Ruth

Block’s ZECOT commentary is one of the finest evangelical treatments of Ruth and an especially valuable companion to Lau. Its distinctive strength is the integration of close Hebrew exegesis with discourse analysis, literary structure, theology, and the book’s Davidic and canonical significance. Block is particularly good at showing how the narrative communicates through repeated expressions, structural patterns, characterization, and carefully staged dialogue, while his discussion of redemption, levirate custom, hesed, and the relationship between Ruth and Israel’s law is consistently substantial. His theological reading is unapologetically Christian and sees divine providence operating throughout the apparently ordinary events of the story. Occasionally some of the larger symbolic or canonical connections may be pressed further than every reader will find demonstrable, but these are minor reservations in an exceptionally rich commentary. For pastors, scholars, and anyone writing on Ruth from an evangelical perspective, Block is close to indispensable.