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The Book of Ruth

The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be
given you by the LORD, the God of I srael, under whose wing s you have
come to take refuge!

The Book of Ruth – General Info about Date, Authorship, and Original Audience:
The story of Ruth is placed by the narrator in the time of the judges, but no indication is given as to when in this several-century period it
took place. If the genealogy at the end of the book has no gaps, the events would best be placed in the second half of the twelfth
century, roughly contemporary to Jephthah and Samson.1

The book is named for its main character, Ruth, a Moabite widow who married the Bethlehemite Boaz. She became an ancestor of King
David (4:17, 22) and thus an ancestor of the Messiah (Matt. 1:1, 5–6). The author of Ruth is never named in the Bible. According to
rabbinic tradition (Babylonian Talmud, Baba Bathra 14a–15b), Samuel is the author. However,
some say this is unlikely, since Samuel died before David actually became king, and it seems that The Divisions with the Tanakh:
Ruth 4:17–22 implies that David's kingship was an established fact at the time of writing. The name is an acronym formed
from the initial Hebrew letters of
In the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, the book of Ruth finds itself placed in The Writings, the third and the three traditional subdivisions:
final portion of their canon. Traditionally, the five shortest books in The Writings – Song of Songs,  The Torah ("The Teaching" or
‖The Law‖, also known as The
Ruth, Lamentation, Ecclesiastes, and Esther – were/are referred to as ―The Scrolls‖ and were/are
Five Books of Moses)
read during the five major festivals – Passover (Song of Songs), the Feast of Weeks (Ruth), the
 Nevi'im ("The Prophets")
Ninth of Ab (Lamentations), the Feast of Tabernacles (Ecclesiastes), and the Festival of Purim
 Ketuvim ("The Writings")
(Esther). …hence TaNaKh

The Outline, Structure, and Storyline of Ruth:

Ruth is placed during the dark and tumultuous times of the Judges (Ruth 1:1). In Judges, people did what was right in their own eyes
(Judges 21:25) which lead to ―the cycle of sin‖ which was repeated throughout the book:
18 Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long

as the judge lived; for the LORD relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But when the
judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and
worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. ~ Judges 2:18-19

There’s also a cycle in the book of Ruth – a cycle of kindness/mercy ( ; hesed) is displayed throughout the book by Ruth, Boaz and
YHWH. A simple thematic division of the book of Ruth could quite possibly be – The kindness of Ruth (ch. 1), the kindness of Boaz (ch. 2),
the kindness of Boaz and Ruth collide (ch. 3), and the kindness of God (ch. 4)

The story sets out in the period of the judges, Elimelech, Naomi, and their sons leave Bethlehem because of a famine to sojourn in Moab.
Naomi's husband, Elimelech, dies there. Mahlon and Chilion, the sons, marry Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. Ten years later the sons
die too, leaving no children. Naomi has lost her family and devastated (1:1–5). Learning that the famine in Israel is over, she decides to
return to Bethlehem; Orpah stays behind, but Ruth, after expressing her love and loyalty to Naomi, accompanies Naomi back to
Bethlehem (1:6–22). At harvest time, Ruth goes to glean in a field that happens to belong to Elimelech's relative, Boaz (2:1–23). Naomi
knows he is an eligible kinsman-redeemer. Following Naomi's daring plan, in a midnight encounter at the threshing floor Ruth, at great
risk to herself, boldly asks him, as a redeemer, to marry her (3:1–18). After a closer kinsman refuses to take Ruth, Boaz redeems all the
property of the deceased and marries Ruth (4:1–12). They have a son, Obed, who becomes the grandfather of King David (4:13–22).
Ruth is no longer a childless widower and Naomi has a family again.

Things to Keep in Mind When Reading Ruth:

The Controversy:
The book of Ruth is not without controversy though. There are apparent sexual connotations in the ―threshing floor‖ scene in 3:1-15.
Our English translations have a difficult time articulating some of the phrases – and for good reason! The phrase ―uncover his feet
(NIV)‖ in vs. 4 and 7 in Hebrew is an euphemism for the male genitalia. (For example, the same Hebrew wordings appear in 1 Sam.
24:3 which is translated ―to relieve himself‖ – referring to King Saul going pee.) In addition, the Hebrew wordings which are translated
―lie down (NIV)‖ in vs.4 and ―lay down (NIV)‖ in vs.7 are almost always used to denote sexual relations.

This is not the only controversy or apparent breaking of God’s law in the book of Ruth. There’s the issue of Ruth being a Moabite,
which is not even addressed in the book! In Deut. 23:3-6, the people of Israel are prohibited from welcoming the Ammonites and
Moabites into the assembly of God. Elimech and Naomi’s move to Moab, their allowance of the sons to marry Moabite women,
Bethlehem’s welcoming of Ruth, and Boaz’s marriage to Ruth (a Moabite) isn’t even addressed in the slightest!

Also, the outworking of the laws concerning re-marriage, levirate marriage and kinsman redeemer seem to be very loosely adhered
to. Interesting….what are we to make of these apparent violations of God’s Law?

