Yoo-ki Kim, «The Agent of hesed in Naomi’s Blessing (Ruth 2,20)» biblica, Vol. 95 (2014) 589-601 page 595

Vol 95 (2014)

Yoo-ki Kim, «The Agent of hesed in Naomi’s Blessing (Ruth 2,20)», Vol. 95 (2014) 589-601

The ambiguity regarding the agent of hesed in Naomi’s blessing in Ru 2,20 has been the focus of interest for commentators, linguists, and translators. For a better resolution of the ambiguity, this article examines the syntactic structure of the sentence, seeks a proper understanding of the significance of «hesed to the dead», and sets the blessing in the context of the whole narrative. The findings of our analysis support the argument that it is Boaz who, in Naomi’s words, performed hesed to the living and dead members of her family.

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006_kim_589-601 13/02/15 12:50 Pagina 595 THE AGENT OF ḤESED IN NAOMI’S BLESSING (RUTH 2,20) 595 Therefore, the position of the antecedent, at least in this case, cannot serve as a conclusive argument. Expressions with a similar structure could shed light on our structural analysis. Those favoring YHWH as the agent have adduced Gen 24,27 as a basis for their choice 26. Yet those favoring Boaz cite 2 Sam 2,5 as a more adequate parallel 27. ynda ~[m wtmaw wdsx bz[-al rva ~hrba ynda yhla hwhy $wrb Blessed be YHWH the God of my lord Abraham, who did not abandon his faithfulness and his truth from my lord! (Gen 24,27) lwav-~[ ~kynda-~[ hzh dsxh ~tyf[ rva hwhyl ~ta ~ykrb May you (2d. pl.) be blessed by YHWH who showed (2d. pl.) this faithfulness to your lord Saul. (2 Sam 2,5) Both the above “blessings” appear to be good parallels to Naomi’s blessing. Gen 24,27 contains the same verb (bz[-al) as Ru 2,20, while 2 Sam 2,5 shares the same structure (“blessed” + independent pronoun + hwhyl) with it. However, the latter blessing aims at certain people, while the former is a praise of God rather than a blessing per se. Moreover, even in Gen 24,27 the antecedent of the relative pronoun is “YHWH” not “Abra- ham”, which stands in immediate proximity to it. There are also cases where the speaker blesses people by using a di- vine name, which is followed by an epithet. #raw ~ymv hf[ hwhyl ~ta ~ykwrb May you be blessed by YHWH, maker of heaven and earth. (Ps 115,15) #raw ~ymv hnq !wyl[ lal ~rba $wrb Blessed be Abraham by God Most High, creator of heaven and earth. (Gen 14,19) In the above blessings, “YHWH” is not modified by a relative clause but placed in apposition with the participle. Here the praise of YHWH is “incidental” and thus cannot be used as supporting evidence for reading YHWH as the agent of ḥesed in Ru 2,20 28. 26 K.D. SAKENFELD, The Meaning of Ḥesed in the Hebrew Bible. A New Inquiry (HSM 17; Missoula, MT 1978) 106. 27 N. GLUECK, Ḥesed in the Bible (trans. A. GOTTSCHALK; ed. E.L. EPSTEIN) (Cincinnati, OH 1967) 41; REBERA, “Yahweh or Boaz?” 321-323. 28 COHEN, “Ḥesed”, 30-31.