006_kim_589-601 13/02/15 12:50 Pagina 596 596 YOO-KI KIM Our syntactic analysis favors Boaz as the agent of ḥesed. However, we need to allow for the author’s liberty to produce unique expressions using similar structures. As Sakenfeld acknowledges, “no definitive de- cision is possible from analogies of grammar and vocabulary alone” 29. Now let us turn to other factors. III. ḥesed for the living and the dead In the context of the whole story, what is the meaning of “[…] who did not abandon his faithfulness with the living and the dead”? The expression “the living and the dead” certainly refers to the living and dead members of Naomi’s family 30. If YHWH is the unspecified subject, what does this clause mean? According to Rudolph, the death of Naomi’s husband and sons in an unclean foreign land meant YHWH’s testimony against both Naomi and the deceased. Now, by bestowing grace upon Naomi and Ruth, YHWH also restores the honor of their deceased loved ones 31. However, no inference can be made from the text that the death of Elimelech and his two sons meant divine punishment. Their death is simply reported: no reason or background information is given that could justify this interpretation. Sakenfeld argues that Boaz’s actions cannot without doubt be inter- preted as ḥesed to the dead husband. According to her interpretation, “God’s ḥesed is the primary focus of attention at this point in the story” and “Boaz’[s] actions thus far cannot readily be described as ḥesed” 32. It is true that YHWH’s ḥesed is one of the important themes in the story. But it has not been mentioned explicitly throughout the story. YHWH’s ḥesed is never described as a past event, though it is prayed for in Naomi’s ear- lier blessing (Ru 1,8). It is also problematic to argue that Boaz’s action 29 SAKENFELD, Ḥesed, 106. 30 Campbell argues that this expression does not refer to specific indivi- duals because “the living” is a masculine plural. Yet Joüon identifies the living as Naomi and Ruth, adducing a case (Gen 23,3) where “the dead” in the mas- culine form (tm) is employed in reference to a female. Rebera shows that the replacement of the feminine plural with the masculine plural takes place in the Book of Ruth and other places in the Old Testament and that the feminine plural of yx is not attested with reference to human females. See CAMPBELL, Ruth, 106; P. JOÜON, Ruth. Commentaire philologique et exégétique (Rome 1953) 64; REBERA, “Yahweh or Boaz?”, 320-321. 31 RUDOLPH, Ruth, 51. 32 Sakenfeld goes further to suggest that those actions of Boaz cannot be regarded as ḥesed even to Ruth herself. Some midrashim suggest that Boaz performed the acts of kindness unwillingly and ungenerously. See SAKEN- FELD, Ḥesed 106; ANGEL, “A Midrashic View”, 96.