Straying, Bitter Water, and the Restoration of Naomi: A Narrative Reframing of the Sotah Ritual in the Book of Ruth
Abstract This article argues that the Book of Ruth intentionally echoes the ritual logic and symbolic vocabulary of the Sotah ordeal in Numbers 5. Through motifs of straying, bitterness, barrenness, testing, and public vindication, Naomi’s narrative functions as a literary transformation of the Sotah pattern. The move to Moab becomes a narrative analogue to satah (“to go astray”), Naomi’s self‑designation as Mara (“bitter”) parallels the “bitter water” of the ordeal, and the birth of Obed functions as a communal declaration of innocence and restored fertility. This intertextual reading illuminates the theological architecture of Ruth and reframes Naomi’s suffering as a ritual‑shaped journey from suspected deviation to covenantal restoration. 1. Introduction The Book of Ruth is often read as a pastoral narrative of loyalty and redemption. Yet beneath its gentle surface lies a sophisticated engagement with Israel’s legal and ritual traditions. This study proposes that Ruth delibe...