This essay sees Ruth as a successful global citizen, a migrant worker, and a marriage migrant worker who overcame human, customary, and institutional barriers in a foreign land. In part I, the paper overviews four traditional ways of reading the book of Ruth and points out their limitations: a good story by good people, a romance between Ruth and Boaz, a Davidic genealogy, and a tale of women's solidarity. In part II, the paper exposes odd relationships and interactions among major characters and concludes that they acted with different motives. The Bethlehemite women and men have prejudice about Ruth the Moabite and never have a conversation with her, not to mention offering some help to her. Then, the specific ways for Ruth overcome barriers are dealt with. Ruth takes advantage of not knowing the local laws and customs or she pretends not to know them: she challenges and breaks customs and laws by just demanding her wants. In the field, Ruth boldly asks to glean among the sheaves, which is a way out of custom. She challenges the regulation of gleaning in the empty field which makes the social weak continue to eke out a scanty livelihood. She wants much more than that in her new land. In her report to Naomi, she twists Boaz's words and thus nudges Naomi in the ribs so that the latter can plan about the former's future. On the threshing floor, in directing Boaz what to do, Ruth breaks the custom in many ways: she mixes up the two laws about the levirite and the goel and plays the role of a man, asking for marriage and carrying out a legal matter. The locals' mixing up of the two laws is a mockery, revealing that while they cannot handle their own laws, they try to control a foreigner. The genealogy at the end sums up Ruth's final victory. Only three generations after the first migrant worker, a king is born to her family. This genealogy meant to challenge locals. This reading of Ruth can empower global citizens and nomads who have to start a new life in a new land. This kind of interpretation also challenges the locals to broaden their world view and hearts.

This essay sees Ruth as a successful global citizen, a migrant worker, and a marriage migrant worker who overcame human, customary, and institutional barriers in a foreign land. In part I, the paper overviews four traditional ways of reading the book of Ruth and points out their limitations: a good story by good people, a romance between Ruth and Boaz, a Davidic genealogy, and a tale of women's solidarity. In part II, the paper exposes odd relationships and interactions among major characters and concludes that they acted with different motives. The Bethlehemite women and men have prejudice about Ruth the Moabite and never have a conversation with her, not to mention offering some help to her. Then, the specific ways for Ruth overcome barriers are dealt with. Ruth takes advantage of not knowing the local laws and customs or she pretends not to know them: she challenges and breaks customs and laws by just demanding her wants. In the field, Ruth boldly asks to glean among the sheaves, which is a way out of custom. She challenges the regulation of gleaning in the empty field which makes the social weak continue to eke out a scanty livelihood. She wants much more than that in her new land. In her report to Naomi, she twists Boaz's words and thus nudges Naomi in the ribs so that the latter can plan about the former's future. On the threshing floor, in directing Boaz what to do, Ruth breaks the custom in many ways: she mixes up the two laws about the levirite and the goel and plays the role of a man, asking for marriage and carrying out a legal matter. The locals' mixing up of the two laws is a mockery, revealing that while they cannot handle their own laws, they try to control a foreigner. The genealogy at the end sums up Ruth's final victory. Only three generations after the first migrant worker, a king is born to her family. This genealogy meant to challenge locals. This reading of Ruth can empower global citizens and nomads who have to start a new life in a new land. This kind of interpretation also challenges the locals to broaden their world view and hearts.

Ruth the global citizen, migrant worker, Naomi, Boaz