Does the Old Testament book of Ruth tell the story of a young woman who was devoted to her mother-in-law or does it expose the two women as a gay couple? The answer to whether they had a homosexual relationship or not revolves around the definition and use of the Hebrew word dabaq.
Who were Ruth and Naomi?
The book of Ruth tells how Elimelech left Bethlehem in Judah during a famine, moved his wife Naomi and their two sons Mahlon and Kilion to Moab, and then died. Within ten years the boys had grown up, married two Moabite women named Ruth and Orpah, and died too leaving the three women widowed and childless.
Then, hearing that the famine in Judah was over, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem. Ruth and Orpah started the journey with her but she urged them to return to their mothers’ homes to find other husbands because she could offer them nothing in Judah. Ruth 1:14-16 states that Orpah kissed Naomi and turned back but that Ruth clung to Naomi and told her that she would go with her and that "your people shall be my people, and your God my God."
Dabaq Used to Show that Ruth and Naomi were Gay
While the love, devotion and loyalty that Ruth showed toward Naomi has been recognized throughout history, in recent years gay advocates have suggested that the two women were involved in a more intimate, sexual relationship.
In their book The Children are Free: Reexamining the Biblical Evidence on Same-sex Relationships, Jeff Miner and John Tyler Connoley write that the word translated as "clave" (KJV) or “clung to” (NIV) in Ruth 1:14 comes from the Hebrew word dabaq. They explain that dabaq is also used in Genesis 2:24 where it states that a man will leave his father and mother and "cleave" (KJV) or “be united” (NIV) to his wife.
Miner and Connoley conclude that Ruth and Naomi's relationship was more than just mere friendship or an in-law’s devotion but that Ruth felt toward Naomi the same way that Adam felt toward Eve.
Other Occurrences of Dabaq in the Book of Ruth
Besides its use in Ruth 1:14, dabaq is used three other times in Ruth:
- Boaz asks Ruth to "stay" with his servant girls while gleaning during the harvest (2:8).
- Ruth tells Naomi that Boaz asked her to "stay" with his workers until the harvest was finished (2:21).
- Ruth followed Boaz's advice and "stayed close" to the other women until the harvesting was finished (2:23).
In the article “Ruth and Naomi – An Exegesis” Peter Ould writes that the verses in Ruth 2 are clearly not invitations for Ruth to form covenant unions with either the workers or the other women.
How Dabaq is Used in the Old Testament
According to James Strong's Hebrew lexicon, dabaq is used in over 50 Old Testament verses and is defined as "to cling, stick, cleave, stay close, keep close, follow closely, join to, overtake, catch." Friedrich Wilhelm Gesenius' lexicon defines dabaq as “to adhere or be glued, to attach oneself, or to follow hard or come upon.”
A review of how dabaq is used throughout the Old Testament does not appear to indicate a sexual definition. For example:
- Four times in Deuteronomy (13:14 – 30:20) and twice in Joshua (23:8, 12) Israel is told to “hold fast” to God.
- Israel is warned three times in Deuteronomy 13 and 28 and again in Joshua 23 that God's anger will “cling” to them in the form of plagues and diseases if they reject him.
- Multiple verses in Genesis, Judges and the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles tell how opposing armies were “pressing hard” upon or were able to “overtake” their enemies.
- 2 Samuel 20 states that the men of Judah “stayed by” King David after Israel deserted him and 2 Samuel 23 tells how Eleazer’s sword “clung” (KJV) or “froze” (NIV) to his hand during battle.
- Passages in Job, Psalms, Lamentations and Ezekiel tell how a tongue “sticks” to the roof of the mouth.
- Proverbs 18:24 states that a man with many companions may come to ruin but there is a friend “who sticks closer than a brother.”
Ruth and Naomi - Devoted In Laws or a Gay Couple
If Genesis 2:24 was the only place in the Old Testament where dabaq is used it would be understandable to attach a sexual connotation to it. However, reviewing the Old Testament passages where dabaq appears, its use appears to indicate a physical or spiritual closeness or unity between two objects, two people or between Israel and God outside of any sexual context.
Going back to Ruth 1:14, Orpah was kissing Naomi goodbye while Ruth was holding on to Naomi in a physical embrace. Peter Ould suggests that, rather than displaying romantic feelings toward Naomi, Ruth was simply maintaining her daughter-in-law relationship with Naomi even though her husband Mahlon was dead. Ruth was not going to allow her mother-in-law to return to Judah alone.
Appearing to further shed the idea of a lesbian relationship, the Old Testament book tells how Ruth was first married to Mahlon and later, in Judah, Naomi was able to arrange for Boaz as their kinsman redeemer to marry Ruth. It was through their son Obed that they became ancestors to King David and, generations later, to Jesus the Christ.
While it is clear that Naomi and Ruth had a close, loving bond, the idea that they had a sexual or lesbian relationship because the Hebrew word dabaq is used in Ruth 1:14 does not appear to be supported by the biblical evidence.
Recommended Reading
To learn more about Ruth and Naomi, consider reading Ruth and Naomi: Refugees in the Bible and Bible Studies - the Book of Ruth.
Sources:
- Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for dabaq (Strong's 1692)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2010. Jan 22, 2011.
- Miner, Jeff and John Tyler Connoley. The Children are Free: Reexamining Biblical Evidence on Same-sex Relationships. (Indianapolis: Found Pearl Press) 2002.
- Ould, Peter. “Ruth and Naomi – An Exegesis”. www.peter-ould.net. March 17, 2009. Jan 22, 2011.
Ronald G Falconberry - Ron Falconberry is an IT professional and freelance writer who enjoys researching and writing articles on Bible topics, history, and ...
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