Ruth 1:19-22 - Return to Bethlehem

I had better keep going and not let my grammatical studies and reading of dictionaries take me too far away from story. (I have added an automated transcription - let the v's melt into the following vowel if it is a 'u'.)

וַתֵּלַכְנָה שְׁתֵּיהֶם עַד-בּוֹאָנָה בֵּית לָחֶם וַיְהִי כְּבוֹאָנָה בֵּית לֶחֶם וַתֵּהֹם כָּל-הָעִיר עֲלֵיהֶן וַתֹּאמַרְנָה הֲזֹאת נָעֳמִי	1.19	and the two of them went till they came to Bethlehem and it was as they came to Bethlehem that all the city was excited concerning them and the women said - is this Naomi?	It is a pleasure again to be in twos. Our story-teller loves the pairing of people. We should be getting better at grammar too - finally! וַתֵּלַכְנָה is the (guess before reading on) the third person plural feminine preterite. And the same form occurs with the next verb בּוֹאָנָה and that verb repeats immediately.  Our story-teller is very fond of repetition. She takes nothing for granted. We do not have to fill in blanks. The form occurs again before the end of the verse. שְׁתֵּיהֶם is another instance of the archaic dual (per Campbell). In contrast עֲלֵיהֶן shows the normal feminine plural ending. vàtélàknah shtéyhem `àd-bvo)anah béyt laxm vàyhy kbvo)anah béyt lexm vàtéhom kal-ha`yr `aléyhen vàto)màrnah hazo)t na`amy
וַתֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶן אַל-תִּקְרֶאנָה לִי נָעֳמִי קְרֶאןָ לִי מָרָא כִּי-הֵמַר שַׁדַּי לִי מְאֹד	1.20	and she said to them do not call me Naomi call me Mara for bitter is the Sufficient to me - greatly so	And she said -וַתֹּאמֶר third person singular feminine preterite of אמר. To them - אֲלֵיהֶן this time with the expected ending perhaps since there are many women. Another third person feminine plural imperfect - it seems that קרא is often followed by the preposition ל in this case with a first person singular pronoun. (I know someone named Mara - a dangerous anticipation, it seems to me.) One question in my mind is - do we hear Naomi praying her complaint? I have suggested we should read some of her words this way. vàto)mer )aléyhen )àl-tiqre)nah ly na`amy qre)na ly mara) ky-hémàr shàdày ly m)od
אֲנִי מְלֵאָה הָלַכְתִּי וְרֵיקָם הֱשִׁיבַנִי יְהוָה לָמָּה תִקְרֶאנָה לִי נָעֳמִי וַיהוָה עָנָה בִי וְשַׁדַּי הֵרַע לִי	1.21	I myself full went away and empty יְהוָה has returned me why call me Naomi for יְהוָה has answered me and the Sufficient brought trouble to me	Some sources name this word as the qal perfect of הלך rather than of יָלַךְ but as noted earlier, my more recent and Hebrew dictionaries do not distinguish these two verbs. I suspect that if we wrote out the entire paradigm for each that we could also not distinguish them - maybe later... )any mlé)ah halàkty vréyqam heshybàny yy lamah tiqre)nah ly na`amy và-yy `anah by vshàdày hérà` ly
וַתָּשָׁב נָעֳמִי וְרוּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּה כַלָּתָהּ עִמָּהּ הַשָּׁבָה מִשְּׂדֵי מוֹאָב וְהֵמָּה בָּאוּ בֵּית לֶחֶם בִּתְחִלַּת קְצִיר שְׂעֹרִים	1.22	So Naomi returned and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her she returned from the fields or Moab and they came to Bethlehem at the commencement of the harvest of barley	Green is for grammar - have I missed any? Or included too many? Notice how 'ite' as an English appendage is a use of letter forms in a grammatical way. I doubt that the Latin alphabet applied to Languages that use it would divide itself neatly into two piles as Hebrew seems to have done. What is that word הֵמָּה? Stand alone pronoun or a story teller's word for 'what do you know'? The word for 'commencement' is also of interest - indistinguishable from profane! vàtashab na`amy vrvut hàmvo)abyah kàlatah `imah hàshabah misdéy mvo)ab vhémah ba)vu béyt lexm bitxilàt qcyr s`orym

Dalet - the second non-grammatical letter

ד
The earliest word I remember that begins with Dalet is דרך. This word is a very good exercise in the distinction of letters. ד dalet, ר resh, and final kaf ך are an early source of confusing shapes for a new learner of the Hebrew written forms. We find this word in Ruth also

וַתֵּלַכְנָה בַדֶּרֶךְ לָשׁוּב אֶל-אֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה

 and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah

 vàtélàknah bàderek lashvub )el-)erec yhvudah

Other words in Ruth beginning with ד:

וְרוּת דָּבְקָה בָּהּ
vrvut dabqah bah

But Ruth stayed close to her -

to anticipate the other two uses of this word in Ruth, I preferred 'stay close' to the emotive 'clung'.

וַתֶּחְדַּל לְדַבֵּר אֵלֶיהָ

 vàtexdàl ldàbér )éleyah

and she ceased speaking to her

(speak here דָּבָר, thing in 3:18)

אִם-דַּל וְאִם-עָשִׁיר
)im-dàl v)im-`ashyr

whether poor or wealthy

וְעֹבֵד הוֹלִיד אֶת-יִשָׁי וְיִשַׁי הוֹלִיד אֶת-דָּוִד

 v`obéd hvolyd )et-yishay  vyishày hvolyd )et-david

Ruth 4:22 hiphil perfect for bearing. This genealogy is referenced almost as is in Matthew.
Lots of dalet's in the middle of words - but few at the beginning. On to the grammatical ה 'he'.

Method

I am beginning to think of method and I applied the sequence of things I am doing with Ruth to Psalm 117 here.

Gimel, the first of the non-grammatical letters

ג
What can one say about a non-grammatical letter by itself? If we were singing, I would advise some to unvoice the consonant in order to keep the singing line 'forward'. G, especially Glo at this time of the year, is a difficult sound to sing on one accurate pitch. So the advice is think G, sing K or vice versa. But this is Hebrew and these are letters and I am not giving instruction but exploring sounds and function.

When one is reading a dictionary, besides its being a tiring exercise, one concentrates on the first few words at the beginning of a letter's dominance. For aleph, there was fresh (from which the month of אָבִיב and Passover) and then perish אָבַד! For bet, the preposition dominates the first few pages. For gimel, the words are all of pride and boasting (גָּאוֺן from גָּאָה to triumph). Another dominant G word in Ruth is for the kinsman redeemer גְּאָל.and we must deal with this at some point - I am still thinking of how that system 'worked' or not.

Here are some more of the words beginning with gimel in the book of Ruth:

לָגוּר בִּשְׂדֵי מוֹאָב

לָגוּר - to stay (preceded by the preposition in this case)

וַיָּמֻתוּ גַם-שְׁנֵיהֶם

גַם - even (a frequent word in Ruth - a story teller's word for emphasis) - and they died - even the two of them.

הֲלָהֵן תְּשַׂבֵּרְנָה עַד אֲשֶׁר יִגְדָּלוּ

יִגְדָּלוּ - gadol to grow, increase, magnify - in this case third person plural imperfect. Could you wait till they had grown up? The word doesn't begin with gimel, but the root does.

אִישׁ גִּבּוֹר חַיִל

גִּבּוֹר - strong (2:1) a man of strength and valor

לְעֵת הָאֹכֶל גֹּשִׁי הֲלֹם

גֹּשִׁי - draw near (second person feminine imperative) - aha but this root doesn't begin with gimel! The root is נגש but the nun drops out - being of a weak disposition

וְלֹא תִגְעֲרוּ-בָהּ

an example I used in the prior post also, the middle word is second person masculine plural imperfect - why is it translated as imperative? and do not rebuke her. Perhaps it could be read as in English as a future prohibition: and you will not rebuke her.

הִנֵּה-הוּא זֹרֶה אֶת-גֹּרֶן

גרן the threshing floor where Boaz winnows

וּבָאת וְגִלִּית מַרְגְּלֹתָיו

גלה to uncover - and you come and uncover his feet

וּפָרַשְׂתָּ כְנָפֶךָ עַל-אֲמָתְךָ כִּי גֹאֵל אָתָּה

גֹאֵל the redeemer - in this case the one redeeming, participle form. The one redeeming is you yourself.

Not very many words but a few (8) whose lead sound is G in the book of Ruth.

On each of the Hebrew letters - Bet

The first in the series is here.

ב
Bet has an enormity of meanings. BDB lists all of these: in, among, within, into, on, at, by, against, down to, upon, with, and others. How can one approach such flexibility in a single initial letter!

The grammar books all introduce בּ simply, with a single word, usually in a house בבית or in the house בָבית. I admit it has taken me three years to dare to read the pages on in BDB. It was a cure for insomnia a few nights ago. Fascinating examples to be drawn out but let's see a few of the uses of ב in Ruth.

