Proverbs 3:15; 8:11). The price of a virtuous woman is said to be “far
above rubies” (Proverbs 31:10). The exact meaning of the Hebrew word is
uncertain. Some render it “red coral;” others, “pearl” or “mother-of-pearl.”
- RUDDER BANDS Ancient ships had two great broad-bladed oars for
rudders. These, when not in use, were lifted out of the water and bound or
tied up. When required for use, these bands were unloosed and the rudders
allowed to drop into the water (Acts 27:40). - RUE a garden herb (Ruta graveolens) which the Pharisees were careful to
tithe (Luke 11:42), neglecting weightier matters. It is omitted in the parallel
passage of Matthew 23:23. There are several species growing wild in
Palestine. It is used for medicinal and culinary purposes. It has a powerful
scent, and is a stimulant. (See MINT.) - RUFUS red, the son of Simon the Cyrenian (Mark 15:21), whom the
Roman soldiers compelled to carry the cross on which our Lord was
crucified. Probably it is the same person who is again mentioned in
Romans 16:13 as a disciple at Rome, whose mother also was a Christian
held in esteem by the apostle. Mark mentions him along with his brother
Alexander as persons well known to his readers (Mark 15:21). - RUHAMAH having obtained mercy, a symbolical name given to the
daughter of Hosea (2:1). - RUMAH elevation, probably the same as Arumah (Judges 9:41; 2 Kings
23:36), near Shechem. Others identify it with Tell Rumeh, in Galilee, about
6 miles north of Nazareth. - RUSH the papyrus (Job 8:11). (See BULRUSH.) The expression
“branch and rush” in Isaiah 9:14; 19:15 means “utterly.” - RUTH a friend, a Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, whose father,
Elimelech, had settled in the land of Moab. On the death of Elimelech and
Mahlon, Naomi came with Ruth, her daughter-in-law, who refused to leave
her, to Bethlehem, the old home from which Elimelech had migrated. There
she had a rich relative, Boaz, to whom Ruth was eventually married. She
became the mother of Obed, the grandfather of David. Thus Ruth, a
Gentile, is among the maternal progenitors of our Lord (Matthew 1:5). The
story of “the gleaner Ruth illustrates the friendly relations between the
good Boaz and his reapers, the Jewish land system, the method of
transferring property from one person to another, the working of the