One might have expected this ten-member genealogy to have started with Judah, being the tribal patronym. However, it starts with Perez, places Boaz in the seventh position, and concludes with David in the tenth position. By doing this, two things are strongly emphasized. First, by starting with Perez, the son of Tamar, the genealogy emphasizes David’s Canaanite roots. Second, by placing Boaz seventh, the genealogy connects with the saying of the women in 4:15 that Ruth, who has just given birth, is better than seven sons; yet because she is Moabite, it, too, emphasizes David’s foreign lineage.
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