The traditional meaning 'in' occurs frequently, especially in the phrase בִּשְׂדֵי מוֹאָב in the fields of Moab. A rendering of 'against' is required for Naomi's statement: כִּי-יָצְאָה בִי יַד-יְהוָה for the hand of יְהוָה has come out against me. 'To' is needed for the very next verse: וְרוּת דָּבְקָה בָּהּ but Ruth stayed close to her.

Here is one related to field where rather than 'in', 'on' is intended: עֵינַיִךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר-יִקְצֹרוּן your eyes on the field where they reap. And here a spot where it is demanded by the verb but would not be rendered in English: וְלֹא תִגְעֲרוּ-בָהּ and do not rebuke her. Altogether, a 'sounds like' or concordant translation is clearly impossible for this preposition.

BDB speaks of three broad classifications: beth vasculi, beth coniunctionis et viciniae, and beth auxilii but the 22 subsequent subclassifications in four major groups (I. In, II Denoting proximity, III With, IV with certain classes of verbs) do not use these divisions.

Exodus 6:3
appearing as 'as'

וָאֵרָא אֶל־אַבְרָהָם אֶל־יִצְחָק וְאֶֽל־יַעֲקֹב בְּאֵל שַׁדָּי וּשְׁמִי יְהוָה לֹא נֹודַעְתִּי לָהֶם

 and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El Shaddai, but the name יְהוָה I was not known to them

Examples are everywhere - so no more multiplication. Bet keeps its place in the letters that act grammatically.

Christmas Newsletter

Our annual letter is posted here. Merry Christmas to all my readers.

On each of the Hebrew letters, individually - Aleph

How are the letters used? This is an open question and one that does not need to be answered by metaphorical interpretation. With the division of the 22 letters into two distinct subsets of 11 (here and here), I think it appropriate that I attempt to specify their individual grammatical roles. So when I see such and such a letter, what might I recognize as its role? This series will annotate the roles that I can identify from aleph to taf with examples.

א
א is a guttural and will therefore behave differently in some verbal paradigms - just how strangely, I do not yet know. א also may signal the first person singular imperfect (either masculine or feminine). It seems that with verbs beginning with א the consonant is not 'doubled'. So here is an example of this use of א with both types of verb - one beginning with aleph and one not. This is an example with several of the grammatical letters.

וְהָיָה הַנַּעֲרָ אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיהָ הַטִּי־נָא כַדֵּךְ וְאֶשְׁתֶּה

 and let it be that the lass to whom I will say, give me please your pitcher that I may drink

Which of the four highlighted aleph's that 'begin' a word signals the first person imperfect? Not the first - that's part of the word asher, the relative pronoun. Not the third, that's a preposition with a third person feminine pronoun. Yes to the second, and note this is the same three consonants that we would see if the word was in the perfect 3rd person masculine singular אמר or with the vowels אָמַר. So without vowel markings we need to hear the 'future' rather than the past from the context.

And the fourth וְאֶשְׁתֶּה though itself preceded by a vav is also 'imperfect'. Here it seems that the imperfect covers potential future, and conditional or modal usage (as well as preterite - which might be translated as past or even continuous present). That verb 'drink' שתה has three of the grammatical consonants acting in non-grammatical ways. The form is first person imperfect. The verb type is III-ה. The name of this class of verbs including the numeral III means that the third consonant of the root - or the third 'radical' is ה.

Just for fun, this phrase has 6 consonants from group 2 out of a total of 31 (<20%). Of the remaining 27, I count 9 or 11 in grammatical roles (11 if I include prepositions and exclude 'please'). Including prepositions will eventually drag some consonants from group 2 to do duty in group 1.

וְהָיָה הַנַּעֲרָ אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיהָ הַטִּי־נָא כַדֵּךְ וְאֶשְׁתה

Update:
As I have continued this series, I have concentrated more and more on reading Ruth 'letter by letter'. So Here are a few examples of aleph from Ruth (excluding the ones already covered here):

An obvious example of the grammatical use of this letter and taf also is in the direct object marker, e.g. in Ruth 1:6

כִּי-פָקַד יְהוָה אֶת-עַמּוֹ

that יְהוָה had visited his people

The imperfect appears first in Ruth 1:16, the famous lines that join Ruth to Naomi in spite of the 10 years of barrenness after having been 'taken' as a wife by foreigners (to her)

 כִּי אֶל-אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכִי אֵלֵךְ
וּבַאֲשֶׁר תָּלִינִי אָלִין

for wherever you go I go
and in whatever you stop over I stop over

In Ruth 1:18, here are two uses that illustrate aleph-taf when they are not the object marker and aleph as part of a common preposition. (I have not included stand-alone prepositions or stand-alone pronouns in my 'grammatical use' list since they stand alone and also include a few other stray non first 11 letters. Only 'tet' is allowed the privilege of acting as scorekeeper for the first 11 and that rarely.)

וַתֵּרֶא כִּי-מִתְאַמֶּצֶת הִיא

לָלֶכֶת אִתָּהּ
וַתֶּחְדַּל לְדַבֵּר אֵלֶיהָ

and she saw that she was determined
to go with her
and she ceased to speak with her

Bugs and Spirit - the inheritance of software

I wrote this some time ago on another blog that I have turned into a test area. Some of the problems described were resolved with the SBL Hebrew font.

I wonder if the next generation will be able to handle the inheritance of software from the previous. How often will they mutter at the errors and shortcomings of their forebears. Forbearance may be in as short supply as knowledge.

For the record, software taught us our fallibility. I suspect it will continue so to teach. Most recently, besides following up and taking responsibility for my own errors, omissions, and accidental oversights, I have had the opportunity to see how confused left and right can be in the management of words on the page. How can I define the problem when successive versions of famous programs cannot handle the terrible complexity of left to right and right to left processing in the same document.

But let's give credit: they have tried - even though copy and paste sometimes reverses words, sometimes does not, and sometimes reverses letters. And having landed in the target document, the host program (vintage circa 2007-2008) sometimes cannot tell the difference between one word and another. Double-click, which usually selects a word, selects part of one word and part of another. The left hand part of the software is not letting the right hand know where it is!

To which hand do I submit the error report? To the source (which is correct in its apparent form) or to the target? And if I dared find the right forum, how long would it take to get a resolution?

I reported a problem some time ago to a major vendor. After dozens of clarifying emails, they finally 'got it' and said they had corrected the font spacing error. Well, I guess it depends on what platform you are using. It has never worked for me. I gave up. I still use the old run time where it works. Of course, all these combinations of complex cultural mixes are bound to create difficult software problems and mutual incompatibilities in format of the clipboard, and tables about fonts that refresh on some platforms and not others.

Even for the local single supplier of software, the process of managing and correcting software changes and fixes is one that has to be passed on to the next generation. What is it like? I think it is more like learning a language of courage than like following procedures. Procedures are important. Copy management is important. Knowing the history (source libraries) and the definitions (data models) are important. But there is no substitute for courage, learning, experimentation, patience, empathy, forbearance and discrimination - all features of the human enterprise that are of the spirit.

Ruth 1:15-18

וַתֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה שָׁבָה יְבִמְתֵּךְ אֶל-עַמָּהּ וְאֶל-אֱלֹהֶיהָ שׁוּבִי אַחֲרֵי יְבִמְתֵּךְ

vat'omer hinneh shava yevimtek el-`amah ve'eloheiah shuvi 'axarei yevimtek

and she said, behold your sister-in-law returns to her people and to her God. You return also after your sister-in-law

It is difficult to see this as a brusque order. Perhaps she speaks out of bitterness and pity. Ten years of exile and no children. Hope but perhaps only for food for herself and an old age of solitude on a property that some distant family member must inherit. Go - you are better off without me. The colours show the division of the letters into two groups of 11 - the grammatical and those that do not take part in grammatical forms. Green and brown are the letters of the grammatical group of 11. If green they are acting as affix or in a preposition or pronoun. Only 4 letters in 42 in this verse are from the second 11, those letters that never act as prefix or suffix.

וַתֹּאמֶר רוּת אַל-תִּפְגְּעִי-בִי לְעָזְבֵךְ לָשׁוּב מֵאַחֲרָיִך

כִּי אֶל-אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכִי אֵלֵךְ

וּבַאֲשֶׁר תָּלִינִי אָלִין

עַמֵּךְ עַמִּי

וֵאלֹהַיִךְ אֱלֹהָי

va to'amr rut 'al-tifg`i-vi le`azvek lashuv me'xareik

ki 'el-'asher telki 'elek
veba'asher talini 'alin
`amka `ami
ve'eloheik 'elohi 

and Ruth said, do not force me to leave you to turn back from following you

for wherever you go I go

and in whatever you stop over I stop over

your people my people

your God my God

Ruth shows determination, love and faithfulness to one whom she will not abandon. Two words yelek and halek that look different and in earlier dictionaries were treated as different really seem the same word. Here my Hebrew-Latin concordance comes into its own with a full list of every form clearly showing they are, in Hebrew eyes, the same word. I wonder what will happen when I look at them grammatically in more detail. What weak consonants will disappear in the patterns?

