Makhashabah is a Hebrew word that means "plan" or "design." In modern spoken Hebrew it can also mean "pattern." Makhashabah: Patterns in Ruth describes a panorama of medium and large scale patterns found in the book of Ruth, mostly chiasms and parallel plot structures, or story trellises. This book was written for anyone with a high degree of interest in the Old Testament; no knowledge of Hebrew is needed. It was also written for lovers of details, containing over 30 tables illuminating different patterns in the text of Ruth, along with detailed explanations for each pattern. The book shows how the patterns affect the understanding of the text and how they relate to other patterns.