Book of Ruth Quiz: Part 2

1. When the barley harvest ended, Naomi devised a plan to secure Ruth's future. What was the plan?

1. Naomi would go to the city gate and present the kinsman-redeemer obligation to Boaz publicly before the elders
2. Ruth should approach Boaz directly and ask him to act as kinsman-redeemer, invoking her legal rights as Mahlon's widow
3. Ruth should present herself as available for marriage at the city gate on the morning of the harvest festival
4. Ruth should wash, put on perfume, dress in her best clothes, go to the threshing floor, wait until Boaz fell asleep and then uncover his feet and lie down — following his lead

2. Ruth followed Naomi's plan exactly. When Boaz woke at midnight and found her there, what did she say?

1. 'Boaz, I have come to you in the night because I have no one to protect me and Naomi has told me of your obligation to us'
2. 'I am Ruth who served with you in the harvest. I have come to ask you to fulfil your duty as my husband's kinsman'
3. 'I am Ruth, your servant. Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer'
4. 'It is I, Ruth the Moabite. My mother-in-law has sent me to ask whether you will take me as your wife'

3. Boaz's response to Ruth was full of praise. What did he say about her coming to him rather than going after younger men?

1. 'All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. Although I am older, you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor — and this latest kindness is greater than that earlier'
2. 'Ruth, your faithfulness has moved me deeply — you have chosen duty over desire and that is the greatest of all virtues'
3. 'The Lord himself has directed your steps to me this night — I have thought of you often since you first came to my field'
4. 'You have shown more honour than a young woman could easily show — to seek out an older man for duty's sake'

4. What was the legal complication that prevented Boaz from immediately acting as kinsman-redeemer?

1. Boaz was already married and could not take a second wife under Israelite law without first divorcing his current wife
2. Ruth was a Moabite, and Deuteronomy 23 required a ten-generation waiting period before Moabites could fully enter the assembly — Boaz needed to check whether this applied to marriage
3. The elders of the city had not yet been consulted, and the law required their approval before a kinsman-redeemer could act
4. There was a closer kinsman-redeemer than Boaz — that man had first right to redeem, and Boaz could only act if he declined

5. Before Ruth left the threshing floor in the early morning, Boaz gave her a parting gift. What was it?

1. A golden ring as a token of his pledge to act as kinsman-redeemer
2. A new garment of fine linen to replace the servant's clothes she had worn
3. A written pledge sealed with his ring, promising to fulfil his kinsman-redeemer obligations
4. Six measures of barley — she returned to Naomi laden with grain

6. When Naomi saw Ruth returning with the barley, she asked what happened and then made a confident prediction. What did she say about Boaz?

1. 'He is a man of honour and will not delay — by the end of this week you will know his answer'
2. 'He will go to the elders today — but first he must speak to the closer relative and that may take time'
3. 'He will not rest until the matter is settled today — wait and see what he does'
4. 'The Lord has moved in his heart already — be patient and trust that it is done'

7. Boaz went to the city gate and waited for the nearer kinsman to pass by. What did the gate represent in ancient Israelite society?

1. The boundary between the sacred space of the city and the secular world of the fields
2. The place of prayer and sacrifice — where the priests presided over the community's worship
3. The public forum and courthouse — where legal transactions, contracts and judicial decisions were made before witnesses
4. The seat of the king's authority — where the city's ruler heard petitions and dispensed justice

8. The book calls the nearer kinsman only 'So-and-so' (a Hebrew expression for an unnamed person). Why might the author have done this deliberately?

1. The kinsman refused his duty and walked away from his obligation — his anonymity is his punishment for declining to preserve the family name he could have perpetuated
2. The kinsman was still alive when the book was written and the author protected his identity out of respect
3. The kinsman's name was unknown to the author who wrote the account many years after the events
4. The naming conventions of the period did not include the names of those who declined covenant responsibilities

9. Boaz presented the situation to the nearer kinsman at the gate. Initially the man agreed to redeem — but then backed out when he heard the full terms. What changed his mind?

1. He discovered he would have to marry Ruth the Moabite, which might endanger his own inheritance
2. He learned that Boaz also wanted to marry Ruth and did not want to compete with such a respected man
3. He realised the land came with Naomi's significant debts which would harm his family's finances
4. The price of the land was too high — he could not afford it without depleting his inheritance

10. Ruth 4:7-8 describes an ancient custom used to seal the transaction. What was it?

1. A clay tablet was written and broken in two — each party kept a half as proof of the agreement
2. In earlier times in Israel, to legalise a transaction of redemption or transfer of property, one party would take off his sandal and give it to the other
3. In those days, a man signing over his rights would shake hands with the other party three times before witnesses
4. The custom was for both parties to pour wine on the ground before God as a sign of the covenant being sealed

11. Boaz's declaration to the elders at the gate formally announced his intention. What did he say he was acquiring along with the property?