Mercy/Kindness as "The Heart of the Law":

1 Matthews, V. H., Chavalas, M. W., & Walton, J. H. (2000). The IVP Bible background commentary : Old Testament
 Barry Webb, in Five Festal Garments, gives us some insight into these apparent violations of God’s law and a little background in the
purpose of the book of Ruth helps. Traditionally, the book of Ruth is/was viewed as one of the 5 Old Testament books (known as
―The Writings‖) which were liturgically read during the 5 festival Hebrew seasons. Ruth was read during the Feast of Weeks (or
Pentecost) which was the time of harvest and a time commemorating the giving of the law to the Israelites. Webb writes:
Life is always more complex than law alone can handle, and what we see in Ruth is custom that reflects the spirit if not the letter
of the law, and in doing so distinguishes between its lesser and weightier matters. Ruth is a Moabitess, but she is also a widow
and a landless alien who has taken refuge under YHWH’s wings. And the author of Ruth apparently takes the view that, in such
a case, it would be inappropriate to invoke the ban on Moabites. This ban on Moabites was no more intended to exclude
someone like Ruth than the ban on the Canaanites (i.e. Ammonites) was to exclude someone like Rahab, and, if we are to take
the book as a guide [to live out the law of God], Boaz is a model of law-keeping rather than law-breaking. In other words, the
book identifies the spirit of the law as kindness [Hebrew – “hesed” which is also translated as “mercy”], or more specifically,
loving-kindness.

So, the reading of Ruth during the Feast of Weeks would have been a tremendous way to remember the importance of not
legalistically (and therefore, improperly) living out the law of God, but rather living out the spirit of the law. And the spirit of the law is
and always has been love – particularly, loving-kindness which always displays itself in acts of mercy to those around us!

…but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

Leviticus 19:18 Discussion Question:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. What are some other biblical examples
And what does the LORD require of you? of people following ―the heart of the
To act justly and to love mercy law‖ rather than ―the letter of law?‖
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8

Key Themes in Ruth:2

1. Kindness
Ruth shows Naomi kindness ( ; Hesed), particularly in leaving her country and family to care for her mother-in-law (1:16–17; 2:11, 18,
23), because she loves her (4:15). Then Boaz shows kindness in his welcome to Ruth, acting as a kinsman-redeemer (4:9–10) and marrying
Ruth (4:13). Human kindness reflects the kindness (or ―steadfast love‖) that the Lord shows to his people (cf. Ex. 15:13; Deut. 7:8–9; Ps.
103:4; 106:7, 10; 136:10–15).

2. Redemption
Redemption is bound to kindness and is at the heart of the story (2:20). ―Redeem‖ (ga’al), ―redeemer‖ (go’el), and ―redemption‖
(ge’ullah) appear 23 times. The book of Ruth describes two legal institutions combined in one practice (which the Law of Moses does
not require), namely, property redemption by a near kinsman and the ―levirate‖ marriage. Property redemption by a relative assured
that land would not remain in perpetuity outside the family (see Lev. 25:23–25). Levirate marriage (from Latin levir, ―husband's brother‖)
involves a childless widow marrying her husband's brother to provide an heir for the dead husband (Deut. 25:5–6; cf. note on Matt.
22:24). Differences in Ruth, as compared with these laws, reflect customs applicable to particular circumstances. Boaz, a close relative
(but not the closest), redeemed the property (Ruth 4:9), married Ruth (4:10, 13), and fathered Obed (4:13, 17), who became heir to the
property of the deceased.

Once redemption occurred, Ruth and Naomi's desperate conditions radically changed (4:13–17). This reversal is highlighted by
contrasts: living/dead (1:8; 2:20); find/seek rest (1:9; 3:1); pleasant/bitter (1:20); full/empty (1:21; 3:17) last/first kindness (3:10). The
resolution to the narrative conflict is Boaz's act of redemption (4:9–10), resulting in blessing for Ruth (in marriage, conception, and giving
birth; 4:13) and for Naomi (in restored and nourished life in her old age; 4:14–15). Redemption also brought blessing to the community
(4:11–12) and—through David—to the nation (4:14, 17).

How Ruth Fits Into The Story:

The Jesus Mission is the Old Testament’s running theme and purpose; i.e., the plan of God to make right and correct the wayward world.
Throughout the writings of the Old Testament we see the hope of Christ, the One appointed by God to crush evil and sufferings – to put
an end to sin and all its horrible ramifications. This plan is first revealed in Genesis 3:15 where God promises to put an end to the rebellion
and perverted-nature of sin by crushing the serpent's head through the seed of the woman. And thus begins the line of Christ, ―the seed
of promise.‖ This line (Gen. 11) can be traced to Abraham when God makes a covenant promising that through Abraham ―all the
peoples on the earth will be blessed‖ (Gen. 11:3). Ruth & Boaz are two of the many individuals included in God’s Jesus Mission (Matthew
1:5-6)

As a foreigner and ancestor of David (4:17, 22), Ruth is a forerunner of the universal blessing and supreme act of kindness/mercy that
Christ's redemptive work has ushered in. Many Old Testament prophecies anticipate a new King David (e.g., Jer. 33:15, 17; Ezek. 37:24;
Hos. 3:5; Zech. 12:7–10) reigning over Israel and incorporating the Gentiles into his benevolent empire (e.g., Isa. 55:3–5; Jer. 23:5; Amos
9:11–12). This expectation is fulfilled in David's ―son,‖ Jesus the Christ (or Messiah; cf. Matt. 1:1–6;Luke 3:31–33; Acts 13:23; Rom. 1:3–5). In
him, the ―gospel‖ preached beforehand to Abraham (Gen. 12:3; Rom. 15:8–12; Gal. 3:8), that all nations will be blessed, is fully realized
(Rom. 4:9–12; Gal. 3:7–9, 14). Through Christ, David's throne is reestablished forever (Acts 15:16; Rev. 3:7; 5:5; 22:16) and his reign is
universal (Matt. 28:18–20; Rom. 1:5; 15:8–12). In Him, people from all nations and the entire cosmos become redeemed from the
corruption of sin and death – which is the ultimate of merciful redemption!

2 The ESV Study Bible 2008. Crossway Bibles.