any thing of art.
2. On the marriage of Orpah and Ruth, and the wish of Naomi that they might find rest in the house of their husbands, there are some pious and sensible observations in Mr. Ness's History and Mystery of the Book of Ruth; from which I shall lay the following extract before my readers:
" A married estate is a state of rest: so it is called here, and in chap. iii. 1. Hence marriage is called partus juventutis, the ]}ort or haven of young people; whose affections, while unmarried, are continuMy floating, or iossedto and fro, like a shijj upon the zcaters, till they come into this hapjty har-
bour. There is a natural propension in most persons towards nuptial '■ommunion; as all created bpings have a natural tendency towards their proper centre, (/ere surstim, et grave dcorsiun,) and are restless out of it: so the R.abbins say, Requiret vir costam suani, et requiret fwmina sedem suam, ' Tlie man is restless while he misses liis rib that was taken out of his side, and the woman is restless till she get under the man's arm, from whence she was taken.' Oh! look up to God then, ye unmarried ones, and cry with good Naomi, The Lord grant me rest, (for my roving affections,) in the house of some good consort, that I may live in peace and plenty, with content and comfort, all my days. Know that your marriage is, (of all your civil affairs,) of the greatest importance, having an influence upon your whole life. It is either your making or marring in this world; 'tis like a stratagem in war, wherein a miscarriage cannot be recalled when we will; for we marry for life. I am thine, and thou art mine, brevis quidem cantiuncula est, is a short song; sed longum habct epiphonema, but it hath a long under-song. So an error here is irrecoverable; you have need of Argus's hundred eyes, to look withal before you leap." This is good advice: — but who, among the persons concerned, will have grace enough to take it?
Ruth goes to glean in the Jield of Boas, 1 — 3. Boaz finds her, and inquires who she is, 4 — 7. He speaks kindly to her, gives her permission to follow his reapers, and orders them to use her well, 8—16. She returns in the evening to Naomi, and tells her of her fare; from whom she receives encouragement and advice, 17 — 23.
ND Naomi had a * kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealthy of the family of Elimelech; and his name was ^ Boaz. "
Verse 1. A mighty man of zzealtli] We have already seen that some suppose Boaz to have been one of the judges of Israel: he was, no doubt, a man of considerable property.
Verse 2. Glean ears of corn'] The word glean comes from the French glaner, to gather ears, or grains of corn. This was formerly a general custom in England and Ireland: the poor went into the fields, and collected the straggling cars of corn after the reapers; and it was long supposed that this was their right, and that the laio recognized it. But although it has been au old custom, I find that it is now set-
2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and ^ glean ears of corn after him in whose sisht I shall find
tied by a solemn judgment of the court of Common Pleas, that a right to glean in the harvest field cannot be claimed by any person at common law: see Laic Dictionary, article gleaning. Any person may permit or prevent it in his own grounds. By the Irish acts, 25 Hen. VIII. c. 1. and 2H Hen. VIII. c. 24. gleaning and leasing are so restricted as to be, in fact, prohibited in that part of the United Kingdom.— See the Note on Lev. xix. 10.
jtfter him in whose sight I shall find grace] She did not mean Boaz: but she purposed to go out v.'heie they were now reaping, and glean after ««_j/^JC/'io« who might permit her, or use her in a friendly manner. The words seem to in-
Aiii,,..int.- I..'{ And slic went,:iiid riiriic,:md obmi'. iiKi. p|,.i,„p(i i„ ii„. litld iiltcr tin- millers: and licr " Imp wuh to lifrlil on a part of (lie field hrlnv'j;ruv; unit) Hoaz, who UY/.s of the kindred ot lilinu'lecli.
4 II And, behold, lioaz came from Ik-thlchem, nnd said tinlo liic reapers, '' 'I'lie Loito/n with you. And they answered iiini, Tlie liono bless thcc.
5 Then said Uoaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers. Whose damsel /.s this?
timntc thai, iiotwithslaiuling llic law of Mose.s, the gleaners niiglit be preveiilcil liy the owner of tlio field.
Verse 3. And her hap tsas^ So she was accidentaltjj, or providcntiallj/, led to that part of the cultivated country Mhiili belonged to Uoaz.
Verso 4. Bua: came from Bethlehem] This salutation between Boaz and his reapers is worthy of particular regard: he said, DJOV nw Ychovuh immakem, " Jehovah be with jon!" Thej/ said, ni.T 13-13' I'ebrekeka Yehovah, " May Jehovah bless thee!" Can a |)ious mind read these godly salutations without wishing for a return of those simple primitive times? The words may be thus paraphrasi'd: " May (iod bo with you, to preserve you from accidents, and strengthen you to accomplish your work!'' " May God bless riii:r. with the increase of the field, and grace to use His bounty to the glory of the Giver!"
