of any particular judge, so the purpose of the time indication can hardly be to identify a precise point in a chronological span, but is rather to place Ruth within a certain group of texts. Through the immediate placing of the story in time the reader is led into a network of stories to which Ruth also belongs, namely the narratives found in Judges. The tale of Ruth and Naomi must be read in the light of the traditions from the time when the God of Israel called heroes forth to deeds of war and