Old Testament
Ruth
4 chapters
Start reading: Ruth 1About this book
Ruth is a short story set in the days of the judges, a bright thread in a dark period. A famine drives Naomi's family from Bethlehem to Moab, where her husband and both sons die, leaving her with two daughters-in-law. Naomi returns home, and Ruth, a Moabite widow, refuses to leave her, binding herself to Naomi's people and Naomi's God. Gleaning in the fields to survive, Ruth meets Boaz, a kind landowner and a relative of Naomi's late husband. Through Naomi's careful planning and Boaz's integrity, he takes on the role of redeemer, buys the family land and marries Ruth. Their child becomes the grandfather of King David. The book is a quiet portrait of loyalty, generosity and God's hidden care in ordinary events. Christians have often seen in Boaz a picture of redemption, and in Ruth a sign that God's people include outsiders.
- Author
- Unknown; Jewish tradition names Samuel, though the book does not say.
- Date
- The story is set in the era of the judges; scholars date the writing anywhere from the early monarchy to after the exile.
- Audience
- Israel, who would value the story of David's ancestry and of a foreigner welcomed into the people of God.
Themes
Outline
- 1:1–1:22Loss in Moab and Ruth's vow
- 2:1–2:23Gleaning in Boaz's field
- 3:1–3:18Ruth at the threshing floor
- 4:1–4:22The redeemer, marriage and a line to David
Key verses
Chapters of Ruth
- 1Ruth 1During the time of the judges, a famine drives Elimelech and Naomi from Bethlehem to Moab with their two sons.
- 2Ruth 2Ruth goes to glean in the fields, and she happens to work in the field of Boaz, a relative of Elimelech.
- 3Ruth 3Naomi tells Ruth how to seek security through Boaz.
- 4Ruth 4Boaz goes to the town gate and calls the closer relative before ten elders.