Verse 5. IJis servant that teas set over the reapers] This was a kind of steward, or hind, who had (he under management of the estate. Some think that an ojjiccr of this kind is intended in (he description given by Ilomrr of the labours of a harvest field, as represented by Vulcan on one compartment of the shield which he made for Achilles: —
(') And the Bcrvanl that waH BCt u.t'.'im.' over the rcapcrH answered and said, •^"' ^»^- •♦'• It in th(! Moabitish damsel ' that Aimoiuiic i. <;ame back with Naomi out ol the country of Moab:
7 And she said, 1 pray you, let me f^lean and leather after the reapers amoiif; the sheaven: so she came, and hath continued even from tlie morning tintil now, that she tarried a little in the
8 Then said Boaz unto Buth, Hearest llion not, my daufi^hter ' (jo not to f^lean in another field, iieillicr f^o from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:
There (oo he formed the likeness of a field Crowded with corn, in which the reapers toll'd, Kach with a sharp toodi'd sickle in his hand. Along the furrow here, the harvest fell In frequent handfuls; there, they bound the sheares. Throe binders of the sheaves their sultry (ask All plied industrious; and behind them boys Attended, filling with the corti their arms, And offering still their bundles to be bound. yimid them, staff in hand, the master stood, Eiijoj/ing, mute, the order of the field: While shaded by an oak apart, his train Prepared the ban(|uet; a well thriven ox New slain, and the attendant maidens mix'd Large supper for the hinds, of whitest flour.
This scene is well described; and the person who act= as overseer is here called ^X7ikt:;, king, and his staff is called (rxr,rsov, a sceptre; and he stands in mute dignify, merely to see that the work is well done, and that each performs his task: and there appear to me to be gleaners in the description — "/:. the buys icho gather the handfuls after the three binders.- — See the Greek.
\'erse 7. That she tarried a lUllc in the house.] It seems as if the reapers were now resting in their tcni; and that Ruth had just goue in with them, to take her rc;t also.
Verse 8. Abide here fast by my maidens] These were probably employed in making bojuls, and laying on them enough to form a sheaf, which the binders would tie and form into shocks or thravcs. When the maidens had gathered up the scattered handfuls thrown down by the reapers, Ruth picked up any straggling heads or ears which, thejr had lelt.
B.f.wi: 9 Let thine eyes be on the field ^"^ ^^9;'- ''■• that they do reap, and go thou after Anno ante I. them: have I not charged the youngmen that they shall not touch thee?
and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.
10 Then she ^ fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him. Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?
1 1 And Boaz answered and said unto her. It hath fully been shewed me, ""all that thou hast done unto thy mother in-law since the death of thine husband: and hoio thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
12 " The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, ^ under whose wings thou art come to trust.
Verse 9. The young men that they shall not touch theel This was peculiarly necessary, as she was a stranger, and unprotected.
Verse 10. Then she fell on her face'\ Prostrated herself, as was the custom in the East when inferiors approached those of superior rank. The Targuin adds to the conversation between Ruth and Boaz: " How, says she, have I obtained grace in thy sight that thou shouldst acknowledge nie who am a stranger, and one of the daughters of Moab, of ■whom it is said the unclean shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord? And Boaz answered. It has been certainly told rae by the word of the wise, that what the Lord hath decreed he has not decreed concerning the wo/nen, but the men. And it has been surely said to me by prophecy, that kings and prophets shall proceed from thee because of the good which thou hast done," &c.
Verse 12. The Lord recompense thy zoorlc'] The dutiful respect which thou hast paid to tliy husband, and thy tender and affpctionate attachment to thy aged mother-in-law.
And a full reteard be given thee'] This is spoken with great modesty and piety: the kindness I shew thee is little in comparison of thy desert; God alone can give thee a ull reward for thy kindness to thy husband and mother-in-law: and He will do it, because thou art come to trust under his tilings; to become a /wo.?e/y?e to His religion. The metaphoi is takea from the young of fowls; who, seeing a bird of
13 Then she said, 'Let^ me find "li.^.fffff; favour in thy sight, my lord; for that ^"- k*?<'- i*fthou hast comforted me, and for that Anno ante i. thou hast spoken ^friendly unto thine "'•■"'': ^^ handmaid, *■ though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.
14 And Boaz said unto her. At meal-time come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and lie reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and ' was sufficed, and left.
15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying. Let her glean even among the sheaves, and '' reproach her not:
16 And let fall also some of thehandfulsof purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.
18 H And she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother-in-law saw what she had
prey, run to their mother to be covered by her wings from danger; and also take shelter from storms, tempests, cold, &c. It is evident from this, that Ruth had already attached herself to the Jewish religion.
Verse 13. Not like unto one of thine handmaidens.^ I am as unworthy of thy regards as any of thy own maid servants; and yet thou shewest me distinguished kindness.
