Ruth

Part One: Introduction to Ruth

The Book and Its Name

Ruth is one of only two books of the Bible named after a woman (the other is Esther). Ruth was a Moabite who married into an Israelite family, while Esther was a Jew who married a Gentile king. The meaning of the name Ruth is uncertain; many connect it with the Hebrew for "friendship" or "companion," which fits her loyal love for Naomi. In the Hebrew Bible, Ruth is placed among the Writings, often directly after Proverbs, whose last chapter praises "a virtuous woman" (Proverbs 31:10); Boaz uses the same phrase of Ruth (Ruth 3:11). In the English Bible it follows Judges, because its events happened "in the days when the judges ruled" (1:1). Jewish tradition reads Ruth at the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), the wheat harvest festival, since the story takes place during the barley and wheat harvests (1:22; 2:23).

Author and Date

The author is not named; the Talmud attributes the book to Samuel. The book was written after the events it records: the writer explains a custom that was "in former time in Israel" (4:7). The closing genealogy ends with David but does not mention Solomon (4:17, 22), which suggests it was written during or soon after David's reign, around 1000 BC. One purpose was to record the godly ancestry of Israel's great king, including his Moabite great-grandmother.

Setting

The story is set during the dark days of the judges, perhaps around 1100 BC. Matthew 1:5 names Boaz as the son of Salmon and Rahab, which would place Boaz relatively early in that period; since the time from Rahab to David is about 400 years, the genealogy in Ruth 4 likely names only the key generations. The contrast with Judges is striking. Judges shows a nation where "every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). Ruth, from the same era, shows ordinary people living with faithfulness, kindness and integrity. Both Judges 17-21 and Ruth involve people from Bethlehem; Judges shows Bethlehem's shame, and Ruth shows its honour.

Purpose and Theme

Ruth shows God's loving providence working through ordinary lives, and redemption by a kinsman. Three themes stand out:

• Hesed (lovingkindness). The Hebrew word for loyal, covenant love appears at key points (1:8; 2:20; 3:10). Ruth shows it to Naomi, Boaz shows it to Ruth, and God shows it to all of them.
• Redemption. The word "redeem" and its forms (from goel, "kinsman-redeemer") appear over twenty times in this short book.
• Grace to the Gentiles. A Moabite widow, from a people excluded from Israel's assembly (Deuteronomy 23:3), comes "under the wings" of the LORD (2:12) and becomes an ancestor of David and of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5).

And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God

Ruth 1:16

God's Hidden Hand

God works mostly behind the scenes in Ruth. The narrator says directly that God acted only twice: "the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread" (1:6), and "the LORD gave her conception" (4:13). Everything else happens through ordinary choices and apparent chance: "her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz" (2:3). Yet the characters constantly speak of God, blessing one another in His name (2:4, 12, 20; 3:10; 4:11-14). The book is a lesson in providence: "all things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28).

Outline of Ruth

The Characters

Part Two: Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis

Chapter 1 — Ruth's Choice: Loss, Loyalty and Return

Leaving the House of Bread (1:1-5)

"There was a famine in the land" (1:1), likely a judgment for Israel's sin in the days of the judges (Deuteronomy 28:23-24). A man of Bethlehem-judah, whose name means "house of bread," left the land of promise to live in Moab, the land of Israel's enemies, descendants of Lot's incest (Genesis 19:30-37). He went to "sojourn," but they "continued there" (1:2). Elimelech died; his sons married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, and after about ten years both sons died (1:3-5). Naomi was left without husband or sons, in a foreign land, with no means of support. Leaving God's place to escape hardship brought far greater loss.

The Decision on the Road (1:6-18)

Naomi heard "that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread" (1:6), and set out to return. She urged her daughters-in-law to go back to their mothers' houses: "The LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. The LORD grant you that ye may find rest" (1:8-9). They wept and refused. Naomi argued that she had no more sons to give them as husbands, and "the hand of the LORD is gone out against me" (1:11-13). "And Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her" (1:14). The word "clave" is the same used of marriage in Genesis 2:24. Orpah went back "unto her people, and unto her gods" (1:15). Then Ruth made one of the greatest confessions of loyalty and faith in Scripture:

Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

Ruth 1:16-17

Ruth's choice was costly: she left her country, family, gods and future prospects for a poor, widowed, bitter mother-in-law and a God she had come to trust. It was a conversion: "thy God my God." She swore by the covenant name of Israel's God, "the LORD" (Jehovah). Jesus calls for the same wholehearted commitment: "every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren... for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life" (Matthew 19:29). Orpah shows that emotion and good intentions are not the same as true faith; Ruth shows the faith that follows to the end.

