1 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family. 2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus they hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not put to death. 3 And…

What do you think?

Hi! Thank you for this ask; I love talking about Biblical narrative!

To start with, I'm gonna chat about Vashti-Esther, and Jezebel, under the cut. But first I'm gonna go to bat for my girl Ruth, because she is so not the "good girl" modern Christians depict her as. Her story is so much more complex, and there's a reason a lot of modern churches ignore talking about the Jewish context.

Ruth: Brave, Bold, Thirsty

Ruth is a go-getter. Ruth didn't patiently wait like a meek girl. Ruth took her destiny into her own hands--with her mother-in-law's guidance.

See, when Ruth goes to lie down with Boaz at night and uncovers his "feet," she didn't uncover his feet. Feet is a euphemism. It is indisputably his penis.

Like, Christians rarely talk about this because they don't want to acknowledge it because it goes against their image of Ruth. But they also don't have a counter for it because it factually is Ruth, y'know, having agency.

So, Ruth is trying to seduce Boaz, because she knows he likes her. And being crafty about it, because if someone catches her there, Boaz (being an honorable man which she already knows he is), even if they haven't had sex he'll have to marry her because everyone will think they have. Genius.

And despite people trying to say Boaz and Ruth are too honorable so clearly it was just about marriage and nor her actually attempting to initiate premarital sex, the Bible expressly has another widow called honorable for initiating premarital sex that actually happens (with her father-in-law no less) specifically to ensure her survival when she would else wise have been left childless and abandoned. tl;dr: Ruth was attempting to seduce Boaz. That's the obvious meaning of this, and whoever wrote the story wasn't obsessed with getting the audiece to think otherwise.

Thematically, also, Ruth going outside of the norms of what is considered moral (via asking for sex before marriage, even if there is an understanding that sex would lead to marriage) is kind of a major tie-in with the other aspect of Ruth's story: she's a foreigner. The Law frowns on marrying foreigners for the most part. Yet, by going outside the normal parameters, they get King David and later, for Christians, Jesus himself.

Ruth left her homeland after losing her husband and stuck with her mother-in-law, knowing that doing so meant that she had no future (she would need children to provide for her in her old age; as a foreigner, she likely wouldn't be able to marry again and have kids. But she went with Naomi so that Naomi wouldn't be alone, because she could ensure Naomi had someone to take care of her at the very least, without any hope for herself).

But when she saw a chance to secure her future, she took it. And Naomi encouraged her to do so. Ruth is brave, and smart, and kind. And Boaz is also a good man who not only helped Ruth, but didn't take advantage of her desperation on the threshing room floor. He didn't have sex with her, and he forbade others from talking about her coming there. Instead he went about it the honorable and human-affirming way--marrying Ruth according to traditional cultural customs, at the city gates.

In other words, Boaz said this isn't going to be a shameful, backroom thing. He says, I'm going to make it public, because I'm proud to have you as my wife.

Honestly, healthiest couple in all of Scripture.

Others below!

Athaliah Reigns in Judah

1 And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.

2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons who were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.

3 And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years. And Athaliah reigned over the land.

Joash Anointed King in Judah

4 And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the Lord, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath from them in the house of the Lord, and showed them the king’s son.

5 And he commanded them, saying, “This is the thing that ye shall do: A third part of you that enter in on the Sabbath shall be keepers of the watch of the king’s house,

6 and a third part shall be at the gate of Sur, and a third part at the gate behind the guard. So shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down.

7 And two parts of all you that go forth on the Sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the Lord about the king.

8 And ye shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and he that cometh within the ranges, let him be slain. And be ye with the king as he goeth out and as he cometh in.”

9 And the captains over the hundreds did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest commanded; and they took every man his men who were to come in on the Sabbath, with those who should go out on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.

10 And to the captains over hundreds the priest gave King David’s spears and shields that were in the temple of the Lord.

11 And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, round about the king, from the right corner of the temple to the left corner of the temple, along by the altar and the temple.

12 And he brought forth the king’s son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king and anointed him. And they clapped their hands and said, “God save the king!”

13 And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the Lord.

14 And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king. And all the people of the land rejoiced and blew with trumpets. And Athaliah rent her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!”

15 But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them, “Bring her forth outside the ranks; and him that followeth her kill with the sword.” For the priest had said, “Let her not be slain in the house of the Lord.”

16 And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way by which the horses came into the king’s house, and there was she slain.

17 And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they should be the Lord’S people, and also between the king and the people.

18 And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal and broke it down; his altars and his images broke they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord.

