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Summary
- Ruth was a Moabite widow who went with her mother-in-law Naomi to Bethlehem, married Naomi’s kinsman Boaz and became the great-grandmother of King David (Ruth 4:17).
- Her vow to Naomi, “whither thou goest, I will go”, is Ruth 1:16–17, a daughter-in-law’s promise to her mother-in-law.
- Boaz acted as kinsman-redeemer (go’el): he bought back Elimelech’s land and married Mahlon’s widow to keep the dead man’s name, drawing on Leviticus 25:25 and Deuteronomy 25:5–10.
- The Hebrew lexicons explain the name Ruth as “friend” or “friendship”, from re’ut; Strong’s concordance marks the derivation “probably”, and the Talmud links the name instead to David’s songs.
- Matthew names Ruth in the genealogy of Jesus: “Booz begat Obed of Ruth” (Matthew 1:5).
- Jews read the Book of Ruth at Shavuot, the feast of weeks, for its harvest setting, for Ruth’s joining the Jewish people and for its link to David.
- The midrash Ruth Rabbah says the book was written to teach the reward of those who perform kindness.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Scripture is quoted from the King James Version, from BibleGateway: Ruth 1–4; Leviticus 19:9 and 25:25; Deuteronomy 23:3, 24:19 and 25:5–10; Ezekiel 16:8 (addressed to Jerusalem, 16:2–3); Exodus 34:22; Matthew 1:3–6 and 1:16; Luke 3:32. Names checked against Joshua 2:1 (Rahab) and 2 Samuel 11:3 (Bathsheba, wife of Uriah).
- Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, via Blue Letter Bible: H7327, Ruth; H1350, ga’al (go’el); H3671, kanaph.
- Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 7b, William Davidson edition of the Koren Noé Talmud, with commentary by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz, via Sefaria.
- Mishnah, Yevamot 8:3, William Davidson edition (English), via Sefaria.
- My Jewish Learning, What Is the Mishnah?
- Ruth Rabbah 2:14, The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022), trans. Joshua Schreier.
- Rabbi Ronald H. Isaacs, Why We Read The Book of Ruth on Shavuot, My Jewish Learning, excerpted from Every Person’s Guide to Shavuot (Jason Aronson).
- John Chrysostom, Homily 3 on Matthew, trans. George Prevost, rev. M. B. Riddle, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, vol. 10 (1888), via New Advent.
- Dictionary.com, ruth, ruthless and hap.
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