בַּאֲשֶׁר תָּמוּתִי אָמוּת וְשָׁם אֶקָּבֵר

כֹּה יַעֲשֶׂה יְהוָה לִי וְכֹה יוֹסִיף

כִּי הַמָּוֶת יַפְרִיד בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵךְ

ba'asher tamuti 'amut vesham 'eqver

koh ya`aset יְהוָה li vekoh yusif
ki hamavet yafrid beini ubeinek

and where you die I die

and there I am buried

this יְהוָה do to me and more

for only death will separate me and you

One grammar book online makes the distinction between grammatical and semantic words. I personally find this unhelpful. Grammar does inform semantics. But it seems there are grammatical letters that make up entire strings of prepositions and pronouns.

וַתֵּרֶא כִּי-מִתְאַמֶּצֶת הִיא לָלֶכֶת אִתָּהּ וַתֶּחְדַּל לְדַבֵּר אֵלֶיהָ

vatere' ki-mit'amtset hie laleket 'attah vatexedal ledaver 'eleiah

and she saw that she was determined to go with her and she ceased speaking to her

Do you think that faith must be as determined as Ruth's? Is this not a bit like the parable of the importunate widow (Luke 18:1-9)? [verse 18 adjusted - interesting 'sounds alike' problem with דָּבָר as 'speak' and 'thing' here and in 3:18.]

The remaining 11 letters

It's always tough on the remainder when the first team is picked. But perhaps the first 11 cannot do their job without the second team. For example lift up נָשָׂא uses letters from the first 11, but life חָיָה and salvation יְשׁוּעָה require help from the deeper gutturals, chet ח and ayin ע.

What are these remaining letters? And how do they divide? There is a nice page on the morphology of Hebrew verbs here. The first clues as to how the first 11 letters behave when they are not doing their grammatical work is in these two definitions that are perplexing to the student on first reading Hebrew verb paradigm charts.

Roots that contain a ו vav or a י yod as the 2nd letters are called hollow roots. 

Roots that contain at least one of the weak letters, י yod, נ nun, ח ħet, ע ʻáyin, א álef, and ה hey, are called weak roots.

These six letters contain the four 'vowels' or 'reading helpers' matres lectiones all of which are in the first 11, and four of the gutturals with only ר resh missing.

What's left? ג gimel, ד dalet, ז zayin, ט tet, ס samech, צ tsade, פ peh, ק qoph, and ש sin (already implicit with shin - though I suppose we could give team 2 an extra player). [Note that ט tet sometimes does replace ת taf after metathesis in the hithpael of verbs whose first letter is the sibilant צ tsade. This is the only case I have found of a true secondment of a letter from team 2 to team 1.]

What can we tell about this second team and how it interacts with the first? Is there a sample set of code where we can observe the workings on the playing field? Perhaps Zephaniah 3:8 would be a good grammatical test... So first 11 are the letters that play a role in grammatical forms (G) and the consonant-only (C) team are the letters that do not. Where a G letter is acting as Consonant only, I will designate it as X, a G in C's clothing.

לָכֵן - GGG a preposition
חַכּוּ־לִי - CXG-GG a weak consonant and 4 grammatical letters with one acting as consonant
נְאֻם - GXX
יְהוָה - XXXX (Proper name)
לְיֹום - GXXX
קוּמִי - CXXG
לְעַד - GCC finally a word that uses more than one non-grammatical letter
כִּי - GG a preposition
מִשְׁפָּטִי - GXCCG
לֶאֱסֹף - GXCX
גֹּויִם - CXXG
לְקָבְצִי - GCXCG
מַמְלָכֹות - GXXXGG
לִשְׁפֹּךְ - GXCX
עֲלֵיהֶם - CGGGG - while ayin is not on the grammatical team, it is almost playing grammar here with its role in the preposition.
זַעְמִי - CCXG
כֹּל - GG
חֲרֹון - CCXX
אַפִּי - XCG
כִּי - GG
בְּאֵשׁ - GXX
קִנְאָתִי - CXXXG
תֵּאָכֵל - GXXX
כָּל־ - GG
הָאָֽרֶץ -GXCC

So for this verse that uses all the letters of the alef-bet we have 38 letters playing grammatical roles, 20 from the consonantal-only set, and 36 grammatical letters acting as consonants including 4 at my count that are matres lectiones.  40 percent (roughly) of the 94 letters in this verse are acting as grammatical clues and 79% of the letters used are those of the 'first 11', the set of letters that are used in prefixes and suffixes. I may have mistyped a G X or C but hopefully not.

A quick experiment on my poetry corpus shows that 75% of the letters in some 20,000 words are in the grammatical group!

From aleph to taf - my constitution

Who speaks me into life? Who convicts me that I should die? Who revives me and gives life to my mortal body?

Let me divide the world in 2 - into two sets of eleven. Under aleph I am constituted. Aleph gives me a future as it is written: wherever you go, I will go - כִּי אֶל־אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכִי אֵלֵךְ

Aleph has beginning but no ending and I am in it since I am first person imperfect and of common gender.

And I acknowledge the same by my mark - ת - my mark. Taf is also a continuing of my imperfection - so all imperfect verbs lead with taf when I take myself in the second person both individually and collectively or severally. Yod  י and nun נ continue me, י in my female aspect and נ in the first person plural.

So letters 1, 10, 14, and 22 are singled out as grammatical markers. What others can we rope into the first 11? Vav ו (letter 6) is a natural - it is the universal connector. (Vav means hook in Hebrew and is used as a hook both in the construction of the tabernacle and in the construction of sentences and stories!) Taf and yod also connect: infinitives, nouns and pronouns and yod for me and thee has its own person.  ה (letter 5) begins the reflexive (hitpael) as נ allows the passive (nifal). These two conspire into the feminine plural and so drag in ם mem (letter 13) as pluralizer of nouns and mem and caf  כ (letter 11) as male second plural persons.

Now we have 8 of the first 11 - what are the others that Saadya chose that will reveal or let us hear his division of the alef-bet into two?

Two remaining candidates are ב bet (letter 2), and ל lamed (letter 12), who must join the already captured מ mem, נ nun, and ה he as common prefixes. And the third is שׁ shin (letter 21) in its abbreviating of asher אֲשֶׁר, a relative pronoun that evokes the assonance of Psalm 1. These are the 11 letters that form themselves and the other letters into their grammatical space. They comprise the full set of all prefixes and suffixes in Hebrew. Do they really speak me or constitute my assembly?

Note this - אִישׁ ish and אִשָּׁה ishah and their plurals אֲנָשִׁים and נָּשִׁים are all composed of these letters only! Could we divide all the words of Hebrew into piles - those that use the first 11, those that are used by the first eleven, those that are independent of them? How do the first 11 behave in their roots and stems?

And what of my being - if I chose to be הָיָה and share the becoming of יְהֹוָה Hashem, or what of my death מוּתי and my harvest יְבוּלי?

(I had to work to spell life, death and resurrection with my first 11 only. Yes, I used to play cricket too. Stimulus for this post here and here.)

Tears and Kisses 2 - Ruth 1:10-14

This is part 4 of the story of Ruth being used as an aid to finding grammatical forms in context of a close reading of the story. Note these are my annotations of grammatical forms and surmises on meaning - and I may be mixed up.

 וַתֹּאמַרְנָה-לָּהּ כִּי-אִתָּךְ נָשׁוּב לְעַמֵּךְ

vatomarna-lah ki-attak nashuv l`imek
and they said to her for with you we will return to your people

We have heard pronomial suffixes and here we note (though this has occurred already in the story) that pronouns attach to prepositions also. לָּהּ to her, אִתָּךְ with you. There are more to come in these 5 verses - hear them as we go. You will remember we started this story several months ago while round a campfire. The fire may have died down, but perk up, hear the original tongue and the story and its grammar too will sink in. (I restore an approximate transliteration to help with hearing.)

וַתֹּאמֶר נָעֳמִי שׁבְנָה בְנֹתַי לָמָּה תֵלַכְנָה עִמִּי

va-tomer na`omi: shovnah vanotai. lamah telaknah imi?
and Naomi said: turn back my daughters. Why would you go with me?

Imperative turn back and modal go following the interrogative lamah. It is the opposite order of these verbs to Naomi's initial plea in verse 8: לֵכְנָה שֹּׁבְנָה

הַעוֹד-לִי בָנִים בְּמֵעַי וְהָיוּ לָכֶם לַאֲנָשִׁים

ha`od-li vanaim bemei`ai lakem la'anoshim?
are there yet to me sons in my body that they might become husbands for you?

Another masculine plural ending (lakem) with feminine subject (or archaic feminine dual). Sons become husbands for wives who are childless through the living brother's taking responsibility to raise up children. The nature of this speech by Naomi is either comic or bitter. Would in fact the children of another father qualify in any case? Perhaps Ruth as story is undermining this tribal custom for as we will see, the near kinsman declines lest he damage his own children's inheritance and Boaz does not qualify as a brother either - though in claiming that relationship, he both undermines it and redefines it, perhaps eliminating the cause of casuistry.

