the book of Ruth, perhaps coming to Ruth by way of Proverbs suggests an association of the woman Ruth with the noble wife of Proverbs 31. Both Ruth and the woman in Proverbs 31 are said to be of noble character. I will suggest later that the writer of Ruth did not want us to focus on the famine as a curse but as an opportunity to practice loving-kindness—a rich Old Testament concept that encompasses compassion, faithfulness, and loyalty. Unlike previous generations of Old Testament specialists, recent