Return to Bethlehem (1:19-22)

When they arrived, "all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?" (1:19). She answered:

Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty

Ruth 1:20-21

Naomi was honest with God in her grief, like Job and the psalmists. She saw God's hand in her suffering, but she could not yet see His purpose. And she was not empty: Ruth was beside her. The chapter ends with a quiet note of hope: "they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest" (1:22).

Chapter 2 — Ruth's Service: Gleaning in the Field of Boaz

"Her Hap Was to Light" (2:1-7)

The writer introduces Boaz: "a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech" (2:1). Ruth asked Naomi's permission to glean (2:2). God's law commanded farmers to leave the corners of the field and the gleanings for "the poor and the stranger" (Leviticus 19:9-10; 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:19). Ruth was both. She humbly took the place of the poor and worked hard to support Naomi.

And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz

Ruth 2:3

What looked like chance was God's providence (Proverbs 16:9, 33). Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted his workers, "The LORD be with you," and they answered, "The LORD bless thee" (2:4). Here was a godly employer whose faith shaped his workplace. He noticed Ruth and asked about her; his foreman reported that she was the Moabitess who came back with Naomi, that she had asked permission, and that she had worked steadily since morning (2:5-7).

Boaz's Kindness (2:8-16)

Boaz told Ruth to stay in his field with his maidens, assured her the young men would not touch her, and told her to drink from the water the servants had drawn (2:8-9). Ruth fell on her face: "Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?" (2:10). Grace is unmerited favour to the undeserving. Boaz had heard of her loyalty to Naomi and blessed her:

The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

Ruth 2:12

The picture of sheltering under God's wings appears throughout the Psalms (17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 91:4), and Jesus used it of Himself: "how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings" (Matthew 23:37). At mealtime, Boaz invited Ruth to eat with the reapers, dip her bread in the vinegar, and he himself handed her parched corn, "and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left" (2:14). He secretly told his young men to let her glean among the sheaves and to "let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her" (2:15-16). He provided abundantly while protecting her dignity.

Naomi Sees God's Hand (2:17-23)

Ruth gleaned until evening and beat out about an ephah of barley, probably around 20 litres or more, enough for several weeks (2:17). When Naomi heard it was Boaz's field, her bitterness began to lift:

Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.

Ruth 2:20

"Kinsmen" here is goel, the kinsman-redeemer. For the first time, Naomi saw hope. Ruth stayed close to Boaz's maidens "unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest" (2:23), roughly seven weeks, from Passover to Pentecost.

Chapter 3 — Ruth's Request: At the Threshing Floor

Naomi's Plan (3:1-5)

Naomi now sought "rest" for Ruth, a secure home through marriage (3:1; compare 1:9). She told her that Boaz would be winnowing barley at the threshing floor that night. Ruth was to wash, anoint herself, put on her garment, go down, and after Boaz had eaten and lain down, "uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do" (3:3-4). This was not a seduction; it was a culturally understood way for a widow to ask a kinsman to fulfil his duty and marry her, done privately so as not to shame him if he declined. Ruth answered, "All that thou sayest unto me I will do" (3:5).

The Proposal at Midnight (3:6-13)

At midnight Boaz woke, startled to find a woman at his feet (3:8). "Who art thou?" She answered:

I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.

Ruth 3:9

The word "skirt" (kanaph) is the same word translated "wings" in 2:12. Ruth was asking Boaz to be the answer to his own prayer: to bring her under his protection as God had brought her under His. In Ezekiel 16:8, God uses the same picture of His covenant with Israel: "I spread my skirt over thee... and entered into a covenant with thee... and thou becamest mine." Boaz blessed her for choosing him rather than a younger man: "thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning" (3:10).

And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.

Ruth 3:11

"A virtuous woman" (eshet chayil, "a woman of strength and worth") is the same phrase as Proverbs 31:10, and Boaz is described with the related word as "a mighty man of wealth" (2:1). They were well matched in character. But there was a nearer kinsman with the first right (3:12). Boaz promised, "if he will not do to thee the part of a kinsman, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth" (3:13).

Waiting (3:14-18)

Boaz protected Ruth's reputation, sending her home before dawn "before one could know another" (3:14), and gave her six measures of barley so she would not return to Naomi empty (3:15-17; compare 1:21). Naomi said, "Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day" (3:18). Ruth had done her part; now she must wait while the redeemer worked. "Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD" (Exodus 14:13).

