Proverbs of Solomon - Ruth
Proverbs asks who can find a "virtuous woman" and Ruth answers.
The Virtuous Woman
Moael, a king and prophet, writes the last chapter of Proverbs. He writes, in particular, about the "virtuous woman." He asks who can find her and then lists all her traits. An amazing woman for sure.
Isaiah can find the virtuous woman. In Isaiah's rendering of the book order the book of Ruth follows the book of Proverbs. In the book of Ruth Baoz says something about Ruth that harkens back to the words of Moael at the end of Proverbs.
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29 Proverbs of Solomon 31:10 |
30 Ruth 3:11 |
Boaz, speaking to Ruth, says everyone in town knows that she is a virtuouos woman. Moael and Boaz use the same Hebrew phrase to describe the ideal woman and to describe Ruth.
There's some irony in this linkage. Moael had asked who can find a virtuous woman, as if to say no woman is really that good. In the book of Ruth Boaz just wakes one night to the presence of a virtious woman asking for his hand in marriage. It's not the case, but it looks almost like virtuous women abound everywhere and you almost can't help but trip over them. Who said God does not have a sense of humor?