Author

Prophet Samuel

Written

1050-1000 BC (most likely) Covering the time period of 1150 - 1100 BC

Main Themes

Ruth became the great-grandmother of King David after a good deed of refusing to desert her mother-in-law, who was from Israel. Her story takes place mostly in Bethlehem, the future birthplace of Jesus.

Ruth goes to sleep on the threshing floor to earn the trust of Boaz, a man she wanted to marry and who had been kind to her.

The women living there said, "Naomi has a son!" And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Ruth 4:17

Key Verses

Ruth 1:17 Where you die, will I die, and there I will be buried: the LORD [Yahweh] do so to me, and more also, [if anything] other than death parts you and me.

Important Points

Ruth is only four chapters long and is a story. Ruth was from Moab, but after her husband died and her mother-in-law's husband died, she agreed to return with her widowed mother-in-law to Israel. This was a remarkable leap of faith for a young girl, who would have had many chances to remarry in the familiarity of her own people.

Her mother-in-law was Naomi. With Naomi's wisdom and God's grace, they moved from a situation of beggars in Bethlehem to Ruth finding a kind and generous husband who took Naomi in as a mother also. Ruth and the man, Boaz, had a baby boy whom they named Obed. He was the father of Jesse, who became the father of King David.