Ruth at the Threshing Floor

Alice C. Linsley

The book of Ruth is a short narrative, but it is rich in anthropologically significant data. It tells us about levirate marriage, harvests in Bethlehem, an early Horite Hebrew settlement, and transactions at the town gate. As the Hebrew married only member of their Hebrew caste, Naomi's sons married Hebrew women living in Moab. The Hebrew clans were widely dispersed before Abraham's time (c. 2000 BC).

Contrary to the Jewish portrayal of Ruth was a Gentile, she was a Hebrew woman living in Moab. Some of the people of Moab were Hebrew descendants of Terah, Abraham's father. Moab was one of Lot's sons. Lot was one of Terah's grandsons. In fact, it is probable that Ruth was the daughter of a Hebrew priest living in Moab. Shaharaim was a Horite Hebrew priest living in Moab. David's family had kin in Moab which is why David sent his parents to the citadel of the king of Moab for protection while he was being pursued by Saul (1 Sam. 22:3).

The Hebrew were a caste. Typical of all castes, marriage partners were members of the Hebrew caste. Therefore, it is inaccurate to speak of Ruth as a "Gentile", a term which appeared in Bibles after 1382 AD in reference to non-Jews. There were no Jews in the time of Ruth (c.1200 - 1090). 

Boaz married Ruth according to the practice of levirate marriage, an ancient custom in which the widow of the deceased brother marries one of his brothers. Levirate marriage is practiced by societies with a strong clan and caste structures in which exogamous marriage is forbidden. The practice is found among the cattle-herding Nuer and Dinka of the Nile. It also is found among the Igbo of southeastern Nigeria, and in the Punjab-Haryana region of Pakistan, and among peoples of Central Asia such as the Saka and Kushan. Such a marriage arrangement is intended to preserve the deceased husband's lineage and inheritance.

The Hebrew clans were widely dispersed, as shown on this map.

In the Book of Ruth we read about a custom involving a blanket that has been observed in various cultures. Boaz had fallen asleep at the threshing floor after a day of hard labor. While he slept, Ruth lifted up the hem of his blanket and covered herself with it. This is her way of seeking marriage to Boaz, a ruler of Bethlehem.

The photo above, titled "A Sioux Wedding", was taken in 1912 by Julia Tuell. Among the Dakota Sioux it was the custom for the maiden to agree to marriage by stepping into her suitor's blanket. E. Irving Couse's painting "The Wedding" (below) also depicts this custom.

In Ruth 3, we read that Ruth went to the threshing floor where Boaz was sleeping and quietly "uncovered his feet and lay down. In the middle of the night something startled the man; he turned—and there was a woman lying at his feet!" 

Some have interpreted this as a seduction based on the supposition that "feet" is sometimes a euphemism for testicles. However, the plain meaning of the text is that she covered herself at his feet so quietly that Boaz did not wake. A man's testicles are very sensitive and had this been a seduction, he would have awakened. Further, when he woke, he asked, “Who are you?” Ruth then made her intention clear when she responded: “I am your servant, Ruth. Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family."

Ancient threshing floors were owned by local rulers and chiefs. They were associated with the sun and with solar cycles. They were also used to determine times and seasons. A center post served to cast a shadow, on the same principle as a sundial. Some threshing floors, such as the one shown above, resemble images of the sun.

Threshing floors were sacred places at higher elevations so that the winds could carry away the chaff. They were often places of worship. The Jebusite ruler Araunah sold David a threshing floor upon which David constructed an altar.  

Some insist that Ruth and Boaz had sexual intercourse that night. However, there is no evidence that the encounter described is an example of the "hieros gamos" conducted during harvests. For the early Hebrew sexual purity was an absolute requirement. If Ruth were the daughter of a Hebrew priest and found to have committed adultery, she would have been burned (Lev. 21:9).

Further, the Book presents Ruth and Boaz as righteous. Boaz fulfills all the Law. He cares for foreigners, widows, allows gleaning in his fields, and insists the right of the first levir be honored. Since he knew he was not in line to rightfully claim Ruth as a levir, he would not have violated the law by having sex with her.

As the story of Ruth and Boaz presents King David's ancestors in the most positive light, illicit sexual relations would dispose of Boaz's character as a righteous and faithful man.

Related reading: Threshing Floors and Solar Symbols; The Town Gate; The Obed-Edom Connection; Just Genesis: Hebrew, Israelite or Jew?; Just Genesis: Hebrew Priests in Aram, Edom, Judah, and Moab; Who Was Boaz?; The Dispersion of the Early Hebrew