SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 701 Title : The Buik o Ruth: 14 - Anent the Buik o Ruth Author(s): A S Borrowman Copyright holder(s): Mrs Lorna F Borrowman Text The Hebrew Bible, our Auld Testament, is in fower pairts, the Law, the Former Prophets, the Latter Prophets, and the Writings. The Buik o Ruth is fun amang the Writings. The Writings were scrievit owre monie a year, and werena acceptit intae the Hebrew Bible till 130 A. D. or thairanent. In our Auld Testament the Buik o Ruth comes efter Judges and was pitten thair by the Gregians wha foundit on the Buik o Ruth itsel, whilk pits the tale 'in the time o the Judges'. (Ruth 1:1) The Gregians translatit frae Hebrew intae Grewe. The Buik o Ruth wasna scrievit in the twalt orlang-hunder B.C. but lang efter. Some fowk jalouse it was scrievit afore the Israelites were cairrit awa tae Babylon in 587 B.C.: ithers that it was scrievit in the days o Ezra and Nehemiah, efter the Israelites won hame tae their ain kintra. We maun cognose for the time o Ezra and Nehemiah. Whatna prief hae we? Whan Ezra and his feres won hame, the kinrick o Israel was in a unco guddle. The brugh o Jerusalem was dingit doon, alsweel its waas and ilka hoose. Forbye the fowk were disjaskit, alsweel discomfist. It was a tapsalteerie warld, and fient a care had they for the Law o God whilk had gart them be a by-ordinar fowk. Ezra and his feres pit stout herts tae a stey brae and walit for their dicton, 'Oursels alane'; nae merridges wi fremmit fowk; ill-wull tae the fremmit, and nae companionry wi fowk wha dinna belang tae the kintra or kin o Israel. It was an orra gait tae gang, and we suld caa it in our ain day, 'racism'. Aabody didna haud tae siccan gait and aiblins the scriever o the Buik o Ruth was a saunt wha weel kent that the merciment o God wasna anerlie for the Israelites but alsweel for the Gentile fowk. Albuist the politique o the Israelites was notour, and had the dooming o the scriever, the Buik o Ruth isna aboot flytin nar fechtin. It's aa anent landwart fowk: aboot craps, hairst; puirtith and sic like. Famine drave a faimly owre Jordan intae Moab. The faither and the twa sons deed, and the mither, Naomi, ettlt tae win hame tae her ain kintra and jalousit her twa guid-dochters wald bide in Moab. Ane, Orpah bides in Moab; tither, Ruth gangs wi Naomi tae Bethlehem o Juda. In Bethlehem, puirtith gars Ruth gaither frae the rigs. The tale has a guid aftercast. Ruth gaithers in the rig o Boaz wha is sib tae Naomi's guidman. Naomi gars Boaz, blate and auld-young, merry the bonnie widow-wife Ruth. Algates, Naomi is fasht anent a paffle whilk her guidman Elimelech aucht. Puirtith micht gar her sell it awa frae the faimly, but the paffle is coft by Boaz. The wont-tae-be o the kintra was that he wha coft the paffle, coft the widow-wife alsweel. Lippen tae the scriever o Ruth! He was nae coof! The son o Boaz and Ruth was caad Obed, the faither o Jesse, the faither o Dauvit. The michty Roy, Dauvit, neist in honner and glore tae Moses amang the Israelites, was oe tae a man whas mither was a Gentile. Waesucks for 'oursels alane' and Israel for the Israelites'. Aither the michtiest o their roys is fylit wi Moabite bluid, als Moabites hae their pairt amang God's choicen fowk: ither fowk alsweel, for we ken that Tamar, (Genesis XXXVIII) and Rahab the hoor, (Joshua II) were Canaanites, and sib tae Dauvit: sae they were forbeers o the Messiah whilk we lear frae Mattha I: 3 & 5. This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document. Information about document and author: Text Text audience Adults (18+): General public: Informed lay people: Males: Females: Audience size: 100+ Text details Method of composition: Typed Year of composition: 1974 Word count: 620 General description: Explanation of the context and content of the Book of Ruth Text medium Book: Text publication details Published: Publisher: Gordon Wright Publication year: 1979 Place of publication: Edinburgh ISBN/ISSN: SBN 903065 30 4 Edition: 1st Part of larger text: Contained in: The Buik o Ruth and ither wark in Lallans Editor: Author: Alex S. Borrowman Page numbers: 41-42 Text setting Religious/ceremonial: Text type Prose: nonfiction: Author Author details Author id: 755 Forenames: A Initials: S Surname: Borrowman Gender: Male Decade of birth: 1910 Educational attainment: University Age left school: 17 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Parish Minister Place of birth: Stirling Region of birth: Stirling Birthplace CSD dialect area: Stlg Country of birth: Scotland Father's occupation: Shop assistant Father's place of birth: Stirling Father's region of birth: Stirling Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Stlg Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Dress maker Mother's place of birth: Dunblane Mother's region of birth: E & SE Perthshire Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Per Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: all circumstances Language: French Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: German Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: Language: Scots Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: for literary purposes