Comings and Goings in Ruth

The other day I noted some patterns in Ruth, though I wasn’t sure what to make of them.

I wonder if chapter 2 might be a deliberate reversal of chapter 1. In her own estimation, Naomi goes out from Bethlehem full in chapter 1 and comes back empty (v21). In contrast, in chapter 2, Ruth goes out to the field of Boaz empty and comes back full. If Elimelech acted in faithlessness bringing God’s judgement on his family, Ruth acts in faithfulness and her family experiences God’s blessing.