שֹׁבְנָה בְנֹתַי לֵכְןָ כִּי זָקַנְתִּי מִהְיוֹת לְאִישׁ

shovnah vanotai, lekna, ki zaqanti mihyot l'ish
turn back my daughters, go, for I am too old to have a husband

Repeated imperatives - again opposite in order to verse 8. (Note the missing letter from לֵכְןָ - compare vs 8 לֵכְנָה). And the infinitive of 'to be' preceded by a mem (from) and used as a noun, and in construct form with the next noun, itself preceded by a lamed. Hebrew can string just about anything together to make a phrase of the form a of b. And it seems that the preposition 'to' is often used following a form of the verb 'to be'. (I may have to revise this observation - see Putnam chapters 15 and 16 where I can't find this example exactly).

כִּי אָמַרְתִּי יֶשׁ-לִי תִקְוָה גַּם הָיִיתִי הַלַּיְלָה לְאִישׁ וְגַם יָלַדְתִּי בָנִים

ki 'amarti yesh-li tikvah gam haiyiti halailah l'ish vgam yaladtu vanim
for had I said there is hope for me even if I had tonight a husband and even I bore sons?

Tone of voice indicate a question. She is straining credulity, as if to ask if there is any use at all for the Torah concerning brother-marriage for her. הָיִיתִי - haiyiti is first common singular form of Qal perfect - rendered here as conditional pluperfect, I had, in English - taking gam as conditional.

הֲלָהֵן תְּשַׂבֵּרְנָה עַד אֲשֶׁר יִגְדָּלוּ

halahen tsabernah ad asher yigdalu
For them? You could wait till such had grown?

תְּשַׂבֵּרְנָה is apparently of the Piel form. The doubled (the dot = dagesh) middle consonant tells you - but I can't distinguish Qal from Piel using the consonants only (except maybe for participles). The diacritical marks were not added till a 1000 years after the story was written. What am I missing?

הֲלָהֵן תֵּעָגֵנָה לְבִלְתִּי הֱיוֹת לְאִישׁ

halahen te`agenah lvilti heyot l'ish
For them? You would remain shut up without there being a husband?

הֲלָהֵן has a long note in Campbell. Is it the interrogative followed by 'to them'? No - it can't be a feminine 'them' since we are waiting for boys. Does it mean 'unless' or some conditional (so BDB p 530)? Or is it direct speech to God - as in the psalms? Naomi's prayer for her daughters.

אַל בְּנֹתַי כִּי-מַר-לִי מְאֹד מִכֶּם כִּי-יָצְאָה בִי יַד-יְהוָה

'al banotai ki-mar-li m'od mikem ki yats'ah yad-hashem
no my daughters for bitterness to me is great that for you

 the hand of יְהוָה has come out against me

The idiom of this speech is difficult to hear - what modifies what? It makes good sense that Naomi should be bitter that her 'place' has involved the two daughters-in-law. Hence my third option for halahen.

 וַתִּשֶּׂנָה קוֹלָן וַתִּבְכֶּינָה עוֹד וַתִּשַּׁק עָרְפָּה לַחֲמוֹתָהּ

vatisnah qolon vativkenah `id vatishaq `arpah lehamotah
and they lifted up their voice and wept further and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law

Wept and kissed here closes the opening of kissed and wept in verse 9 - 

 וַתִּשַּׁק לָהֶן וַתִּשֶּׂאנָה קוֹלָן וַתִּבְכֶּינָה

וְרוּת דָּבְקָה בָּהּ

verut davqa bah
but Ruth stayed close to her.

If Ruth had not stayed close, we would not still be telling this story.And she would not be in the New Testament as one of two examples of how God used the Levirate law before the Sadducees made such mockery of it..

Return from Moab - Ruth 1:7-9

Now we're getting somewhere. If we were indeed hearing the story for the first time, we would not, as I have done, have read the story through several times, and translated it into our own tongue, and laboured carefully over every word to see if we could hear what those ancient children gathered around the fire might have heard. But we have looked at this story, and we have not understood it. We have been told it is good, but we have not had it told to us as a dramatic presentation that is meant to grip our life as we grasp in hope some promised blessing that we aren't quite sure we are a part of.

We knew we were in trouble - like Naomi, but we hear there was hope, that the One we hoped in had provided bread back home, so we turn back as she did

וַתֵּצֵא מִן-הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר הָיְתָה-שָּׁמָּה וּשְׁתֵּי כַלּוֹתֶיהָ עִמָּהּ
and she emerged from the place there where she was and her two daughters-in-law with her

The tense of our emergence is imperfect, but preceded by the vav, it is story and it is complete. We are on the way but we are perfected and are returning home. (There is trouble with this word game, so do be patient - even those who we do not want to share perfection with will not be without it in spite of our bitterness.)

We have emerged from the place - ha-maqom - which was ours. And we like Naomi are not alone.

וַתֵּלַכְנָה בַדֶּרֶךְ לָשׁוּב אֶל-אֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה

and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah

She realizes that they - third person feminine of the verb to walk יָלַךְ - should not come with her - ba-derek - in the way. How can she find them a spot in Bethlehem? Wouldn't they be better off here with their own people?

וַתֹּאמֶר נָעֳמִי לִשְׁתֵּי כַלֹּתֶיהָ לֵכְנָה שֹּׁבְנָה אִשָּׁה לְבֵית אִמָּהּ

 and Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go - turn back - each to the house of her mother

Again we are hearing the vav+imperfect, also called preterite which is the backbone of story telling. And we see the word for two shanim adjusted to shtei for the feminine construct - well not exactly construct but it sounds like a similar structure - modifying the following feminine plural noun with the possessive female pronoun. כלה in the plural כלות then with the following ה for the possessive, dropping the vav and requiring a yod י to make it pronounceable? כַלֹּתֶיהָ (Lambdin lessons 19-20)

יעשה יְהוָה עִמָּכֶם חֶסֶד כַּאֲשֶׁר עֲשִׂיתֶם עִם-הַמֵּתִים וְעִמָּדִי

may יְהוָה deal with you with mercy as you have dealt with those who died and with me

We need mercy to learn grammar. Naomi is speaking. So no preterite, but direct speech, an imperfect form? Yes. But a jussive - a third person imperative - a plea - a prayer to Hashem for mercy as indeed we might pray for those who could not accompany us that they have mercy of that sort as we have intimated the beginnings of  for ourselves. What is this 'with you' with a male second person plural ending immakem? These two are women - why is it not immaken, the female plural second person ending?  (Seven times in Ruth we will find this anomolous apparently masculine ending in this highly gendered language - see Campbell page 65 where he surmises it is an archaic feminine dual ending.) The odd ending occurs again in this same phrase - עֲשִׂיתֶם. We would expect עֲשִׂיתֶן  Mercy indeed.

יִתֵּן יְהוָה לָכֶם וּמְצֶאןָ מְנוּחָה אִשָּׁה בֵּית אִישָׁהּ

may יְהוָה give to you and may you find rest each in the house of her husband

Another jussive - and that word natan that loses letters if you look at it. And another masculine looking feminine dual! Or perhaps it just rhymes with verse 6 לָתֵת לָהֶם לָחֶם (to give - natan with nothing but a t to tell us - to them, bread). That they should find rest.  We must look further to this word (מְנוּחָה) - it sounds like an important thing to find. (Is it perhaps related to the Greek of John 14 μονή? - pure hunch...) I am ignoring the form of find in this sentence. Campbell notes it as imperative but other sources I have do not. Is Naomi commanding  יְהוָה - I can't quite understand if this is significant.

וַתִּשַּׁק לָהֶן וַתִּשֶּׂאנָה קוֹלָן וַתִּבְכֶּינָה
and she kissed them and they lifted up their voice and wept

Note the female third person plural ending as expected here. And we are back to the story-telling sequence of preterites vav+imperfect. (Imperatives to come on the chiastic reprise in verses 11-12 if I remember).

It's a cliffhanger - an opening without a closing - to be continued...

Other human groupings in Ruth

We have looked at ish and ishah, at immediate family relationships and in-laws, at the groups of workers and the elders, now at the more generic groups, excluding that last one - the kinsman redeemer.
Because we are looking at nouns, the grammar lessons are similar to the ones we have already seen: plurals, pronouns, male and female forms. What do the different groups mean semantically - i.e. what does it tell of personal and family relationships at this time in this society?