Verse 14. Dip thy morsel in the vinegar] The yi^nchomets, which we here translate vinegar, seems to have been some refreshing kind of acid sauce used by the reapers to dip their bread in, which both cooled and refreshed them. Vinegar., robb of fruits, &c. are used for this purpose in the East to the present day. And the custom of the Arabs, according to Dr. Shaw, is to dip the bread and hand together into these cooling and refreshing articles.
ParcAerfcorn] This was a frequent repast among the ancients in almost all countries: see the Notes on Lev. ii,
Verse 15. Let her glean even among the sheaves] This was a privilege; for no person.should glean till the sheaves were all bound, and the shocks set up.
Verse 17. Jn ephah of barley.] Not less than seven gallons and a half; a good day's work. — On Hebrew measures of capacity see the Note on Exod. xvi. 16.
Verse 18. Jnd gave to her that she had reserved] As Ruth had received a distinct portion at dinner time, of t)i>m,.. UK). j,j ^ii^l ||j.|. „„,i||,T-in-Iii\v Huid unto luT, ^VIl(M•c liast tlion fi;:l{'iinod lo day? iind ulii re \vi(m-;lil(S( llioii? hlosscd he lie that [ did ''(al<c kiiowlcdi;-.' ol" llu'c. And sIk! slievvcd Ikt motlKT-in-law willi wlioni sIic liad wronglit, and said. Tlic man's nanu^ witli ulioin \ wrouglil to day '"^ lioa/..
tiO And Naomi said unto licr dan<;iit(r-inlavv, ■' IJIi'ssod lir lie of llii' liOiiO, who '' lialli not li-l't olV liis kindness (o tli(> liviiifv and to tlu' (load. And Naomi said nnio licr, ''I'lic man h uliicli s.hi» had more (liaii slio could cat, ver. 14.; it opiM-ars she brought the rest home to her mother-in-law, as is lierc related.
V'orse '20. To /he livim; and to the dcad'\ Naomi and lUith were the living; and they were also the representatives of Eli'iielcch and Chiliun, who were dead. iS';iomi was of the fdwili); and Ruth, tliough not of (he family, was a represent ill ive of one of its deceased brandies, being the itidozs of Chilion.
One of our next kinsmen.'] irSxJO Mei^oulej/nu, of our redeemers; one who has the right to redeem the forfeited inheriianre of the family. The word Skj i;oel, 'ignifies a 7ieiir kin.iman; one who, by the.Mosaic law. had a right to redeem an inheritance, and also was permitted to vindicate or revenge the death of his relation by killing the slayer, if he found him out of the cities of refuge.
In Older to prevent families from running to decay, if a brother died childless, the next unmarried brother took his widow; and the children from that marriage were reputed the ch'Ulrcii of the deceased brother. Tlie office of the next akin was threefold: — 1. If!)elonged to him to buy back the forfeited inheritance, or (he liberty of him who had been obliged to sell himself for a servant. 2. It was his right tn avenge the blood of any of the family who had been killed, by killing the murderer. 3. [t belonged to him to take the widow of a deceased brother, or relative, if he died childless, [f the nearest akin in any case refused, he was treated with indignity, lost his right to the inheritance, and the next of kin to him might come forward and take the widow, &c.; as in the ca>e of Boaz. — See cliap. iv.
Verse 21. Keep fast by my young men] The word O'li'jn bana6rim, should be translated servants, both the male and female being included in it; the latter especially, as we see in ver. 2'2, 23.
21 And lliilli llic Moaljitohs (.aid, Annnamri, lie said unto inc also, Thou shall '"''■ koi^p fast by my youn{j men, until they lr.ive entled all my harvest.
22 And Naomi said unto I^utli her dau^^htcrin-law. It is good, my dauf,^liter, that thou q;o out with his maidens, that they ' meet thee not in any oilier held.
23 8o she kept fast by the maidens of IJoaz lo f;lean nnlo the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt witii her motherin-law.
Verse 23. jind of zcheat harvest'] That is, she was to continue gleaning in the farm of lioaz, to the end of the barley harvest; and (hen, when the tzheat harvest began, to continue to itj conclusioii in the same way- la the iuterim, as well as each night, she lodged with her motherin-law.
1. Ruth seems to hare been a womanof a rery amiable mind: she was modest, and she was indnstriout, and most probably a comely woman; and all these things served to attract the attention of l$oaz, and to engage his affection. Her attachment also to her mother-in-law could not fail to secure hi<i esteem. All these things worked together, in the course of Providence, to bring about a matrimonial connection; which, in its issue, was intimately connected with the salvation of a lost world; for, from this very line, Jesus Christ, according to the flesh, sprang: and Ruth shewed herself as worthy to be one of His progenitors as the Virgin Mary was to be His mother. — See the Notes on Matt chap. i.
