Intentional Ambiguity in Ruth 4.5: Implications for Interpretation of Ruth *

Abstract

Starting from Robert Holmstedt's translation of Ruth 4.5, this article develops and applies a preliminary hermeneutic for ambiguity to Boaz's speech in 4.5 and its disambiguation in 4.9–10. Arguing for freedom to interpret ambiguous texts strategically, this study demonstrates how Holmstedt's translation coupled with the author's preliminary hermeneutic leads to a reassessment of the scene at the city gate that also resolves several persistent interpretive difficulties in Ruth.