48 Facts About Ruth In The Bible: All About Ruth's Story And Her Message

There was a famine at the time when tribes of Israel were led by judges.

A man from Bethlehem, Elimelech, moved to Moab along with his wife Naomi. His two sons, Milion and Chilion also followed him.

The man Emiliech died there, and his two sons married the daughters who were residents of Moab. The women were Ruth and Orpah. The women were sisters too.

The married couples stayed together for 10 years, and after that, the brothers died. Only the mother, Naomi was left. She heard that the famine in her homeland Judah has passed, and decided to go there.

She instructed her two daughters-in-law to return to their mother's house, as they were widowed. They were reluctant to leave her alone. She said that she didn't have any more sons left they could marry, and so they must go.

Orpah left for her mother's house, but Ruth stayed with her mother-in-law. Ruth was loyal to her mother in law, she said 'Where you will go, I will go.

Where you will lodge, I will Lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God will be my god. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.'

They arrived at Bethlehem at the beginning of harvest. They lived with Boaz, a relative of Elimelech. He provided them shelter and saw how Ruth was loyal to Naomi.

Ruth used to glean after his reapers. Gleaning was a practice by poor people to collect leftovers after the harvest. Later, Boaz married Ruth, after he took permission from Ruth's relative.

Role And History Of Ruth In The Bible

Ruth is one of the five women mentioned in the bible. She is mainly mentioned for her service to her mother-in-law after she was left alone by the death of her husband and sons. Let's take a look at Ruth's role in history according to the Bible.

• The events pertaining to Ruth were believed to have taken place between 1160 B.C and 1100 B.C.
• When Elimelech traveled to Moab, Ruth and her sister Oprah married their two sons. They helped Judeans to escape the famine which had occurred in Judah.
• All the men of their family die eventually, and the mother-in-law tells her two daughters-in-law to go back to their mother's house. She plans to get to Bethlehem alone, as the famine there had subsided, but Ruth refuses to leave her mother-in-law.
• She travels to an unknown land away from her kin and relatives, to support Naomi.
• Ruth has been mentioned in the Bible, in the 'Book Of Ruth'. It depicts the sincerity and loyalty of Ruth towards her mother-in-law.
• The 'Book of Ruth' depicts an important aspect that god chooses anyone despite their background. Ruth was a helpful daughter-in-law and helped an elderly Naomi to travel back to her land. She was a Moabite woman and leaving her homeland was not ideal for her.
• When they arrived at Judah, Ruth began to glean in Boaz's field. Boaz was a distant relative of Ruth's husband. Naomi told Ruth to pursue Boaz to be her kinsman-redeemer. Ruth sat near Boaz on the threshing floor during the harvest. Ruth asks him to help her and be her kinsman-redeemer, as he was the only relative of her husband. Boaz also got to know that Ruth has chosen to follow the lord of Israel.
• The women of Israel were in awe of Naomi, as the lord had blessed her with her daughter-in-law. The lord helped Ruth, and Boaz married her. She bore a son whose name was Obed.
• Obed had a son named Jesse, who is said to be the father of King David.
• In the Jewish tradition, it was not encouraged for a Jewish to marry a Non-Jewish person.
• Ruth's husband, brother-in-law, and father-in-law all died in Moab.
• Ruth insists on staying with her mother-in-law as she was alone.

Story Of Ruth In The Bible

The story of Ruth in the bible is taken from 900 B.C. Let's explore further the story of Ruth.

• The story of Ruth has been taken from the 'Book of Judges'. Some say the story was written by Samuel, but no evidence of this has been found.
• Boaz was the second husband of Ruth, who was kin of Naomi. Boaz based the permission from Ruth from her living relation and married Ruth. Ruth had a son from Boaz who was named Obed. King David is the grandson of Obed. and through which lineage Jesus Christ was born.
• The genealogy of the birth of Jesus Christ starts from Ruth and Boaz. Ruth was not Jewish, she was a Moabite, but she was blessed by God.
• This showed that God takes care of people, irrespective of status, race, and nationality. Many people discriminated against her when she came to Bethlehem with Naomi. But God did not discriminate against her.
• Her story in the Bible is an example of compassion, integrity, and boldness.
• When Naomi returns to Judah, back to her family Ruth said 'I will follow you, Your people shall be my people and your land shall be my land'. It was dangerous for an old woman to travel alone in those days. Naomi's children and the father of her children were dead. Paul also said that Gospel was for Jews and Gentiles too, and since Ruth was a Gentile, it demonstrates that she was guided to Naomi's hometown by God's will.
• The birth of Ruth's son was a ray of hope for their family. Ruth did not have any child from her previous husband, and neither did her sister. This was the first grandchild for Naomi's family. It was God's will that he wished to perpetuate the lineage of Naomi's family and Boaz through this woman. Ruth eventually married Boaz.
• The 'Book Of Ruth' tells the story of Ruth and Orpah who married Naomi's sons.
• Ruth was instructed by Naomi to approach Boaz to be her kinsman-redeemer.
• A kinsman-redeemer is a person acting on behalf of a relative who is in trouble.

