Verb, היה, qal, imperfective, 3rd person, masculine, singular + ו waw-consecutive.
This form occurs very frequently in Hebrew narrative; 816x, and most frequently in Genesis (about 125x; and only 9x in Psm).
Providing some kind of context is crucial in narrative. This can be done in a number of ways, this particular form is the most common for introducing past events (future events, on the other hand, are usually introduced by וְהָיָה). It is usually not translated in the more recent English translations, though older ones, such as the KJV and NASB, would render it "now it came about."
Some commentators see this opening word as serving to set the events in the light of the book of Judges (see the third and fourth word in the Hebrew sentence); this perspective is especially emphasized when we set the book of Ruth in the order in which it appears in the LXX and ET: after the book of Judges and before Samuel. Others, however, think it serves to set the story in the light of the subsequent narratives about the rise of the Davidic dynasty in Samuel. The two views are, of course, not mutually exclusive.
©ALBERITH
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