2. We should carefully attend to the /eat/Z/i^^ and to the zoorkings of God's Providence; it is our duty and our interest to do both, for the path of duty is ever the way of safety. Had not Ruth acted thus, how dreary and uncomfortable must her life have been; but she followed God fully, and in a path apparently dangerous, and yet not only sustained no injury, but succeeded well in all things: from this, as well as from innumerable other circumstances, we see the truth of that word, Acknozzledge him in all thy zsays, and he zcill direct thy steps..\nd with this we may ever connect. Trust in the Lord zcith thy tchole heart, and lean not to thy oven understanding. Whosoever follows God in simplicity of heart will most assuredly be guided into all truth.
Naomi's advice to Ruth, how to procure herself a marriage with Boa::, 1 — 5. She acts according to her motherin-law's direction, and is Icindlj/ received hy Boaz, who promises to marry her, should her nearer hinsman refuse, 6 — 13. He gives her six measures of barley, and sends her away privately to her mother-in-law, zcho augurs favourably of the issue of the plan she had laid, H — 18.
HEN Naomi her mother-inlaw said unto hei% My daughter, ^ shall I not seek '' rest for thee^ that it may be well with thee?
2 And now is not Boaz of our kindred, "with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshing—floor.
3 Wash thyself therefore, "^ and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eatingand drinking-.
4 And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and
Verse 1. Shall I nut seek rest for thee'] That is, shall I not endeavour to procure thee a proper husband? — See chap. i. 9., and the observations at the end of that chapter.
Verse 2. lie winnoznetli barlei/ to night'] It is very likely that the winnowing of grain was eftected by taking up in a broad thin vessel, or sieve, a portion of the corn, and letting it down slowly in the wind: thus the grain would, by its own weight, fall in one place, while the chajf, See. would be carried to a distance by the wind. It is said here tliat this was done al night: probably what w as threshed out in the day was winnowed in the evening, when the sea breeze set in, which was common in Palestine; and as this took place in the evening only, that was the time in which they would naturally winnow their corn.
Verse 3. Wash thyself therefore'] She made Ruth put on her best dress, that Boaz might, in the course of the day, be the more attracted by her person; and bo the better disposed to receive her as Naomi wished.
Verse 1. Uncover his feet, and lujj thee do<£7i] It is said that women in the East, when going to tlie bed of their lawful husbands, through modesty, and in token of subjection, go to tiic bed's foot, and gently laising tlie clotiies, creep under them up to their proper place. — See Calmct.
lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.
5 And she said unto her. All that thou sayest unto me I will do.
6 1 And she went down unto and did according bade her.
7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and ' his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end came softly.
8 And it came to pass at man was afraid, and "' turned hold, a woman lay at his feet.
On the whole, we must say, had not Boaz been a person of extraordinary piety, prudence, and continence, this experiment might have been fatal to Ruth. We cannot easily account for this transaction: probably Naomi knew more than she revealed to her daughter-in-law. The experiment, however, was dangerous, and should in no sense be imitated.
He will tell thee tchat thou shalt do.] The Targum reads the clause thus; " Thuii shalt ask counsel from him, and he shall tell thee what tliou shouldst do."
Verse 7. When Boaz had eaten and drunk] The 2'argum adds, " lie blessed the name of tlie Lord, who had heard his prayer, and removed famine from the land of Israel."
Went to lie dozen] As the threshing floors of the eastern nations are, in general, in the open eiir, it is very likely that the owner, or some confidential person, continued in the fields till the grain was secured, having a tent in the place where the corn was threshed and winnowed. Boaz seems to have acted thus.
Verse 8. The man zcds afraid, and turned himself] The verb Hi)'?'' i/illaphelh, wliicli we render he turned himself, has puzzled even the Taruunii>t, who translates the clause thus: "The man trembled, and his flesh became like a (boiled) tarnip
10 And hf Hiiid, '' HIcsscd he llioii ol' llic IjOitn, my daiiglilcr: for llmii liast slicucd nioro kiiid- 11CSS ill the li'.ttor cud than 'at the hcfrinniiig, inii'-much as thon lollowcdsl not v'ninf^' men, AvliolhiT pour or rich
11 And now, m\ (hininhtor, fear not; I will do to tliec all that, thon re(|iiirest: for all the ' eity of my people doth know that thou «/•/ "^nvirtiions woman.
12 And now it is Irne tiiat I (ini lliij '' near kinsman: hovvbeit ' there is a kinsman nearer than I.
^I'morninf;-, Uial if he will '■perform ^i.c-'ifrT' unto thee the part of a kinHiiian, An. Kiud. i»r. well; let him do the kinsman's pari: Ann..iinui. i)nt if he will not do llic part of a '"'''■ kinHman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, 'aw the Lonn livelh: lie down nnlil (Ik; morning.