HEBREW	CH_VS	ENGLISH	NOTES
א וַיְהִי בִּימֵי שְׁפֹט הַשֹּׁפְטִים וַיְהִי רָעָב בָּאָרֶץ וַיֵּלֶךְ אִישׁ מִבֵּית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה לָגוּר בִּשְׂדֵי מוֹאָב הוּא וְאִשְׁתּו וּשְׁנֵי בָנָיו	01.01	Now there was in the days of the judgment of the judges, and there was a famine in the land. and he went a man from the house of bread (Bethlehem) of Judah to stay in the fields of Moab he, his wife, and his two sons	This house is of course Bethlehem (remaining 4 occurrences not listed though Ephrata and Bethlehem are part of the story frame.)
ו וַתָּקָם הִיא וְכַלֹּתֶיהָ וַתָּשָׁב מִשְּׂדֵי מוֹאָב כִּי שָׁמְעָה בִּשְׂדֵה מוֹאָב כִּי-פָקַד יְהוָה אֶת-עַמּוֹ לָתֵת לָהֶם לָחֶם	01.06	and she arose, she and her daughters in law to return from the fields of Moab for she had heard in the fields of Moab that יְהוָה had visited his people to give to them bread	his people - 'people' is almost as important as 'God' in this story
ח וַתֹּאמֶר נָעֳמִי לִשְׁתֵּי כַלֹּתֶיהָ לֵכְנָה שֹּׁבְנָה אִשָּׁה לְבֵית אִמָּהּ יעשה יְהוָה עִמָּכֶם חֶסֶד כַּאֲשֶׁר עֲשִׂיתֶם עִם-הַמֵּתִים וְעִמָּדִי	01.08	and Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law Go - return - each to the house of her mother (a-b) may יְהוָה deal with you with mercy as you have dealt with those who died and with me	'house' as clan The issue of those who have died creates a separate collective in the story - but I did not list these here
ט יִתֵּן יְהוָה לָכֶם וּמְצֶאןָ מְנוּחָה אִשָּׁה בֵּית אִישָׁהּ וַתִּשַּׁק לָהֶן וַתִּשֶּׂאנָה קוֹלָן וַתִּבְכֶּינָה	01.09	may יְהוָה give to you and may you find rest each in the house of her husband and she kissed them and they lifted up their voice and wept	definiteness comes from the specifically modified noun following house
י וַתֹּאמַרְנָה-לָּהּ כִּי-אִתָּךְ נָשׁוּב לְעַמֵּךְ	01.10	and they said to her for with you we will return to your people	to-the-people-of-you (definiteness implied)
טו וַתֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה שָׁבָה יְבִמְתֵּךְ אֶל-עַמָּהּ וְאֶל-אֱלֹהֶיהָ שׁוּבִי אַחֲרֵי יְבִמְתֵּךְ	01.15	and she said, behold your sister-in-law returns to her people and to her God you return also after your sister-in-law	the-people-of-her (definiteness implied)
טז וַתֹּאמֶר רוּת אַל-תִּפְגְּעִי-בִי לְעָזְבֵךְ לָשׁוּב מֵאַחֲרָיִך כִּי אֶל-אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכִי אֵלֵךְ וּבַאֲשֶׁר תָּלִינִי אָלִין עַמֵּךְ עַמִּי וֵאלֹהַיִךְ אֱלֹהָי	01.16	and Ruth said, do not force me to leave you to turn back from following you for wherever you go I go and in whatever you stop over I stop over your people my people your God my God
א וּלְנָעֳמִי מוֹדָע לְאִישָׁהּ אִישׁ גִּבּוֹר חַיִל מִּשְׁפַּחַת אֱלִימֶלֶךְ וּשְׁמוֹ בֹּעַז	02.01	Now for Naomi there was an acquaintance of her husband a man of strength and valor from the family of Elimelek and his name was Boaz	must investigate this word family more thoroughly along with the redeemer
ג וַתֵּלֶךְ וַתָּבוֹא וַתְּלַקֵּט בַּשָּׂדֶה אַחֲרֵי הַקֹּצְרִים וַיִּקֶר מִקְרֶהָ חֶלְקַת הַשָּׂדֶה לְבֹעַז אֲשֶׁר מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת אֱלִימֶלֶךְ	02.03	and she went and she came and she gleaned in the field after the reapers and she happened to happen on the part of the field of Boaz who was of the family of Elimelek	the reapers - may be the lads and lasses or all of them together
ד וְהִנֵּה-בֹעַז בָּא מִבֵּית לֶחֶם וַיֹּאמֶר לַקּוֹצְרִים יְהוָה עִמָּכֶם וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה	02.04	and behold Boaz came from Bethlehem and he said to the reapers יְהוָה be with you and they said to him יְהוָה bless you
ה וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּעַז לְנַעֲרוֹ הַנִּצָּב עַל-הַקּוֹצְרִים לְמִי הַנַּעֲרָה הַזֹּאת	02.05	and Boaz said to his lad standing by the reapers who is that lass?
ו וַיַּעַן הַנַּעַר הַנִּצָּב עַל-הַקּוֹצְרִים וַיֹּאמַר נַעֲרָה מוֹאֲבִיָּה הִיא הַשָּׁבָה עִם-נָעֳמִי מִשְּׂדֵי מוֹאָב	02.06	and the lad standing by the reapers said that is the Moabite lass the one who returned with Naomi from the fields of Moab
ז וַתֹּאמֶר אֲלַקֳּטָה-נָּא וְאָסַפְתִּי בָעֳמָרִים אַחֲרֵי הַקּוֹצְרִים וַתָּבוֹא וַתַּעֲמוֹד מֵאָז הַבֹּקֶר וְעַד-עַתָּה זֶה שִׁבְתָּהּ הַבַּיִת מְעָט	02.07	and she said, please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers and she came and she remained from then - the morning and until now she sitting in the house a little
יא וַיַּעַן בֹּעַז וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ הֻגֵּד הֻגַּד לִי כֹּל אֲשֶׁר-עָשִׂית אֶת-חֲמוֹתֵךְ אַחֲרֵי מוֹת אִישֵׁךְ וַתַּעַזְבִי אָבִיךְ וְאִמֵּךְ וְאֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתֵּךְ וַתֵּלְכִי אֶל-עַם אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יָדַעַתְּ תְּמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם	02.11	and Boaz answered and said to her to be shown, it has been shown to me all that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband and you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth and went to a people which you did not know before in times past	a people - unknown to her, so indefinite
יד וַיֹּאמֶר לָה בֹעַז לְעֵת הָאֹכֶל גֹּשִׁי הֲלֹם וְאָכַלְתְּ מִן-הַלֶּחֶם וְטָבַלְתְּ פִּתֵּךְ בַּחֹמֶץ וַתֵּשֶׁב מִצַּד הַקֹּצְרִים וַיִּצְבָּט-לָהּ קָלִי וַתֹּאכַל וַתִּשְׂבַּע וַתֹּתַר	02.14	and Boaz said to her at the time of eating draw near here and eat of the bread and dip your piece in the vinegar and she herself sat beside the reapers and he heaped her parched grain and she ate and she was sated and had leftovers
יא וְעַתָּה בִּתִּי אַל-תִּירְאִי כֹּל אֲשֶׁר-תֹּאמְרִי אֶעֱשֶׂה-לָּךְ כִּי יוֹדֵעַ כָּל-שַׁעַר עַמִּי כִּי אֵשֶׁת חַיִל אָתְּ	03.11	and now my daughter have no fear all that you say I will do for you for all the gate, my people, know that you are a woman of ability
יד וַתִּשְׁכַּב מַרְגְּלוֹתָו עַד-הַבֹּקֶר וַתָּקָם בְּטֶרֶם יַכִּיר אִישׁ אֶת-רֵעֵהוּ וַיֹּאמֶר אַל-יִוָּדַע כִּי-בָאָה הָאִשָּׁה הַגֹּרֶן	03.14	and she lay down at his feet till the morning and she rose before a man could recognize his friend and he said - let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor	friend - used only twice - perhaps not a significant structural element
ד וַאֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי אֶגְלֶה אָזְנְךָ לֵאמֹר קְנֵה נֶגֶד הַיֹּשְׁבִים וְנֶגֶד זִקְנֵי עַמִּי אִם-תִּגְאַל גְּאָל וְאִם-לֹא יִגְאַל הַגִּידָה לִּי וְאֵדְעָה כִּי אֵין זוּלָתְךָ לִגְאוֹל וְאָנֹכִי אַחֲרֶיךָ וַיֹּאמֶר אָנֹכִי אֶגְאָל	04.04	and I myself had said I will disclose in your ear to say will you buy before those sitting here and before these elders of my people if you will redeem, redeem and if he will not redeem, tell me and I will know for there is none except you to redeem and I myself after you and he said I myself will redeem
ז וְזֹאת לְפָנִים בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל עַל-הַגְּאֻלָּה וְעַל-הַתְּמוּרָה לְקַיֵּם כָּל-דָּבָר שָׁלַף אִישׁ נַעֲלוֹ וְנָתַן לְרֵעֵהוּ וְזֹאת הַתְּעוּדָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל	04.07	and this before in Israel, on the redemption and on the exchange to raise any matter, a man would remove his sandal and give it to his friend and this was the attestation in Israel
ט וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּעַז לַזְּקֵנִים וְכָל-הָעָם עֵדִים אַתֶּם הַיּוֹם כִּי קָנִיתִי אֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר לֶאֱלִימֶלֶךְ וְאֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר לְכִלְיוֹן וּמַחְלוֹן מִיַּד נָעֳמִי	04.09	and Boaz said to the elders and all the people witnesses you are today that I have bought all that was Elimelek's and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's from the hand of Naomi
יא וַיֹּאמְרוּ כָּל-הָעָם אֲשֶׁר-בַּשַּׁעַר וְהַזְּקֵנִים--עֵדִים יִתֵּן יְהוָה אֶת-הָאִשָּׁה הַבָּאָה אֶל-בֵּיתֶךָ כְּרָחֵל וּכְלֵאָה אֲשֶׁר בָּנוּ שְׁתֵּיהֶם אֶת-בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וַעֲשֵׂה-חַיִל בְּאֶפְרָתָה וּקְרָא-שֵׁם בְּבֵית לָחֶם	04.11	and they said - all the people that were in the gate and the elders - witnesses let יְהוָה give to the wife coming to your house as to Rachel and as to Leah which two built the house of Israel and you do well in Ephratha and make a name in Bethlehem	house as clan and as people
יב וִיהִי בֵיתְךָ כְּבֵית פֶּרֶץ אֲשֶׁר-יָלְדָה תָמָר לִיהוּדָה--מִן-הַזֶּרַע אֲשֶׁר יִתֵּן יְהוָה לְךָ מִן-הַנַּעֲרָה הַזֹּאת	04.12	and let your house be as the house of Perez which Tamar bore to Judah from the seed which יְהוָה will give you from this lass

