version is based independently on some underlying source. Whatever the solution to this question, it is clear that the particular form of the genealogy preserved in Ruth is highly stylized. Boaz holds the seventh position, one of special note in traditional genealogies, and David holds the tenth and last position, perhaps also numerically significant. The number of names is certainly insufficient to cover the time-frame from Perez to David in the biblical tradition. Within the genealogy, the names