14 'l And she lay at his feet until the morninp^: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, '" l^et it not be known ' that a woman eame into the floor.
Ij,\lso he said, Hrin;;: the "vail that Ihon Jiasl upon thee, and hold it..\iid when she lield it, he measured si.\ j/icasurcs of barley, and laid // on her: and she went into the city.
1(5.\nd when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, >\ ho art thou, my daughter-.\nd tlirou!;1l fear." It is fully evident Boaz had no intimation of the present proceedings. To this verse the Targumist adds much: he says, " IJoaz subdued his concupiscence, and acted towards her as Joseph ilid to (lie F,;;) ptian wife of his niasler, and as I'elaliel, the son of Lai>li (lie pious, did (o Michnl, the daughter of Saul, the v»ifc of Uavid, who put a sword between Michal and himself, because he would not approach to her."
Verse 9. Spread therefore thy skirl over thine handmaid'\ Hebrew, spread Ihjj zcing. The w/n"- is the emblem of ^jroteclion; and is a metapiior taken from the young of fowls, which run under the wings of their mothers, that they maybe saved from birds of prey. The meaning here is, lake iiic to thee Jur tcifc; and so the Targum has tran^lated it, Let thij name be called on thy handmaid to take me for wife, because thou art the redeemer: i.e. Thou art the 'rxJ!;oel, the kinsman to whom the right of redemption belongs. — See on chap. ii. 20. Even to the present day, when a Jew marries a woman, he throns the shirt, or end of his talith, ofcr her, to signify that he has taken her under his protection.
Verse 10. In the latter end than at the beginning"] It is not easy to find out what 15oaz means. Perhaps tsn chased, which we translate kindness, mentis piety; as if he had said, Thou hast given great proof of thy piety in this latter instance, when thou hast avoided the young, and those of thy own age, to assorialc thyself with an elderly man, merely for the purpose of having the Divine injunction fulfilled; r/;. that the brother, or ne.xt akin, might take the wife of the deceased, and raise a family to him who had dipd childless, that Ms name might not become extiuct iu Israel: this latter act is a greater proof of thy piety and sincerity, than any thing that could be inferred from thy becoming a proselyte.
Whether pour or rich.] So it appears from iWi-, that it was not to mend her condition in life that Ru(lieiideavoure<l to get Boaz for her husband, for she might have had a rich young man; but she preferred the building up the house of her deceased husband. — See above.
Verse VI. There is a kinsman nearer than /.] It is very likely that Naomi was not acquainted with this circumstance. Some have supposed that there was a brother of Eliroelech remaining, who was nearer than Boaz, who is supposed to have been only a ncphcx;: the former, therefore, must bars a prior right.
Verse 13..\s Ihe Lono livelh'] Thus he bound himself by an oath to take her to wife, if the other should refuse.
Verse 1 5. Bring the vail] rr^sxiyzn hanti/pachath: this seems to have been a cloak, plaid, or what the Arabs call hyke, which has been largely explained elsewhere. — See Judges xiv. 1'2.
Six measures of barley] We supply the word measures, for the Hebrew mentions no quantify. The Targum renders six seahs J'kd.■'•>? shilh se'in. A seah was about teo gallons and a half, which must have been a very large load for a woman; and so the Targumist thought, for he addi, And she received strength from the Lord to carry if. If the omer be meant, which is about six pints, the load would not be so great, as this would amonot to but about/our gallons and a half; a very goodly presest, r.nd much more th.in she could have got by gleaning. The Tarsum says, that on re.
^B.anfl; she told her all that the man had
ceiving these six measures, " it was said, in the spirit of prophecy, that from her should proceed the six righteous personsof the woOd: viz. David, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and the King Messiah; each of whom should be blessed with six benedictions." It is, however, remarkable, that the Targum makes the Messiah to spring from her through the line of David, and goes down to Daniel and his companions; which Daniel prophesied so clearly, not only
18 Then said she, ^ Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fail: for the man will not he in rest, '' until lie have finished the thing this day.
of the advent of Messiah the Prince; but also of the very time in which He was to come, and the sacri/ecial death He was to die.,^
Verse 1 8. Until thou know hozc the mutter zcill fall'] That is, whether he who is nearer of kin than Boaz will take thee to wife: do not return again (ill this thing is determined. Boaz lost no time to bring this to an issue, as we shall see in the following chapter.
Boaz gathers a council of the elders at the city gate, states the case, and proposes to the nearest kinsman to redeem the inheritance of Elimelech, and take Ruth to wife, 1 — 5. The kinsman i-efuses, and relinquishes his right to Boaz, 6. The manner of redemption in such cases, 7, 8. Boaz redeems the inheritance in the presence of the elders, and of the people; who witness the contract, and pray for God's blessing upon the marriage, 9 — 12. Boaz takes Ruth for wife, and she bears a son, 13. The people's observations on the birth of the child, J 4, 15. It is given to Naomi to nurse, IQ. The neighbouring women name the child, and the Book concludes with the genealogy of David, 17 — 22.