Lads and lasses in Ruth

Here are the lads and lasses of chapter 2, the elders of chapter 4, and a pair of unique self-designations that Ruth makes for herself. We saw that family relationships dominate chapters 1 and 4. The family is also a thread through chapters 2 and 3 but there is considerable involvement of groups of non-family members. Lad נַעַר and lass נַעֲרָה are slightly archaic for us but I think reflect the contrast between youngster and elder זָקֵן in the story - also lad and lass sound alike in English as na`ar and na`arah do in Hebrew.

HEBREW	CH_VS	ENGLISH	NOTES
ה וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּעַז לְנַעֲרוֹ הַנִּצָּב עַל-הַקּוֹצְרִים לְמִי הַנַּעֲרָה הַזֹּאת	02.05	and Boaz said to his lad standing by the reapers who is that lass?	to the lad of him the lass
ו וַיַּעַן הַנַּעַר הַנִּצָּב עַל-הַקּוֹצְרִים וַיֹּאמַר נַעֲרָה מוֹאֲבִיָּה הִיא הַשָּׁבָה עִם-נָעֳמִי מִשְּׂדֵי מוֹאָב	02.06	and the lad standing by the reapers said that is the Moabite lass the one who returned with Naomi from the fields of Moab	the lass is definite due to the modifiers
ח וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּעַז אֶל-רוּת הֲלוֹא שָׁמַעַתְּ בִּתִּי אַל-תֵּלְכִי לִלְקֹט בְּשָׂדֶה אַחֵר וְגַם לֹא תַעֲבוּרִי מִזֶּה וְכֹה תִדְבָּקִין עִם-נַעֲרֹתָי	02.08	and Boaz said to Ruth do you not hear, my daughter do not go to glean in the field of another and also do not pass beyond this one but stay close here with my lasses	In these first three verses we have the definite using the definite article, the definite by association with Moab and Naomi, and the plural with the singular first person possessive pronoun with-the-lasses-of-me
ט עֵינַיִךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר-יִקְצֹרוּן וְהָלַכְתְּ אַחֲרֵיהֶן הֲלוֹא צִוִּיתִי אֶת-הַנְּעָרִים לְבִלְתִּי נָגְעֵךְ וְצָמִת וְהָלַכְתְּ אֶל-הַכֵּלִים וְשָׁתִית מֵאֲשֶׁר יִשְׁאֲבוּן הַנְּעָרִים	02.09	your eyes on the field where they reap and you go behind them have I not instructed the lads not to touch you and you thirst, and you go to the vessels and drink from what the lads have drawn
יג וַתֹּאמֶר אֶמְצָא-חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ אֲדֹנִי כִּי נִחַמְתָּנִי וְכִי דִבַּרְתָּ עַל-לֵב שִׁפְחָתֶךָ וְאָנֹכִי לֹא אֶהְיֶה כְּאַחַת שִׁפְחֹתֶיךָ	02.13	and she said, let me find favor in your eyes my Lord for you have comforted me for you have spoken to the heart of your handmaid and I myself am not one or your handmaids	This self-descriptor is used only here - what is its significance?
טו וַתָּקָם לְלַקֵּט וַיְצַו בֹּעַז אֶת-נְעָרָיו לֵאמֹר גַּם בֵּין הָעֳמָרִים תְּלַקֵּט וְלֹא תַכְלִימוּהָ	02.15	and she arose to glean and Boaz said to his lads even between the sheaves let her glean and do not reproach her	note the direct object marker in Hebrew, but it is an indirect object in English
כא וַתֹּאמֶר רוּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּה גַּם כִּי-אָמַר אֵלַי עִם-הַנְּעָרִים אֲשֶׁר-לִי תִּדְבָּקִין עַד אִם-כִּלּוּ אֵת כָּל-הַקָּצִיר אֲשֶׁר-לִי	02.21	and Ruth the Moabite said for he even said to me with the lads that are mine stay close until they complete all the harvest that is mine
כב וַתֹּאמֶר נָעֳמִי אֶל-רוּת כַּלָּתָהּ טוֹב בִּתִּי כִּי תֵצְאִי עִם-נַעֲרוֹתָיו וְלֹא יִפְגְּעוּ-בָךְ בְּשָׂדֶה אַחֵר	02.22	and Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law good my daughter to go out with his lasses that none force you into another field
כג וַתִּדְבַּק בְּנַעֲרוֹת בֹּעַז לְלַקֵּט עַד-כְּלוֹת קְצִיר-הַשְּׂעֹרִים וּקְצִיר הַחִטִּים וַתֵּשֶׁב אֶת-חֲמוֹתָהּ	02.23	so she stayed close with the lasses of Boaz to glean to the completion of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest and she lived with her mother-in-law
ב וְעַתָּה הֲלֹא בֹעַז מֹדַעְתָּנוּ אֲשֶׁר הָיִית אֶת-נַעֲרוֹתָיו הִנֵּה-הוּא זֹרֶה אֶת-גֹּרֶן הַשְּׂעֹרִים--הַלָּיְלָה	03.02	and now is not Boaz of our acquaintance whom you were with his lasses behold he winnows at the threshing-floor barley -- tonight
ט וַיֹּאמֶר מִי-אָתְּ וַתֹּאמֶר אָנֹכִי רוּת אֲמָתֶךָ וּפָרַשְׂתָּ כְנָפֶךָ עַל-אֲמָתְךָ כִּי גֹאֵל אָתָּה	03.09	and he said - who are you? and she said - I myself am Ruth your maidservant so spread your wings over your maidservant for the one redeeming is you yourself	another unique pair of self-descriptors from Ruth
ב וַיִּקַּח עֲשָׂרָה אֲנָשִׁים מִזִּקְנֵי הָעִיר וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁבוּ-פֹה וַיֵּשֵׁבוּ	04.02	and he got ten men of the elders of the city and he said sit here and they sat	the elders at the gate witness the redemption
ד וַאֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי אֶגְלֶה אָזְנְךָ לֵאמֹר קְנֵה נֶגֶד הַיֹּשְׁבִים וְנֶגֶד זִקְנֵי עַמִּי אִם-תִּגְאַל גְּאָל וְאִם-לֹא יִגְאַל הַגִּידָה לִּי וְאֵדְעָה כִּי אֵין זוּלָתְךָ לִגְאוֹל וְאָנֹכִי אַחֲרֶיךָ וַיֹּאמֶר אָנֹכִי אֶגְאָל	04.04	and I myself had said I will disclose in your ear to say will you buy before those sitting here and before these elders of my people if you will redeem, redeem and if he will not redeem, tell me and I will know for there is none except you to redeem and I myself after you and he said I myself will redeem
ט וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּעַז לַזְּקֵנִים וְכָל-הָעָם עֵדִים אַתֶּם הַיּוֹם כִּי קָנִיתִי אֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר לֶאֱלִימֶלֶךְ וְאֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר לְכִלְיוֹן וּמַחְלוֹן מִיַּד נָעֳמִי	04.09	and Boaz said to the elders and all the people witnesses you are today that I have bought all that was Elimelek's and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's from the hand of Naomi
יא וַיֹּאמְרוּ כָּל-הָעָם אֲשֶׁר-בַּשַּׁעַר וְהַזְּקֵנִים--עֵדִים יִתֵּן יְהוָה אֶת-הָאִשָּׁה הַבָּאָה אֶל-בֵּיתֶךָ כְּרָחֵל וּכְלֵאָה אֲשֶׁר בָּנוּ שְׁתֵּיהֶם אֶת-בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וַעֲשֵׂה-חַיִל בְּאֶפְרָתָה וּקְרָא-שֵׁם בְּבֵית לָחֶם	04.11	and they said - all the people that were in the gate and the elders - witnesses let יְהוָה give to the wife coming to your house as to Rachel and as to Leah which two built the house of Israel and you do well in Ephratha and make a name in Bethlehem
יב וִיהִי בֵיתְךָ כְּבֵית פֶּרֶץ אֲשֶׁר-יָלְדָה תָמָר לִיהוּדָה--מִן-הַזֶּרַע אֲשֶׁר יִתֵּן יְהוָה לְךָ מִן-הַנַּעֲרָה הַזֹּאת	04.12	and let your house be as the house of Perez which Tamar bore to Judah from the seed which יְהוָה will give you from this lass

