The biblical book of Ruth narrates the story of the titular Ruth, a Moabite woman, in which her marriage to Boaz, the kinsman of her first husband, is the central theme. It presents Ruth’s devotion to her Hebrew mother-in-law, Naomi, and Ruth’s decision to leave her own land and settle in Israelite territory.

The book has been dated somewhere in the late fifth or fourth century BCE, although it is set in the later days of the Judges (before 1000 BCE). It begins with a background scenario of a family, two parents and their two sons, living in Moab because of famine back home in Judah.

The sons marry Ruth and Orpah, both Moabites. The father and these two sons die, leaving Ruth and Orpah, as well as Naomi, widows. Naomi chose to return home and urged her daughters-in-law to remain in Moab. Orpah remained, but Ruth did not wish to leave Naomi, loyally saying, “Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die—there will I be buried” (1:16–17).

Naomi, seeing little prospect of the fullness of life, arrived in Bethlehem with Ruth alongside her. There, Ruth began to support herself and Naomi by gleaning at the harvest. She happened upon the field of Boaz, a wealthy and prominent man who was a relative of Noami. Noticing Ruth, Boaz at first makes minimal provision. But he moves to progressively greater care for Ruth in response to the loyalty she had for her family (2:11–12). 

Naomi, encouraged by the success of Ruth, directs her on how to move things from a temporary to a long-term resolution: marriage and offspring. Ruth engages with Boaz through a provocative scene on the threshing floor. Boaz takes Ruth under his protection and marries her, after which they have a son, Obed, who becomes the grandfather of David (4:17), an ancestor of Jesus (Matt. 1).

Ruth is a biblical heroine who came from a pagan background to exercise true faith in the God of Israel and is associated with the virtues of loyalty, obedience, kindness, bravery, and devotion.

References

Browning, W. R. F. 2010. A Dictionary of the Bible (2 ed.). Oxford University Press.

Metzger, Bruce M., and Coogan, Michael D. 2004. The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible. Oxford University Press.