HEN went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, 'the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom
Verse 1. Then went Boaz up to the gate'] We have often had occasion to remark, that the gate or entrance to any city or town was the place where the court of justice was ordinarily kp[)t. — For an account of the officers in such places, sec the Note on Deut. xvi. 18.
Ho, such a one! — sit dozen here.] This familiar mode of compellation is first used here. The original is uVs n3 nsu' 'JJdVk Shebah poh, Peloni Almoni! Hark ijel Mr. Such-aone, of such a place; come and sit down here. This is used when the person of the individual is known, and his name and residence unknown: — •'irh^! almoni comes from obnalam, he was hidden; hence the Septuagint render it by y.pvi^i, thou unknown person, 'iVs Peloni, comes from rbs palah,
he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of * the
to sever, or distinguish. Ycu, of such a particular place. Modes of compellation of this kind are common in all languages.
Verse 2. lie took ten men] Probably it required this number to constitute a couit. How simple, and how rational, was this procoeding! — 1. The man who had a suit, went to the city gates. 2. Here he stopped, till the person uith whom he had the suit came to the gate, on his way to his work. 3. He called him by name, and he stopped and sat down. 4. Then ten ciders were called, and they came and sat down. 5. AVhen all this was done, the appellant preferred his suit. 6. Then the appellee returned his answer. 7. When the elders hearl the case, and the response of the appellee, they pronounced judgment; which judg- oiymp. luo. js^.„„„i that is come ii-ain out of tlio country of!\loab, scllclli a pan^cl of land, wliirli wan our I)ri)tlicr l-'JimclocIrs:
4 And " I llioiii;lil In advertise tlico, sayinj!^, ""lUiy it 'before tlie iiilialjilants, and before tlie ciders of my people. If tlion will redeem it, redeem it: but if lliou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, (hat I may know: '' for there is none to redeem it beside lliee; and I am after thcc. And he said, I will redeem it.
.5 Then said I5oa/,, What day tiiou bnyest the field of (he hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also (d" ihith the Moabitess, the wife of (he dead, 'to raise uj) the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
mcnt was always according to the custom of the place. 8. ^\'hpIl (liis was doiip, the people wlio happened (o be present, witnessed tlie issue. And thus the business was settled, without lawyers, or legal casuistiy..\ question of this kind, in one of our courts of justice, in these enlightened time;, would require many days' previous preparation of the attorney, and several hours' arguing between counsellor Bothcrum and counsellor liorum, till even an enlightened and conscientious judge would find it extremely difficult to decide whether Naomi might sell her oizn land; and whether lioaz or Pcloni might 6'/y it! O! glonous uncertainty of modern law!
Verse 3. Naomi — sellelh a parcel of land] She was reduced to want, the immediate inheritors were extinct, and it was now open for the next heir to purchase the land, and thus preserve the inheritance in the family according to the custom of Israel.
Verse 4. I thought lo advertise tliee] Both Dr. Kennicotl and Father Iloub/gunl have noticed several corruptions in the pronouns of this and the following verses; ai\d Ihoir criticisms have been confirmed by a great number of MSS. since collated, The text corrected, reads thus: — " And [ said I will reveal this to thy ear, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt rcdeeni it, redeem it; but if thou wilt not redeeem it, tell me, that 1 may know: for there is none to redeem it but thou, and I, who am next to thee. And he said, I will redeem it. And Boaz said, In the day that tlu^u redeemest the land from the hand of Naomi, thou wilt aUo acquire Ruth, the wife of the dead, that thou mayest raise up the it for myself, lest I mar mine own ac.'in? iiiherilancc: redeem thou my riirht An. luod. i«r. to tli\sell; lor 1 cannot redeem it. Anouaaui.
7 *Now this was the tiunmer in '"^"•p- <«>• former time in Israel conternitif^ redeeminj^ and coiicernini;- chani^inj;-, for to confirm all tliingi}; a man [dm ked olf his shoe, and ijavc it to hit nein^hbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.
H Tlierefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew olf his slnie.
9 II And Boaz said unto the elders, and initu all the people, Ve arc witnesses this day, that I have b()Uf;lit all that was Klimelet li'<, and all that was Chilion's and.Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi.
10.Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahloii, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upf>n his inheritance, '"that the name of the dead be not cut
name of the dead upon his inheritance." vcr. 4 and.S. — See Kcnnicotl's Dissertations, Vol. I. png. MO. Iloubigant in loco, and the Varix Lcctiones of Kennicott and De Rosii. This is Boaz' statement of the case before the kinsman, and before the people and the elders.