Immediate family in Ruth

Ruth has an abundance of uses of words indicating immediate family members. In an earlier post I illustrated the grammar of man and woman. In later posts I will look also at the groups of people that are not immediate family (reapers, lads, lasses, elders, handmaiden, maid-servant, city, house, and people) and the relation of redeemer that falls, with respect to distance, between these two groups. So here is father, son, mother, daughter, sister, brother, and child. We also learn something about the behaviour of numbers - especially two - from these words.

HEBREW	CH_VS	ENGLISH	NOTES
א וַיְהִי בִּימֵי שְׁפֹט הַשֹּׁפְטִים וַיְהִי רָעָב בָּאָרֶץ וַיֵּלֶךְ אִישׁ מִבֵּית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה לָגוּר בִּשְׂדֵי מוֹאָב הוּא וְאִשְׁתּו וּשְׁנֵי בָנָיו	01.01	Now there was in the days of the judgment of the judges, and there was a famine in the land. and he went a man from the house of bread (Bethlehem) of Judah to stay in the fields of Moab he, his wife, and his two sons	his sons, possessive plural, male - could be generically a mixed group of children but not in this case
ב וְשֵׁם הָאִישׁ אֱלִימֶלֶךְ וְשֵׁם אִשְׁתּוֹ נָעֳמִי וְשֵׁם שְׁנֵי-בָנָיו מַחְלוֹן וְכִלְיוֹן אֶפְרָתִים מִבֵּית לֶחֶם יְהוּדָה וַיָּבֹאוּ שְׂדֵי-מוֹאָב וַיִּהְיוּ שָׁם	01.02	and the name of the man was Elimelek and the name of his wife Naomi and the name of his two sons, Maxlon and Chilion Ephratites from Bethlehem of Judah and they came to the fields of Moab and they were there	his sons, repeated
ג וַיָּמָת אֱלִימֶלֶךְ אִישׁ נָעֳמִי וַתִּשָּׁאֵר הִיא וּשְׁנֵי בָנֶיהָ	01.03	and he died Elimelek the husband of Naomi and she was bereft and her two sons	his sons have become her sons - note the change in the pronomial suffix from vav ו to he ה. The form of 'two' does not change.
ה וַיָּמֻתוּ גַם-שְׁנֵיהֶם מַחְלוֹן וְכִלְיוֹן וַתִּשָּׁאֵר הָאִשָּׁה מִשְּׁנֵי יְלָדֶיהָ וּמֵאִישָׁהּ	01.05	and they died - even the two of them - Maxlon and Chilion and she was bereft, the woman, of her two children and of her husband	two children - literally the two that she bore. This noun will not be used again till the end of the story.
ו וַתָּקָם הִיא וְכַלֹּתֶיהָ וַתָּשָׁב מִשְּׂדֵי מוֹאָב כִּי שָׁמְעָה בִּשְׂדֵה מוֹאָב כִּי-פָקַד יְהוָה אֶת-עַמּוֹ לָתֵת לָהֶם לָחֶם	01.06	and she arose, she and her daughters in law to return from the fields of Moab for she had heard in the fields of Moab that יְהוָה had visited his people to give to them bread	and-daughters-in-law-of-her
ז וַתֵּצֵא מִן-הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר הָיְתָה-שָּׁמָּה וּשְׁתֵּי כַלּוֹתֶיהָ עִמָּהּ וַתֵּלַכְנָה בַדֶּרֶךְ לָשׁוּב אֶל-אֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה	01.07	and she emerged from the place where she was and her two daughters-in-law with her and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah	her two daughters in law - notice the change in the form of 'two'.
ח וַתֹּאמֶר נָעֳמִי לִשְׁתֵּי כַלֹּתֶיהָ לֵכְנָה שֹּׁבְנָה אִשָּׁה לְבֵית אִמָּהּ יעשה יְהוָה עִמָּכֶם חֶסֶד כַּאֲשֶׁר עֲשִׂיתֶם עִם-הַמֵּתִים וְעִמָּדִי	01.08	and Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law Go - return - each to the house of her mother (a-b) may יְהוָה deal with you with mercy as you have dealt with those who died and with me	mother-of-her
יא וַתֹּאמֶר נָעֳמִי שׁבְנָה בְנֹתַי לָמָּה תֵלַכְנָה עִמִּי הַעוֹד-לִי בָנִים בְּמֵעַי וְהָיוּ לָכֶם לַאֲנָשִׁים	01.11	and Naomi said turn back my daughters (b) why would you go with me (a) are there yet to me sons in my body that they might become husbands for you?	daughters-of-me and a simple plural of sons
יב שֹׁבְנָה בְנֹתַי לֵכְןָ כִּי זָקַנְתִּי מִהְיוֹת לְאִישׁ כִּי אָמַרְתִּי יֶשׁ-לִי תִקְוָה גַּם הָיִיתִי הַלַּיְלָה לְאִישׁ וְגַם יָלַדְתִּי בָנִים	01.12	turn back my daughters - go (b-a) for I am too old to have a husband for had I said there is hope for me even if there was tonight a husband and even if I bore sons	each word my-daughters, and sons repeated again - part of the plea that the daughters-in-law (singular כַּלָּה) return to their mothers
יג הֲלָהֵן תְּשַׂבֵּרְנָה עַד אֲשֶׁר יִגְדָּלוּ הֲלָהֵן תֵּעָגֵנָה לְבִלְתִּי הֱיוֹת לְאִישׁ אַל בְּנֹתַי כִּי-מַר-לִי מְאֹד מִכֶּם כִּי-יָצְאָה בִי יַד-יְהוָה	01.13	As if you could wait till such had grown? As if you would remain shut up without there being a husband? no my daughters for bitterness to me is great from you for the hand of יְהוָה has come out against me	wrestling with the idiom of this verse and the prior parts of Naomi's speech - see later post on Ruth 1:10-14
יד וַתִּשֶּׂנָה קוֹלָן וַתִּבְכֶּינָה עוֹד וַתִּשַּׁק עָרְפָּה לַחֲמוֹתָהּ וְרוּת דָּבְקָה בָּהּ	01.14	and they lifted up their voice and wept further and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law but Ruth stayed close to her	now to-mother-in-law-of-her. The verb kissed takes a prefixed preposition ל
טו וַתֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה שָׁבָה יְבִמְתֵּךְ אֶל-עַמָּהּ וְאֶל-אֱלֹהֶיהָ שׁוּבִי אַחֲרֵי יְבִמְתֵּךְ	01.15	and she said, behold your sister-in-law returns to her people and to her God you return also after your sister-in-law	sister-in-law-of-you - by now we have seen most of the singular possessive pronoun suffixes [Campbell suggests sister to keep the Levirate law foremost in the mind of the hearer - Deuteronomy 25:7,9]
כב וַתָּשָׁב נָעֳמִי וְרוּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּה כַלָּתָהּ עִמָּהּ הַשָּׁבָה מִשְּׂדֵי מוֹאָב וְהֵמָּה בָּאוּ בֵּית לֶחֶם בִּתְחִלַּת קְצִיר שְׂעֹרִים	01.22	So Naomi returned and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her she returned from the fields or Moab and they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the harvest of barley
ב וַתֹּאמֶר רוּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּה אֶל-נָעֳמִי אֵלְכָה-נָּא הַשָּׂדֶה וַאֲלַקֳּטָה בַשִּׁבֳּלִים אַחַר אֲשֶׁר אֶמְצָא-חֵן בְּעֵינָיו וַתֹּאמֶר לָהּ לְכִי בִתִּי	02.02	and Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi let me go please to the field and glean grain after the one in whose eyes I will find favor and she said to her, go my daughter	first use of the word 'my daughter' (singular) - framing chapters 2 and 3
ח וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּעַז אֶל-רוּת הֲלוֹא שָׁמַעַתְּ בִּתִּי אַל-תֵּלְכִי לִלְקֹט בְּשָׂדֶה אַחֵר וְגַם לֹא תַעֲבוּרִי מִזֶּה וְכֹה תִדְבָּקִין עִם-נַעֲרֹתָי	02.08	and Boaz said to Ruth do you not hear, my daughter do not go to glean in the field of another and also do not pass beyond this one but stay close here with my lasses	Note how Boaz and Naomi both use the phrase 'my daughter'