Chapter 4 — Ruth's Reward: Redemption at the Gate

The Nearer Kinsman Refuses (4:1-8)

Boaz went to the city gate, where legal business was done, sat down, and called the nearer kinsman ("Ho, such a one!" 4:1). He gathered ten elders as witnesses (4:2). He explained that Naomi was selling Elimelech's land, and the kinsman had the first right to redeem it (4:3-4). The man said, "I will redeem it" (4:4). Then Boaz added: "What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance" (4:5). The kinsman withdrew: "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance" (4:6). A son born to Ruth would inherit the land in Mahlon's name, so his money would buy land for another family line. As was the custom then, he drew off his shoe and gave it to Boaz to confirm the transfer of the right (4:7-8; compare Deuteronomy 25:7-10).

Boaz Redeems Ruth (4:9-12)

Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance

Ruth 4:9-10

The elders and people blessed the marriage: "The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel... and let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah" (4:11-12). Tamar, like Ruth, had been a foreign widow whose child continued the line of Judah through a kinsman (Genesis 38).

The Son and the Line of David (4:13-22)

"So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife... the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son" (4:13). Ruth had been childless for ten years in Moab (1:4-5); now God gave life. The women of Bethlehem, who had heard Naomi's bitterness, now praised God:

Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.

Ruth 4:14-15

Naomi, who went out full and came back empty, now held a grandson in her arms and became his nurse (4:16). "There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David" (4:17). The book ends with a genealogy of ten generations from Pharez to David (4:18-22). The private story of a widow's loyalty turns out to be part of the history of Israel's royal line, and of the Messiah.

Part Three: The Kinsman-Redeemer

The Law of the Goel

The Hebrew word goel means "kinsman-redeemer," the nearest male relative responsible to protect and restore a family member in need. The law gave him several duties:

Boaz was not Mahlon's brother, so the strict levirate law did not bind him; he chose to fulfil its spirit along with the land redemption. Ruth combines two forms of redemption: the land and the widow.

The Qualifications of a Redeemer and Christ

The Nearer Kinsman

The nearer kinsman had the first right but could not redeem without ruining his own inheritance. Many Bible teachers see in him a picture of the law: it had a prior claim, but "what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh... condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:3). The law could not save a Moabite (Deuteronomy 23:3); only grace could. Another view sees the nearer kinsman as any human helper who is unwilling or unable to pay the full cost of redemption.

Boaz as a Type of Christ

Part Four: Christ in Ruth

Ruth in the Genealogy of Jesus

Matthew's genealogy of Jesus names four women besides Mary: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba ("her that had been the wife of Urias") (Matthew 1:3-6). Each was either a Gentile or connected with scandal: Tamar (a Canaanite who disguised herself as a harlot), Rahab (a Canaanite harlot), Ruth (a Moabite) and Bathsheba (wife of a Hittite, taken in adultery). Their presence shows that Jesus came for sinners and for all nations, and that God's grace overrides human failure. Ruth's story leads from Bethlehem to David to the Son of David born in Bethlehem.

The Gentile Bride

Ruth is a picture of the church, largely gathered from the Gentiles: once a stranger with no rights (Ephesians 2:12), she came by faith to the God of Israel, found grace in the eyes of the lord of the harvest, was redeemed at a price, and became his bride. "Ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13).

Rest

Naomi sought "rest" for Ruth (1:9; 3:1), and Boaz would "not be in rest" until he had finished the work (3:18). Christ finished the work of redemption so that His people might enter His rest: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28; Hebrews 4:9-10).

Grace Overcoming the Law's Exclusion

"An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation" (Deuteronomy 23:3). Jewish teachers later held that this applied to Moabite men, not women, which allowed Ruth's marriage. More deeply, Ruth was received because she came in faith and love to Israel's God. Nehemiah later enforced the exclusion against unconverted foreigners who brought idolatry (Nehemiah 13:1-3, 23-27); Ruth was the opposite, having left her gods. God's grace, received by faith, brought a Moabite into the very line of the Messiah, as it brings Gentile sinners into His family today (Galatians 3:28-29).

Part Five: Fulfilled Prophecies and Promises

Ruth contains no direct prophecies, but it shows God's earlier promises being worked out.

Part Six: Key Passages in Depth

Ruth 1:16-17 — The Confession of Faith

Ruth's words have four parts: commitment to a person ("whither thou goest, I will go"), commitment to a people ("thy people shall be my people"), commitment to God ("thy God my God"), and commitment until death ("where thou diest, will I die"). Saving faith is not merely agreeing with facts; it is a turning from false gods to the true God, joining His people, and following to the end. "They... turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God" (1 Thessalonians 1:9).

Ruth 2:12 — Under His Wings

Boaz pictured Ruth's conversion as a chick taking shelter under a mother bird's wings: dependence, protection, warmth and refuge. "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust" (Psalm 91:4). In 3:9 Ruth asked Boaz to spread his "wing" over her, and he became God's answer to his own prayer. God often answers our prayers for others through us.

