Ruth, the Book of
Setting and Story
The Book of Ruth opens during the turbulent period of the Judges, a time marked by spiritual decline and social disorder in Israel. A famine drives Elimelech and his wife Naomi from Bethlehem to the land of Moab, where their two sons marry Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. When Elimelech and both sons die, Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem, urging her daughters-in-law to remain in Moab and find new husbands among their own people.
Orpah reluctantly agrees, but Ruth refuses with words that have become one of the most beloved declarations of loyalty in all literature: "Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God" (Ruth 1:16). Ruth's commitment is not merely emotional but covenantal; she binds herself to Naomi's people and to Naomi's God, leaving behind her homeland, her family, and her religion.
Ruth and Boaz
Arriving in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest, Ruth goes out to glean in the fields, exercising the right granted to the poor and the foreigner under Israelite law (Leviticus 19:9-10; Deuteronomy 24:19). She happens to glean in the field of Boaz, a wealthy relative of Elimelech. Boaz notices Ruth and treats her with extraordinary kindness, instructing his workers to leave extra grain for her and to protect her from harassment (Ruth 2:8-16).
Naomi recognizes that Boaz is a potential kinsman-redeemer, a close relative with the legal right and obligation to redeem the family's property and preserve the family line. She instructs Ruth to approach Boaz at the threshing floor during the harvest festival and to request his protection (Ruth 3:1-9). Ruth's approach is both bold and modest, and Boaz responds with deep respect, praising her loyalty and promising to act as her redeemer if the closer relative declines.
The Kinsman-Redeemer
The concept of the kinsman-redeemer is central to the Book of Ruth. Under Israelite law, when a man died without an heir, his nearest male relative had the right to purchase his property and marry his widow to produce an heir in the deceased man's name (Deuteronomy 25:5-10; Leviticus 25:25). This practice preserved the family name, kept the land within the clan, and provided for the widow.
Boaz goes to the city gate, the place of legal transactions, and presents the case to the closer relative. The man initially agrees to redeem the land but declines when he learns he must also marry Ruth and raise an heir in the name of the dead (Ruth 4:1-6). Boaz then formally assumes the role of redeemer, purchasing the property and taking Ruth as his wife. The transaction is witnessed by the elders of the city, who bless the marriage with a prayer that Ruth would be like Rachel and Leah, "who together built up the house of Israel" (Ruth 4:11).
The Genealogical Significance
The book concludes with the birth of a son, Obed, and a genealogy that reveals the ultimate significance of the story. "Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David" (Ruth 4:22). The Moabite woman who chose to follow the God of Israel became the great-grandmother of Israel's greatest king.
This genealogical connection extends into the New Testament. Matthew's Gospel opens with the genealogy of Jesus Christ and includes Ruth by name among the ancestors of the Messiah (Matthew 1:5). The inclusion of a Moabite woman in the royal and messianic line is remarkable, given that Deuteronomy 23:3 prohibited Moabites from entering the assembly of the Lord. Ruth's presence in the genealogy signals that God's grace transcends ethnic and legal boundaries, a theme that finds its fullest expression in the gospel.
Literary Artistry
The Book of Ruth is widely recognized as one of the finest examples of narrative art in the Bible. Its four chapters form a carefully structured story with rising tension, dramatic reversals, and a satisfying resolution. The characters are drawn with subtlety and depth: Naomi moves from bitterness to joy, Ruth combines humility with quiet boldness, and Boaz exemplifies integrity and generosity.
The story is rich in wordplay and symbolism. The name Naomi means "pleasant," but she renames herself Mara ("bitter") upon her return to Bethlehem (Ruth 1:20). Bethlehem means "house of bread," yet it is a famine that drives the family away. The barley harvest provides both the literal setting for the story and a metaphor for the spiritual harvest that God is bringing about through these humble events.
Theological Themes
The Book of Ruth explores several major themes. The Hebrew word "hesed" (loyal love, covenant faithfulness) appears repeatedly, describing both Ruth's devotion to Naomi and God's faithful provision for the vulnerable. The story demonstrates that God works through ordinary acts of kindness, loyalty, and obedience to accomplish extraordinary purposes.
The book also challenges ethnic exclusivism. At a time when Israel repeatedly failed to keep faith with God (as the Judges narrative emphasizes), a foreign woman models the covenant loyalty that Israel was supposed to exhibit. Ruth the Moabite becomes a paradigm of faith, demonstrating that God's purposes are never limited to one nation or one people.
The kinsman-redeemer theme points forward to the ultimate Redeemer. Just as Boaz paid the price to redeem Naomi's land and marry Ruth, so Christ pays the price to redeem his people and unite them to himself. The Book of Ruth is thus a story within a story, a beautiful narrative that takes its place within the larger drama of God's plan to bring salvation to the world through the line of David.
Biblical Context
The Book of Ruth is set during the period of the Judges (Ruth 1:1) and bridges the narratives of Judges and 1 Samuel. It connects to the Mosaic laws of gleaning (Leviticus 19:9-10), levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-10), and kinsman redemption (Leviticus 25:25). The genealogy at the end (Ruth 4:18-22) links to David's ancestry, and Matthew 1:5 includes Ruth in the genealogy of Jesus. In the Hebrew canon, Ruth is one of the five Megilloth (festival scrolls), read during the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost).
Theological Significance
The Book of Ruth demonstrates God's sovereign providence working through ordinary human faithfulness. It reveals that God's covenant purposes include outsiders, as a Moabite woman becomes an ancestor of the Messiah. The kinsman-redeemer theme provides one of the Old Testament's most vivid anticipations of Christ's redemptive work. The repeated emphasis on hesed (covenant love) shows that this quality, whether displayed by God or by his people, is the driving force behind the biblical story of redemption.
Historical Background
The book is set during the period of the Judges (roughly 1200-1020 BC) but was likely written later, perhaps during or after the monarchy. The opening phrase 'In the days when the judges ruled' (Ruth 1:1) suggests the author wrote from a later perspective. The explanatory note about the shoe custom (Ruth 4:7) also indicates distance from the events described. The practice of gleaning is well attested in ancient Near Eastern agricultural societies. Moab, located east of the Dead Sea in modern Jordan, had a complex relationship with Israel, alternating between hostility and interaction. The Moabite Stone (Mesha Stele), dating to the 9th century BC, provides archaeological evidence of Moab's culture and its tensions with Israel.