Who wrote the 'Book Of Ruth' in the Bible?

The 'Book Of Samuel' had little information about the lineage of King David. So, a separate book called the 'Book Of Ruth' was necessary to discuss the lineage.

• Mordechai is known to write the 'Book Of Ruth'. The 'Book Of Ester' was also written by him.
• This book is a part of the Old Testament in a time when intermarriage was considered unacceptable. The marriage of a Jewish to a non-Jewish person was considered against the law.
• The book shows how God gave his blessing to Ruth, who was a Moabite woman and gave her virtue. She went on to marry a pious and more respectable man than her first husband by being patient and loyal.
• The story of Ruth shows important lessons in life. Ruth had the courage to follow in Naomi's footsteps which was a significant event in those times.
• Foreigners were not easily welcomed in Judah, and Ruth was also a Gentile. A Gentile is a person referred to in the Bible as a nonbeliever.
• Ruth lived the whole of her life in Moab, so she was not familiar with the religion.
• A kinsman-redeemer was a practice in the olden times. When a man died his nearest relative should marry the widow of that dead man. It was thought to perpetuate the line through this woman.
• God had given them a ray of hope after all this affliction.
• Ruth was discriminated against by many people because she was a Moabite, but God did not discriminate against her. Some people also draw the comparison between Boaz and Jesus Christ.
• Like Christ who was the redeemer of people, Boaz was the redeemer of Ruth. Naomi was empty and hopeless after the death of her husband and her sons. Had it not been for Naomi's generous daughter-in-law, she would have suffered even more.
• Ruth's husband who was related to Boaz passed away.
• At the beginning of the barley harvest, Naomi and her daughter-in-law came to Bethlehem.
• Boaz sees that she is loyal to Naomie and is not looking to marry any other young men, but has stayed by Naomi's side.

What is the main message of Ruth?

The idea of a kinsman-redeemer and God's providence are the two main themes of the 'Book Of Ruth'.

• The kindness will be rewarded to mankind in a better form. Ruth did not leave her helpless mother-in-law Naomi to travel to Bethlehem alone. She was there to help and tend to her after they both became widowed.
• Ruth was looked down on by the people in Bethlehem as she was a foreigner. She gleaned after the reapers and had water from the well outside. From the encouragement of Naomi, she gained the trust of Boaz, the relative of Naomi in whose house they were residing. He then proceeded to marry Ruth and asked her kin if he could marry Ruth, and the relative had no objection.
• He offered Ruth a blessing, and he also increasingly became aware of her virtue. He made the elders witness the decision, and took blessings. The pledge that Ruth took towards the family of Emilech became a blessing in her later life. God chose her to carry the noble line of Jesus Christ.
• There were two patriarchs in her family, King David, and Jesus Christ. Ruth is often compared to Leah and Rachel. Those two women were also the foundation stones on which the House of Israel was built.
• The 'Book of Ruth; is placed in different places in the Bible. It's put between the Judges and Samuel in the Bible. It is also placed in the Old Testament, the Hebrew bible. It's in the third section, called the Writings. When the book starts, Naomi had already lost her family. She had traveled with her husband Elimelech and two sons to Moab. There was a famine in Judah, and there was no food and water available for people living there. They had to move to a different land to survive. The sons eventually married Moabite women. Ruthe and her Orpah.
• When the men of the family die, Naomi decides to go back to her city. She heard that Judah had been recovered from famine. She tells her daughters-in-law to go back and live with their parents. As her sons were dead, they had no reason to live with her. They wept and said that they could not leave her alone. Naomi said that she does not have any other son that she could marry. And that they would live a comfortable life with their parents. Orpah went back to her parent's house, but the other sister Ruth refused.
• Ruth followed Naomi's footsteps back to Bethlehem. When both women reached there, it was the harvesting season. Ruth started to collect leftover barley which was on the ground after harvesting. The farm in which she collected was of Boaz. When Boaz was given the account of how Ruth was helpful to his relative Naomi, he let her glean unbothered in the farm.
• He told his men not to bother Ruth and also left some water for her. Naomi wanted to search for a husband for Ruth and saw that Boaz would be a nice suitor. As there was a custom in olden days, that the closest kin of a dead man can take over the property left in his name. He can also marry the wife of the dead man. Boaz and one other man had this right.
• On Naomi's instructions, Ruth goes to Boaz and sits near him. She asks him to marry her, as he was the closest kin of her husband. Boaz was an old man and was surprised that Ruth chose him over the other relative, who was young. Ruth showed her loyalty, as Boaz gave her food and water when she first came to Judah. Boaz then asked the other kin at the city gate and declared that he was going to take the properties of the dead Elimelech and whether the otherkin wanted to contest these properties.
• At, first the other man was interested in the land left by Elimelech then when he knew about Ruth, he quickly withdrew himself. Boaz then declared to witnesses that he acquires from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and his sons, Mahlon and Chilion. He said that he was taking Ruth the Moabite as his wife.
• Boaz was much older than Ruth.
• They were given the blessing, that their house is like the house of Perez, where Tamar bore Judah.
• Judah was the older patriarch, and a city in Bethlehem was named after him.