Ruth and Tamar

In the “Well, duh” category: After mentioning Warren Gage’s work on the parallels between Ruth and Tamar here earlier in the week, now I’ve read a student paper that helps to fill out that point. She points out that in both stories, men and specifically husbands die and that in both the outcome is the birth of a child to the widow. Also, it’s obvious that both are dealing with the institution of the levirate, and both are also reporting on the genealogy of Judah leading up to David. The Tamar story is the beginning of the 10-generation exclusion of the bastard descendants of Judah from full participation and leadership in the community, and the Ruth story is the endpoint of that history.