Oath formulas in biblical Hebrew

"The eponymous protagonist of the biblical story of Ruth, a Moabite widow, is so desperate to follow her widowed mother-in-law back to Israel that she swears an oath. Regardless of the translation one may choose, the sense is the same: Ruth{u2019}s promises to stick by Naomi{u2019}s side for at least as long as they both shall live. Ruth{u2019}s intention with respect to the two widows{u2019} proximity once they cross the final river is not unanimous in the translations, however. According to the NRVS, Ruth says: 1){u2019}May the Lord do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!{u2019} The JPS is representative of many others translations with its rendering: 2){u2019}Thus and more may the Lord do to me if anything but death parts me from you.{u2019} The difference may seem trivial, but the contradiction between the italicized phrases is total. Either death will not ultimately separate them or it will, in Ruth{u2019}s view. The issue here is of a linguistic nature. What does the Hebrew phrase mean? The solution to the problem is fairly straightforward. The first step is to recognize that Ruth{u2019}s statement is an oath. Oaths often employ formulaic, ell