Ruth

Biblical Account

Ruth, the central figure of the Book of Ruth, was a woman from the land of Moab, east of the Dead Sea. In the days when the judges ruled (Ruth 1:1), Elimelech of Bethlehem in Judah and his wife Naomi fled a famine and moved to Moab with their two sons. The sons married Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah; Ruth was the wife of Mahlon (Ruth 4:10). After the men of the family had all died, Naomi set out to return to her homeland and urged her daughters-in-law to go back to their own families. Orpah went back. Ruth, however, stayed with her mother-in-law, saying, "thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God" (Ruth 1:16).

Arriving in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest, Ruth went out to glean and came to the field of Boaz, a kinsman of Elimelech (chapter 2). Later, at Naomi's urging, she asked Boaz at the threshing floor to act as her "near kinsman" (chapter 3), that is, a kinsman-redeemer: a close relative who recovered the land and preserved the family line of an impoverished relative. At the city gate, in the presence of the elders, after a nearer relative gave up his right, Boaz redeemed the inheritance and took Ruth as his wife (chapter 4). Their son Obed was the grandfather of David (Ruth 4:17).

Significance Within Scripture

Boaz called Ruth's conduct "kindness" (Ruth 3:10). The Hebrew word is hesed, meaning steadfast love and loyalty. The women of Bethlehem said that Ruth was "better to thee than seven sons" to Naomi (Ruth 4:15). Given the law that barred Moabites from entering the congregation of the Lord (Deuteronomy 23:3), it is frequently noted that a foreign woman became an ancestor of the royal house.

In the New Testament, her name appears in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:5: "Booz begat Obed of Ruth." Along with Ruth, this genealogy names three other women: Tamar, Rahab, and the wife of Uriah. Many interpreters read this as a sign of God's saving purpose embracing even the Gentiles. Ruth's name does not appear in the genealogy of Luke 3.

Interpretation and Debated Issues

• Interpretations differ over the references to the "feet" and the "skirt" in the threshing-floor scene. Some scholars see a bold act with sexual overtones, while others regard it as a modest ritual of marriage proposal. The text records that Boaz called Ruth "a virtuous woman" (Ruth 3:11).
• Boaz was not Ruth's brother-in-law. Opinions therefore differ as to whether the marriage is better explained by levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-10) or by the redemption of property (Leviticus 25:25).
• Many Protestant sermons read Boaz as a type of Jesus Christ and Ruth as a figure of the Gentile believer. A type is a foreshadowing that prefigures what is to come. Others, however, caution against excessive allegorizing that goes beyond the historical meaning of the text.
• In preaching, Orpah is often portrayed as lacking faith. The text, however, does not condemn her, and it was Naomi who urged her to return.
• In Jewish tradition, the Book of Ruth is read at the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot). The tradition that Ruth was the daughter of Eglon, king of Moab, comes from rabbinic literature and is not found in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, Ruth is frequently presented as a dutiful daughter-in-law who served her mother-in-law to the end and as an example of resolute commitment in choosing God. Ruth 1:16 is often cited in sermons on devotion, and the gleaning story is a frequent subject in Sunday school. Some, however, object to reading Ruth merely as a model "filial daughter-in-law," pointing out that the center of the text lies in hesed and in God's providence.