Obed

Biblical Record

Obed was the son born to Boaz and Ruth. The account of his birth appears in Ruth 4:13-17. The story is set in the period of the judges mentioned in Ruth 1:1, though scholars differ on the precise date.

Boaz married Ruth as a kinsman-redeemer. A kinsman-redeemer was a close relative responsible for recovering a deceased relative's land and continuing his family line. When Obed was born, the women of Bethlehem congratulated Naomi, saying that God had given her a kinsman-redeemer (Ruth 4:14-15). Naomi "took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it" (Ruth 4:16). The neighboring women named him, saying, "There is a son born to Naomi" (Ruth 4:17). The name Obed is generally understood to mean "one who serves" in Hebrew.

Scripture records nothing of Obed's own deeds; his name appears chiefly in genealogies. Ruth 4:18-22 and 1 Chronicles 2:12 list him as the son of Boaz and the father of Jesse, and thus the grandfather of David. Other individuals bearing the same name appear in 1 Chronicles 2:37-38, 11:47, and 26:7, and in 2 Chronicles 23:1.

Significance Within Scripture

The Book of Ruth concludes with Obed's birth and genealogy. This ending links the story of Ruth the Moabite and Naomi's family to the origins of the Davidic royal house.

In the New Testament, Matthew 1:5 and Luke 3:32 include Obed in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Matthew names his mother, stating that "Booz begat Obed of Ruth," and Rahab appears in the same verse. For this reason, Christian tradition frequently cites Obed's lineage as an example of Gentile women being included in the line of the Messiah.

Interpretation and Debated Questions

• Whose descendant?: In Ruth 4:10, Boaz declares his intention "to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance," referring to the deceased Mahlon. Yet the genealogy records Obed as the son of Boaz. Various explanations have been offered, including the view that the text distinguishes legal inheritance from biological descent.
• The kinsman-redeemer in 4:14: Interpreters are divided over whether the kinsman-redeemer mentioned here is the child Obed or Boaz.
• The question of Moabite descent: Deuteronomy 23:3 stipulates that a Moabite "shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD." Regarding how this law relates to David's being the great-grandson of a Moabite woman, rabbinic Jewish tradition is reported to have interpreted the law as applying only to Moabite men.
• Typological readings: Preaching in many denominations reads Boaz as a type, that is, a figure who foreshadows Christ. This, however, is an interpretation and not something the text states directly.
• Material outside the text: Accounts of Obed's character or life, and the story that Boaz died shortly after the marriage, are found only in later tradition, not in the biblical text. Scholars also debate whether the genealogy at the end of Ruth (4:18-22) was part of the book from the beginning.

In the Korean Church

In expository sermons on Ruth and in Sunday school lessons, Obed is treated as the conclusion of Ruth's story. The lineage "Ruth → Obed → Jesse → David" is often used to illustrate God's providence at work in ordinary family life. He is also mentioned in sermons on the genealogy in Matthew 1 during the Christmas season. Obed is rarely treated as a subject in his own right.