Ruth 3:9 — "Spread Thy Skirt Over Thine Handmaid"

Ruth's request was a request for marriage, protection and redemption. It was bold, humble and based on Boaz's right as kinsman. It pictures the sinner coming to Christ, the only one with the right and ability to redeem, and asking to be covered and received. "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).

Ruth 4:14-17 — From Emptiness to Fullness

Naomi said, "I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty" (1:21). The book ends with her holding a grandson, with a redeemer, a restored inheritance and a place in the line of kings. God's providence turned bitterness (Mara) back into pleasantness (Naomi). "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Psalm 30:5).

Part Seven: The Major Teachings of Ruth

1. The Providence of God

God works through famine, death, grief, a "chance" field and ordinary decisions to accomplish His purposes, including the birth of David and, ultimately, Christ (Romans 8:28; Proverbs 16:9).

2. Redemption

The book's central act is redemption by a qualified kinsman who pays the price. It is one of the clearest Old Testament pictures of redemption through Christ (Galatians 4:4-5; Titus 2:14).

3. Lovingkindness (Hesed)

Loyal, covenant love that goes beyond duty is shown by Ruth to Naomi, by Boaz to Ruth, and above all by God to His people. "Thy lovingkindness is better than life" (Psalm 63:3).

4. Faith That Chooses God

Ruth chose the God of Israel over the gods of Moab, at great personal cost. Orpah turned back. Every person must choose (Joshua 24:15).

5. Grace to the Gentiles

God's plan always included the nations. A Moabite became great-grandmother of David (Isaiah 56:3-7; Acts 10:34-35; Revelation 5:9).

6. Godly Character in a Dark Age

In the age of Judges, Ruth, Boaz and Naomi lived with integrity, purity, kindness and faithfulness. Godliness is possible in any culture (Philippians 2:15).

7. Work, Diligence and Humility

Ruth worked hard and humbly as a gleaner (2:7, 17); Boaz was a diligent, godly employer (2:4). Faith shows itself in faithful daily work (Colossians 3:23).

8. Care for the Poor, the Widow and the Stranger

The gleaning laws and Boaz's generosity show God's concern for the vulnerable (James 1:27; Deuteronomy 10:18).

9. Purity and Integrity in Relationships

Boaz protected Ruth's reputation and followed the proper legal process, doing everything openly before witnesses (3:14; 4:1-10). Their relationship stands in contrast to the sexual chaos of Judges 19.

10. God's Care in Grief

Naomi's complaint (1:20-21) was honest, and God did not rebuke her; He restored her. God is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18).

Part Eight: Connections — How Ruth Links to the Rest of the Bible

Ruth in the New Testament

Ruth in the Old Testament

Themes That Run from Ruth Through Scripture

Part Nine: Practical Lessons

• Don't leave the place of God's blessing to escape hardship. Moab cost Naomi everything (1:1-5).
• Choose God wholeheartedly. Ruth went all the way; Orpah turned back (1:14-17).
• Be honest with God in grief, and trust that He is not finished (1:20-21).
• Take humble work faithfully. Ruth gleaned behind the reapers (2:2-7).
• God guides ordinary steps. "Her hap was to light" on the right field (2:3).
• Let your faith shape your workplace. "The LORD be with you" (2:4).
• Show kindness beyond what is required. Boaz dropped handfuls on purpose (2:16).
• Reputation matters. "All the city... doth know that thou art a virtuous woman" (3:11).
• Protect the honour of others and keep relationships pure (3:14).
• Do things properly and openly. Boaz followed due process at the gate (4:1-10).
• Be willing to pay the cost of love. The nearer kinsman would not risk his own inheritance (4:6).
• Sit still and wait when you've done your part (3:18).
• God can turn bitterness into blessing (1:21; 4:14-17).
• Your faithfulness may affect generations. Ruth's choice led to David and to Christ (4:17).

Part Ten: Key Verses to Memorize

Conclusion

Ruth is a short book with a vast reach. In the darkest period of Israel's history, God quietly worked through a grieving widow, a loyal Moabite daughter-in-law and a godly farmer to bring blessing out of loss. A foreigner from a cursed nation took refuge under the wings of the God of Israel, found grace in the eyes of the lord of the harvest, and was redeemed by a kinsman who paid the price and made her his bride. Their son became the grandfather of David, and from David came Jesus Christ, our Kinsman-Redeemer, who took our flesh, paid the price with His own blood, and brings all who trust Him, Jew and Gentile alike, into His family and His inheritance.

And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age

Ruth 4:15