1. All of Elimelech's estate including its flocks and servants, and Ruth as head of the household
2. All the property of Elimelech, Kilion and Mahlon — and also Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon's widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property
3. Ruth the Moabite as his wife and Naomi's guardianship as his responsibility before God and the elders
4. The field of Naomi and the right of first claim to all future property of the family

12. How did the elders and people at the gate respond to Boaz's declaration?

1. 'We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel'
2. 'We bless this union in the name of the Lord — may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah'
3. They gave both blessings — comparing Ruth to Rachel and Leah, and praying Boaz's house would be like Perez's, the ancestor of the Bethlehemites
4. They solemnly witnessed the transaction and promised to hold both parties to their commitments

13. Ruth 4:13 records the consummation of the marriage in one sentence. What specific divine involvement does the narrator note?

1. 'Ruth bore Boaz a son in due course, and the Lord blessed the child with health and wisdom from birth'
2. 'Ruth found great joy in her husband and the Lord blessed their life together from the first day'
3. 'So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son'
4. 'The Lord opened Ruth's womb and she conceived as God had always intended — the child of promise was born to continue the line'

14. After the birth of the son, the women of Bethlehem celebrated with Naomi. What remarkable claim did they make about Ruth?

1. 'Blessed be Ruth who carried this child — she is the greatest of all Israelite women for her faithfulness'
2. 'God has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer — praise his name that Ruth's son will carry on your family's name in Israel'
3. 'Ruth is worth more to you than seven sons — for seven sons could not have given you such loyalty and love'
4. 'Ruth the Moabite has become the mother of Israel — through her God has shown that his love reaches all peoples'

15. What did Naomi do with the baby, and what did the women of the neighbourhood declare?

1. Naomi dedicated the child at the sanctuary; the women said 'A son has been born to the house of Israel through a Moabite woman'
2. Naomi held the child throughout the day while Ruth rested; the women came and blessed the child with names of the patriarchs
3. Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him; the women said 'Naomi has a son' — treating the child as her own through the kinsman-redeemer arrangement
4. Naomi wept over the child and praised God; the women said 'Blessed is the Lord who has not left Naomi without a redeemer'

16. What was the baby named, and what does his name mean?

1. Jesse, meaning 'God is my strength' — the father of King David
2. Obed, meaning 'servant' or 'worshipper' — the grandfather of King David
3. Perez, meaning 'breakthrough' — recalling the ancestor of Boaz mentioned at the gate
4. Salmon, meaning 'garment' — in honour of the garment/wing spread over Ruth by Boaz

17. The book of Ruth ends with a genealogy from Perez to David. Why is Perez specifically mentioned as the starting point?

1. Perez was born to Tamar through Judah in unusual circumstances — like Ruth, Tamar was a foreign woman who preserved a family line through unconventional means
2. Perez was the first ancestor of Boaz, connecting the story back to its Judaean roots
3. Perez was the founder of the Bethlehemite clan to which Boaz belonged, establishing the legitimacy of Boaz's claim to the land
4. The elders at the gate had specifically prayed that Boaz's house would be like Perez — the genealogy shows that prayer was answered

18. Ruth the Moabite appears in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1. Which of these women in Matthew 1's genealogy is she listed alongside?

1. Mary, Deborah and Rahab
2. Rahab alone — the only other foreign woman in the genealogy
3. Sarah, Rebecca and Leah — the matriarchs of Israel
4. Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba and Mary

19. The book of Ruth is one of only two books in the Bible named after women. What is the other?

1. Deborah
2. Esther
3. Judith
4. Miriam

20. The overarching theme of Ruth is often described as hesed — loyal love or covenant faithfulness. How does the book show hesed operating at multiple levels simultaneously?

1. Hesed flows in all directions: Ruth shows hesed to Naomi; Boaz shows hesed to Ruth and to the memory of the dead; and God shows hesed to all of them — the human acts of hesed reflect and trigger divine hesed
2. Hesed in Ruth is one-directional — from the faithful Israelite Boaz toward the foreigner Ruth who cannot fully participate in covenant life until her integration is complete
3. Hesed is primarily legal in Ruth — the kinsman-redeemer obligation is the book's focus and hesed is just the emotional wrapper around a legal transaction
4. Hesed operates only between humans — God is largely in the background and the story's miracle is entirely the product of human faithfulness