19 And he took the rulers over hundreds, and the captains, and the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought down the king from the house of the Lord, and came by the way of the gate of the guard to the king’s house. And he sat on the throne of the kings.

20 And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet; and they slew Athaliah with the sword beside the king’s house.

Jehoash Reigns in Judah

...If I took my leave.

Even in her wildest dreams, she would never want to hear those words coming from him. And here she was, finally feeling at ease with the thought, only to have her hopes dashed as he pulled her along with him. Everyone turned around after them, their stares piercing from every angle. She noticed her brother and the Nott boy standing in a corner. The fear could be seen in their eyes even from a distance. She gave them a tight-lipped glare, cursing them. They slipped out of the dining room, and she felt his body press against hers before disapparating.

They were in a place she didn't recognize, but didn't have to to know she was in his manor. He had brought her to His home. They were all alone, just the two of them. Her heart hammered against her chest, a thought worming in her head. There was no time to admire the surroundings or the feelings stirred by the thought. She was dragged into the lion's den, waiting to be devoured. Athaliah stepped back, but the threat in his voice as he said the words was enough to make her reconsider her next. She stopped, observing him. She was aware of it - he was fighting himself, trying to calm down and regain control over himself. He knew, but he didn't know. The realization that something was wrong, but he couldn't explain it, name it, tame it - Athaliah wondered how it felt. How did it feel for someone who was always in control of his thoughts and emotions, to have them slipping away from his grasp, no matter how hard he tried to catch them?

He turned around, interrupting her thoughts as if he'd heard them, and she was greeted by a completely different creature than the one she'd encountered earlier tonight. Her muscles tensed. "I would never leave," she said softly, attempting to reassure him. He approached, cupping her chin, looking into her eyes. "Mine."

Her knees weakened, she was powerless. His proximity overwhelmed her senses, and the word made her blood race. "Yours..." she murmured quietly. "Yes... yours..." Her voice was soft and breathless, and her demeanor submissive. She was leaning in, her heart yearning for his touch, her mouth wishing for his on hers, her lips slightly parted.

Rational thoughts were leaving her mind once again.

The tips of her fingers reached for an object placed on the end table beside her, and she pushed it. It fell down, and she flinched away from his hold, her gaze fixed on the ornament between them, at their feet.

"I- I apologize- I..." she crouched down in front of him, reaching for the small pyramid-shaped box.

That was not going to buy her time.

Being home helped, which was to be expected. Athaliah's undivided attention also helped which...was more concerning. Though he was not sure why. This seemed unlike him, somehow - yet at the same time his reaction to Athaliah seemed like the most natural thing in the world. How could something which caused him great comfort be so wrong?

And oh, how her presence caused him comfort. Her assurances, her submission to him. This in itself was less startling - his desire for submission from any object of his interest was well known. True, in this case he could not get enough, did not think he would ever tire of it - but the pleasure it brought him was still familiar.

He leaned down to meet her - and then there was a crash, and an apology as Athaliah bent down to scoop up the ornament.

"Clumsy girl-" he snarled at first, a knee-jerk reaction to being denied, denied by Athaliah - and then he shook his head, trying to allow sense to come over him. "Ah, never mind. No wonder you did such a thing - you are trembling." He looked her over. "If those heels are causing discomfort you should remove them. And there is a bathroom down the -" he cut off, the notion of her leaving his side incredibly unappealing, almost distressing. "No, do not leave my side," he muttered, even knowing as he said it his desires were unsustainable.

He reached out again, toying with a lock of her hair. It was so soft, so pleasing to touch, and he got lost in the moment for a second, such a simple thing, truly.

What had come over him?

Perhaps he was tired. He needed to rest.

"Come," he murmured, already taking her hand, entwining his fingers with hers, and pulling her gently alongside him. He did not make note of anything as he led her out of the parlor and down the hall, did not even think to do the polite thing and provide a tour, or narrative, or to situate her in space. He led her up a mahogany staircase, down another corridor, and through a door - and let out another long, slow exhale as they entered what appeared to be a small sitting area with a fireplace.

Through an open doorway one could see his study; his elegant desk, walls lined with books, and, through another doorway his bedroom proper. He did not enter either of these, instead making for an armchair beside the fire.

"Athaliah," he murmured, never tiring of her name on his lips. he pulled her down onto his lap, his fingers already running through her dark hair. Yes, this was pleasing. He just needed to sit here a moment, yes. He conjured up a glass of water - and then another, remembering the little pet on his lap might be thirsty - and closed his eyes. "Athaliah," he said again, opening his eyes to look down at her, into her gaze. She looked frightened - and it brought a smile to his lips. Her beauty, her fear - it was intoxicating.