The Pulpit Commentary — Ruth — Section 65

pleteness, perfection. The whole inhabitnnts about, while fondling the child, was accepted of the city kne"' that Ruth's love to her by Boaz and Ruth. They would say to ono mother-in-law lrn<l be~n indeed tmnscen<lent, another, " Yes, just let him bo little Obed and e.lso that it hod been transcendently re- to his loving grandmother." N nomi, soothed turned. \n all her mo~her~y and grandmothorly long- Yer. 16.-And Naomi took the boy, and ~gs and asp1!'9-hons, would seem to have plaoed him in her bosom, and she became yielded, resolving, we may suppose, to train his foster-mother. She became his nurse in the child up to be a servant of Y ahveh. chief. Vers. 18-22.-And these a1·e the lineal Yer. 17.-And the women, her neigh- desoendants of Pharez. Pharez begat Hea- bours, named the ohild, saying, A son has ron, and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat been born to Naomi ; and they called his Amminadab, and Amminadab begat Nah- n11me Obed. B:e was the father of lease, shon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, and the fa.ther of David. "Obed," if a parti- Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, ciple of the Hebrew verb 1~1/, naturally and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat means serving or servant. No other deriva- David. This is the genealogy of King David tion, apparently, can at present be assumed and it is therefore an integral po.rt of th; (but see Raabe's 'Glossar. '), Josephus gives genealogy of King David's great descendant, the participial interpretation as a matter of his " Lord" and ours. As such it is in- course, and Jerome too. If the objective corporated entire in the two tables that are correlate of the servitude referred to were contained respectively in the first chapter of Yahveh, then the word might be equivalent the Gospel according to Matthew, and the to worshipper. If the name, however, as third of the Gospel according to Luke. Some seems to be the case, was imposed first of all of the names are somewhat Grecised and by the matronly neighbours who had come otherwise modified in those New Testament to mingle their joys with those of the tables. Instead of Hezron we have Esrom; mother, and of the grandmother in par- instead of Ram we have Aro.m ; instead of ticular, then it is not likely that there would No.hshon we have Naason; instead of Boaz be an overshadowin~ reference, either on the we have Boos ; in l Chron. ii 11 we have one hand to servitude in relation to Yehveh, Salme. instead of Salmon. It has been or on the other to servitude in the abstract, keenly debated by chronologists and gene- Something simpler would be in harmony alogists whether we should regard the list of with their unsophisticated, impressible, and David's lineal ancestors, given here and in purely ma ronly minds. It is not at all un- 1 C'!iron. ii 10-12, as also in Matt. i 3-6, likely that, in fondling the welcome "New- and Luke iii 31-33, as complete. It is a come," and congratulating the overjoyed thorny question to handle, and one not ready grandmother, they would, with Oriental to be finally settled till the whole Old Testa- luxuriance of speech and Oriental overflow ment chronology be adjusted. It is certain of demonstrativeness, speak of the 'lad' that in the larger tables of our Lord's gene- as come home to be a faithful little servant alogy there was, apparently for mnemonic to his most excellent grandmother. The purposes (Matt. i 17), the mergence of cer- infirmities of advancing age, aggravated by tain inconspicuous links (see Matt. i 8); and anxieties many, griefs many, bereavements it would not need to be matter of wonder or many, toils many, privations many, dis- concern if in that section of these tables appointments many, had been one after which contains the genealogy of King David another accumulating on " the dear old there should be a similar lifting up into the lady." But now a sealed fountain of re- light, on the one hand, of the more promi- viving waters had been opened in the wilder- nent ancestors, and a shading off into the ness. Might it for many years overflow ! dark, on the other, of some who were less Might the oasis around it widen and still conspicuous. It lies on the surface of the widen, till the whole solitary place should be genealogy that the loving - kindness and blossoming as the rose ! Might the lively tender mercies of Yahveh stretch far beyond little child be spared to minister, with bright the confines of the Hebrews, highlr, favoured activity and devotedness, to the aged pil- though that people was. " Is he, ' asks St. grim for the little remainder of her journey ! Paul, "the God of the Jews only 7 Is he The word which the sympathetic neighbours, not also of the Gentiles 7 Yes," the same with not the least intention to propose a apostle answers, " of the Gentiles also" real na.me, had been affectionately bandying (Rom. iii 29). CII. IV, 1-22.] THE BOOK OF RUTH.