/ z:ill redeem it.] I will pay dov»n the money which it is worth. He knew not of the following condition.
Verse 5. Thou must biiif it also of liuthj More properly. Thou zcill also acquire Ruth. Thou canst not get the land without taking the wife of the deceased; and then the children which thou mayest have shall be reputed the children of Chilion, thy deceased kinsman.
Verse 6. / cannot redeem it for mj/self] The Targum gives the proper sense of this passage: — " And the kinsman said, On this ground I cannot redeem it, because I hare a wife already; and i have no desire to take another, lest there should be contention in my house, and I should become a corruptor of my inheritance. Do thou redeem if, for thou ha t no wife; for I cannot redeem it." This needs no comment.
Verse 7. A man plucked off his shoe] The law of such a case is given at large in Deut. xxv. 5 — 9. It was simply this: — If a brother, who had marrietl a wife, died without children, the eldest unmarried brother was to take the widow, and raise up a family to the brother deceased; and he had the right to redeem the inheritance, if it had been alienated. But if the person who had the right of redemption would not take the woman, she was to pull olf his shoe, and spit in his face; and he was ever after considered as a disgraced man. In the present case, the shoe only is ac.'ff's'." off from among his brethren, and An. ExoH. isr. from the ffate of his place: ve are\
the gate, and the elders, said. We are witnesses. | " The Lord make this woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did ''build the hon^e of Israel: and ''do thou worthily in ^ Ephratah, and be " famous in Beth-lehem:
12 And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, ' whom Taniar bare unto Judah, of ^the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman.
taken off; probably becanse the circumstances of the man were such as to render it improper for him to redeem the ground, and take Ruth to his wife: and because of this reasonable excuse, the contemptuous part of the ceremony is omitted. — See the Note on Deut. xxv. 9.
Verse 11. We are zeitnesses^ It is not very likely that any writing was drawn up. There was an appeal made to the people then present, whether they had seen and understood the transaction? Who answered, JVe have zsilnessed it. If any minutes of court were kept, then the transaction was entered probably in some such words as these: — " On
The Lord make this woman — like Rachel and like Leah'} May thy family be increased by her means, as the tribes were formed by means of Rachel and Leah, wives of the patriarch Jacob.
Which two did build the house of Israel'] We have already seen that p ben, a son, comes from the root nj3 banah, he built, and hence J3K aberi, a stone; because as a house is built up of stones, so is afamilif of children. There is a similar figure in PtAUTus, Mestell. Act. I. so. 2. ver. 37.
nunc etiam volo
Dicere, ut homines aedium esse similes arbitremini, Primum dum parentes fabri liberum sunt, Et fundamentum liberorum substruunt.
" I would also observe, that ye men are similar to houses: ye parents are the fabricators of the children, and they are the foundation of the building."
13 H So Boaz "took Ruth, and ^B.c.mf' she was his wife: and when he went An. Exod. isr. in unto her, 'the Lord gave her Anno ante i. conception, and she bare a son. oiymiKygg.
14 And ''the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not 'left thee this day without a ""kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.
15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and " a nourisher of " thine old age; for thy daughter-in-law, which lovelh thee, which is p better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him.
16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.
appropriate; for from Pharez, the son of Judah, by Tamar, came the family of the Bethlehemites, and that of Elimelech.
Verse 13. So Boa:: took Ruth] The law of Moses had prohibited the Moabites, even to the tenth generation, from entering into the congregation of the Lord: but this law, the Jews think, did not extend to women; and even if it had, Ruth's might be considered an exempt case, as she had been already incorporated into the familj' by marriage; and left her own country, people, and gods, to become a proseli/te to the true God in the land of Israel.
Verse 15. Better to thee than seven sons] If Naomi had had even a numerous family of sons, it is most likely that they would have been scattered to different quarters from her, and settled in life; whereas Ruth cleaved to her, and it was by her affectionate services that Naomi was preserved alive.
Verse 16. Naomi took the child] This might do for Naomi; but it was bad for the child. A child, unless remarkably healthy and robust, will suffer considerably by being nursed by an old zeoman; especially if the child sleep with her. The aged g&Xn refreshment and energy by sleeping with the young; and, from the same means, the young derive premature decrepitude. The vigour which is absorbed by the former, is lost by the latter. It is a foolish and destructive custom to permit young children (which is a common case) to sleep with aged aunts, and old grandmothers. Bacon's grand secret of the cure of old age, couched in so many obsure and enigmatical terms, is simply this: — Let young persons sleep constantly with those who are aged and infirm. And it was on this principle, that the physicians of David recommended a young healthy girl to sleep with David in his old age. They well knew that the aged infirm body of the king would absorb a considerable portion of healthy energy from the young woman.
Vi'rsp 17. The ncishbonrs pave if a nriiiie'] Tliiit is, they iTconiniPiidi'd a luimc suital)le (o (lie rircumstiiiiccs of tlie case; and the piiroiits and prandmotliPr adnptpd it.
