Ruth

Lore & Background

The book opens with a Bethlehemite family fleeing famine to Moab (Ruth 1:1). There, the sons marry Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth (Ruth 1:4). After the deaths of the men, Naomi decides to return to Judah, urging her daughters-in-law to stay; Orpah leaves, but Ruth famously insists on staying with Naomi, adopting her people and God (Ruth 1:16). They arrive in Bethlehem at barley harvest (Ruth 1:22). Ruth goes to glean and happens upon the field of Boaz, a relative of Naomi (Ruth 2:3). Boaz protects her and praises her trust in God (Ruth 2:9, 2:12). Naomi then devises a plan for Ruth to approach Boaz at the threshing floor, where Ruth uncovers his feet and lies down (Ruth 3:4, 3:7). Boaz responds favorably, promising to act as kinsman-redeemer if a closer relative declines (Ruth 3:13). Boaz negotiates at the city gate with the nearer kinsman, who initially agrees to redeem the land but withdraws when he learns it includes marrying Ruth (Ruth 4:4, 4:10). Boaz then marries Ruth, and she bears a son, whom Naomi nurses (Ruth 4:13, 4:16). The genealogy that follows traces the line through Hezron, Ram, and Amminadab (Ruth 4:19).

Reader's Guide

The sampled passages portray Ruth as a narrative of loyalty, kinship, and divine providence within the chaotic period of the judges. The story begins with a famine and a family's displacement to Moab (Ruth 1:1), highlighting the vulnerability of the period. The central relationship is between Naomi and Ruth, whose famous declaration of loyalty (Ruth 1:16) transcends ethnic boundaries, as Ruth, a Moabite, commits to Naomi's people and God. The legal customs of redemption and levirate marriage are central: Boaz acts as a kinsman-redeemer, first protecting Ruth in the fields (Ruth 2:9, 2:15) and later formally redeeming the land and marrying her at the city gate (Ruth 4:1, 4:10). The narrative emphasizes the restoration of Naomi's family line through the birth of a son (Ruth 4:13, 4:16), and the genealogy at the end (Ruth 4:19) connects this personal story to the broader lineage of Israel. The passages do not mention the conquest or exile, focusing instead on individual acts of kindness and legal redemption within a small community.

Did You Know?

• The story is set 'in the days when the judges ruled' (Ruth 1:1), a time of famine and social upheaval.
• Ruth, a Moabite, declares to Naomi, 'thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God' (Ruth 1:16).
• Boaz instructs his young men not to touch Ruth and allows her to drink from their vessels (Ruth 2:9).
• The legal transaction of redemption was confirmed by a man plucking off his shoe and giving it to his neighbor (Ruth 4:7).