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Ruth and Esther are the only two women for whom books of the Hebrew Bible are named. This distinction in itself sets the books apart from other biblical texts that bear male names, address the community through its male members, recall the workings of God and human history through a predominately male perspective, and look to the future through male heirs. These books are particular stories of...

about babies in the story of Ruth and none in Esther. Not once is there mention of childbirth in Esther. Even in the book of Ruth, Ruth’s choice to accompany her mother-in-law, Naomi, back to Bethlehem is a choice against motherhood. It is also telling that when Ruth births a son, she is not called the child’s mother. That honor is given to Naomi. Ruth’s honor is found in the appellation “more than seven sons” (Ruth 4:15–17).
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