I'liej/ culled his name Obed.'] naij; obcd, serving, from ■I3V (ihtiit, lie served. Why was this name given? Because he «as to Ijp the iiuiirisher of her old age, vor. 15. And so he must be by Ijjing in her bosom, even if services in future life gave to Kve, the wife of Adam, that she bhould eat of the were wholly left out of the question. These neighbours of tree; by eating of the fruit of which they became wi-e, todii^ Naomi were skilful people. — See on ver. 16. Other mean- '' tinguish between good and evil: and by that counsel, all the ings, of which I am not ignorant, have been derived from inhabilanls of the earth became guilty of death: and by this these words; those who prefer them have my consent. i iniquity, Jesse the just died." Here is no mean or indistinct lie h the father of Jesse, the father of David.'] And for ^ reference to the doctrine of or/£^/Ha/ «n: and it shews ui, the sake of this conclusion, to ascerlain the line of David, hat least, what the very ancient Ilabbins thought on this suband, in the counsel of (iod, to fi.\ and ascertain the line of 'ject. I should observe that these additions arc taken from the Messiah, was this instructive little Hook written. I the London I'oti/^loll: they are not found in that of An-
Verse 18. Nozc these are the generulions] The Targum tizerp; but they are the same that appear in the Targum gives a copious paraphrase on this and the following verses: ' of the great Bible printed by Bomberg, at Venice, in
Verse 19. Ilezroii begal Itam] lie is called Aram here by the Septuagint, and also by St. Matthew, ch. i. 3. I
Verse 20. Ainminadab begat Nahsho/i'] The Targum adds, " And Nahshon was chief of the house of his father in the tribe of Judah."
Nahshon begat Salmon'] In the Hebrew it is rxhu Salmah, which lloubigant thinks was an error of an ancient scribe, before any final letters were acknowledged in the Hebrew alphabet: for then the word would be written pr'?!? Salmon, which a scribe, after final letters were admitted, might mistake for ~);Vj Salmah, and so write it, instead of jicSb? Salmon, to which the rau 1, and finol j nun, in conjunction p, bear some resemblance.
The Turgiim calls him '■ Salmah the Just; he was the Salmah of Bethlehem and Netopha, whose sons abolished the watches which Jeroboam set over the highways; and their works and the works of their father were good in Netopha."
\'ersc 21. And Salmon begat Doaz] The Targum goes on, " And Salmon begat Absan the judge; he is Bouz the just, on account of whose righteousness the people of the house of Israel were rcdcenitd from the hands of their enemies; and at whose supplication the famine departed from the land of Israel."
And lioaz begat Obed — "who served the Lord in this world with a perfect heart."
And Jesse begat David.'] To this no comment is added by the Targumist, as the history of this king i:i found in the following Book.
The ten persons %? hose genealogy is recorded in the five last verses, may be found, with a trifling change of name, in the genealogical list, in.Matt. ch. i. ver. 3, 4, 5, 6. as forming important links in the line of the Messiah. To introduce this, appears to have been the principal object of the w riter, as introductory to the following Books, where the history of David, the regal progenitor and type of the Messiah, is so particularly detailed.
For the account of the birth of Pharez and his brother Zara, the Reader is requested to refer to Gen. ch. xxxviii. ver. 12 — 30. and to the Notes there: and for several particulars in the genealogy itself, to the Notes on Matt. i. and Luke iii. where the wisdom, goodnes-s, and providence of God, iu the preservation of this line, are particularly noticed.
Masoretic Notes on RiUh.
We have already seen that archbishop Ussher places the event mentioned here, in A. -M. 26SC, about one huadred years after the conquest of Canaan.
i HIS and the three following Books were all formerly termed the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Books of Kings; and the two Books of Samuel made in ancient times but one; and the separation which has taken place, seems to have been done without reason or necessity. These Books are, properly speaking, a continuation of the Book of Judges; as they give us an account of the remaining judges of Israel, down to the election of Saul; and of all the kings of Israel and Judah to the Babylonish captivity.
Of this Book, called the First Book of Samuel, the following are the contents: — The birth and education of Samuel; the high-priesthood of Eli; the Philistines attack the Israelites, overthrow them with a terrible slaughter, take the ark of the Lord, and set it up in the temple of their god Dagon; they are visited with Divine judgments, and are obliged (o send back ihe ark with ofTerings and presents; Samuel, long acknowledged as a prophet of the Lord, takes the government of the people. Under his wise and pious administration, the affairs of Israel become re-established, and the Philistines are subdued. The sons of Samuel, who principally administered the secular concerns of the kingdom, acting unworthily, the people desire to have a king, who should be supreme, both in civil and military affairs. Samuel, after expostulations, yields to their