יא וַיַּעַן בֹּעַז וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ הֻגֵּד הֻגַּד לִי כֹּל אֲשֶׁר-עָשִׂית אֶת-חֲמוֹתֵךְ אַחֲרֵי מוֹת אִישֵׁךְ וַתַּעַזְבִי אָבִיךְ וְאִמֵּךְ וְאֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתֵּךְ וַתֵּלְכִי אֶל-עַם אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יָדַעַתְּ תְּמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם	02.11	and Boaz answered and said to her to be shown, it has been shown to me all that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband and you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth and went to a people which you did not know before in times past	first appearance of father
יח וַתִּשָּׂא וַתָּבוֹא הָעִיר וַתֵּרֶא חֲמוֹתָהּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר-לִקֵּטָה וַתּוֹצֵא וַתִּתֶּן-לָהּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר-הוֹתִרָה מִשָּׂבְעָהּ	02.18	and she lifted it up and went to the city and her mother-in-law saw what she gleaned and she brought out and gave to her what she had left over after she was sated
יט וַתֹּאמֶר לָהּ חֲמוֹתָהּ אֵיפֹה לִקַּטְתְּ הַיּוֹם וְאָנָה עָשִׂית יְהִי מַכִּירֵךְ בָּרוּךְ וַתַּגֵּד לַחֲמוֹתָהּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר-עָשְׂתָה עִמּוֹ וַתֹּאמֶר שֵׁם הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי עִמּוֹ הַיּוֹם בֹּעַז	02.19	and her mother-in-law said to her where did you glean today and where work may the one who took note of you be blessed and she showed her mother-in-law what she had done with him and she said, the name of the man that I worked with today is Boaz
כ וַתֹּאמֶר נָעֳמִי לְכַלָּתָהּ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לַיהוָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא-עָזַב חַסְדּוֹ אֶת-הַחַיִּים וְאֶת-הַמֵּתִים וַתֹּאמֶר לָהּ נָעֳמִי קָרוֹב לָנוּ הָאִישׁ מִגֹּאֲלֵנוּ הוּא	02.20	And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Blessed be he from יהוָה who has not left off his kindness for the living and the dead and Naomi said to her near to us is the man and he our redeemer
כב וַתֹּאמֶר נָעֳמִי אֶל-רוּת כַּלָּתָהּ טוֹב בִּתִּי כִּי תֵצְאִי עִם-נַעֲרוֹתָיו וְלֹא יִפְגְּעוּ-בָךְ בְּשָׂדֶה אַחֵר	02.22	and Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law good my daughter to go out with his lasses that none force you into another field
כג וַתִּדְבַּק בְּנַעֲרוֹת בֹּעַז לְלַקֵּט עַד-כְּלוֹת קְצִיר-הַשְּׂעֹרִים וּקְצִיר הַחִטִּים וַתֵּשֶׁב אֶת-חֲמוֹתָהּ	02.23	so she stayed close with the lasses of Boaz to glean to the completion of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest and she lived with her mother-in-law	there is a passage of time here - within the space of the two consecutive harvests
א וַתֹּאמֶר לָהּ נָעֳמִי חֲמוֹתָהּ בִּתִּי הֲלֹא אֲבַקֶּשׁ-לָךְ מָנוֹחַ אֲשֶׁר יִיטַב-לָךְ	03.01	and Naomi her mother-in-law said to her my daughter do I not seek for you rest that it may be good for you
ו וַתֵּרֶד הַגֹּרֶן וַתַּעַשׂ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר-צִוַּתָּה חֲמוֹתָהּ	03.06	and she descended to the threshing-floor and she did everything just as her mother-in-law commanded
י וַיֹּאמֶר בְּרוּכָה אַתְּ לַיהוָה בִּתִּי הֵיטַבְתְּ חַסְדֵּךְ הָאַחֲרוֹן מִן-הָרִאשׁוֹן לְבִלְתִּי-לֶכֶת אַחֲרֵי הַבַּחוּרִים אִם-דַּל וְאִם-עָשִׁיר	03.10	and he said you are blessed of יהוָה my daughter you have made good your mercy the end from the beginning that you did not follow choice whether poor or wealthy
יא וְעַתָּה בִּתִּי אַל-תִּירְאִי כֹּל אֲשֶׁר-תֹּאמְרִי אֶעֱשֶׂה-לָּךְ כִּי יוֹדֵעַ כָּל-שַׁעַר עַמִּי כִּי אֵשֶׁת חַיִל אָתְּ	03.11	and now my daughter have no fear all that you say I will do for you for all the gate, my people, know that you are a woman of ability
טז וַתָּבוֹא אֶל-חֲמוֹתָהּ וַתֹּאמֶר מִי-אַתְּ בִּתִּי וַתַּגֶּד-לָהּ אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה-לָהּ הָאִישׁ	03.16	and she came to her mother-in-law and she said is that you, my daughter? and she told her all that the man had done for her
יז וַתֹּאמֶר שֵׁשׁ-הַשְּׂעֹרִים הָאֵלֶּה נָתַן לִי כִּי אָמַר אֵלַי אַל-תָּבוֹאִי רֵיקָם אֶל-חֲמוֹתֵךְ	03.17	and she said six of barley these he gave to me and he said to me you may not go empty to your mother-in-law
יח וַתֹּאמֶר שְׁבִי בִתִּי עַד אֲשֶׁר תֵּדְעִין אֵיךְ יִפֹּל דָּבָר כִּי לֹא יִשְׁקֹט הָאִישׁ כִּי-אִם-כִּלָּה הַדָּבָר הַיּוֹם	03.18	and she said - sit tight my daughter until you know how a thing will fall out for the man will not rest in this case he will complete the thing today	the last use of the word 'my daughter'
ג וַיֹּאמֶר לַגֹּאֵל חֶלְקַת הַשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר לְאָחִינוּ לֶאֱלִימֶלֶךְ מָכְרָה נָעֳמִי הַשָּׁבָה מִשְּׂדֵה מוֹאָב	04.03	and he said to the redeemer the portion of the field of our brother Elimelek which Naomi who returned from the field of Moab is selling	to-brother-of-us
י וְגַם אֶת-רוּת הַמֹּאֲבִיָּה אֵשֶׁת מַחְלוֹן קָנִיתִי לִי לְאִשָּׁה לְהָקִים שֵׁם-הַמֵּת עַל-נַחֲלָתוֹ וְלֹא-יִכָּרֵת שֵׁם-הַמֵּת מֵעִם אֶחָיו וּמִשַּׁעַר מְקוֹמוֹ עֵדִים אַתֶּם הַיּוֹם	04.10	and moreover Ruth the Moabite the wife of Mahlon I have bought to me as wife to raise up the name as his inheritance so the name of the dead is not cut off from his brothers and from the gate of his place witnesses you are today	from-with brothers-of-him
יג וַיִּקַּח בֹּעַז אֶת-רוּת וַתְּהִי-לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה וַיָּבֹא אֵלֶיהָ וַיִּתֵּן יְהוָה לָהּ הֵרָיוֹן וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן	04.13	So Boaz got Ruth and she became his wife and he went to her and יְהוָה gave her conception and she bore a son
טו וְהָיָה לָךְ לְמֵשִׁיב נֶפֶשׁ וּלְכַלְכֵּל אֶת-שֵׂיבָתֵךְ כִּי כַלָּתֵךְ אֲשֶׁר-אֲהֵבַתֶךְ יְלָדַתּוּ אֲשֶׁר-הִיא טוֹבָה לָךְ מִשִּׁבְעָה בָּנִים	04.15	and he will be to you one who restores your being and sustains your old age for your daughter-in-law who loves you and bore him is better to you than seven sons	Sons reappear here for the first time since chapter 1 - there is a full and complex frame to the story involving the use of place names and words relating to birth and sons and daughter-in-law.
טז וַתִּקַּח נָעֳמִי אֶת-הַיֶּלֶד וַתְּשִׁתֵהוּ בְחֵיקָהּ וַתְּהִי-לוֹ לְאֹמֶנֶת	04.16	and Naomi got the child and set him in her lap and became for him his support	the second use of 'child'
יז וַתִּקְרֶאנָה לוֹ הַשְּׁכֵנוֹת שֵׁם לֵאמֹר יֻלַּד-בֵּן לְנָעֳמִי וַתִּקְרֶאנָה שְׁמוֹ עוֹבֵד הוּא אֲבִי-יִשַׁי אֲבִי דָוִד	04.17	and the women neighbours called him a name saying a son is born to Naomi and they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse the father of David	a son is born - one can see how the birthing concept can skip generations. So there is no need for the 'this is the generation of', or 'x begat y' to assume contiguity