Ruth biography old testament

He took a poor, hurting outcast and healed her, provided for her, and brought her a great love with Boaz. Redemption is possible in your life. No matter where you come from or what you've been through, God has a plan for you that far surpasses all of that. See more lessons that we can learn from Ruth on Crosswalk. Read the scriptures of Ruth's story in the Bible below and find related articles:.

The Story of Ruth in the Bible. Share Close. Share Tweet Save. Updated September 27, Bible Articles Video Audio. Who was Ruth in the Bible? Bible Bible Stories. Ruth 2 1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. Have I not charged the ruth biography old testament men not to touch you?

And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied.

And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you. At midnight, Boaz woke up, and Ruth asked him to protect her, as he was her husband's goelclosest relative tasked with protecting his rights. Boaz said that he would like to do so, but Ruth had an even closer relative than him. In the morning, Boaz went and sat down by the gates of the town, then talked to the relative when he arrived.

He told him that Naomi was selling Elimelech's land. The man said that he would redeem it. Boaz then says that one of them will acquire Ruth, although the text is unclear due to a Qere and Ketiv disagreement. In the Qere, spoken form, the relative would acquire Ruth. In the Ketiv, written form, Boaz would acquire Ruth. In both cases, it would be to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance in a levirate marriage.

The man refused to redeem the land, fearing that it would impair his own inheritance. Boaz then redeemed the land and acquired Ruth. Ruth became Boaz's wife, and bore him a son. After Ruth gives birth, Naomi takes Obed to her breast. The women of Bethlehem name him Obed and say that Naomi has a son. Obed became the father of Jessethe father of King David.

Ruth's kindness as noted in the Book of Ruth by Boaz is seen in the Jewish Tradition as in rare contradistinction to the peoples of Moab where Ruth comes from and Amon in general, who were noted by the Torah for their distinct lack of kindness. According to the Ruth RabbahRuth was Orpah's sister and the two were daughters of Eglonthe king of Moab; according to the same text, Eglon was the son of Balak.

Josephus viewed the Book of Ruth as historical and referenced it in his Antiquities of the Jews. At the crucial moment, however, "Ruth abandons the attempt at seduction and instead requests a permanent, legal union with Boaz. Ruth is one of five women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus found in the Gospel of Matthewalongside TamarRahabthe "wife of Uriah " Bathshebaand Mary.

Finally, Ruth agrees with Naomi's plan to marry Boaz, even though she was free of family obligations, once again demonstrating her loyalty and obedience Ruth Barry Webb argues that in the book, Ruth plays a key role in Naomi's rehabilitation. She can also be seen as a prototype of a convert to Judaism. The traditional burial place of Ruth is a building located in Hebron.

Ruth Reflection Questions 1. How can you show your loyalty to your parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents? Who in your family could you help grow closer to God as Naomi did for Ruth? Download the Ruth Biography Worksheet. Previous Post: « Religious Education vs. She tells her daughters-in-law to return to their own mothers and remarry. Orpah reluctantly leaves.

However, Ruth demurs: "Do not urge me to leave you, to turn back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus and more may the Lord do to me if anything but death parts me from you.

Naomi and Ruth return to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest and, in order to support her mother-in-law and herself, Ruth goes to the fields to glean. As it happens, the field belongs to a man named Boazwho is kind to her because he has heard of her loyalty to her mother-in-law. Ruth tells Naomi of Boaz's kindness, and Ruth continues to glean in his field through the remainder of barley and wheat harvests.

Boaz, being a close relative of Naomi's husband's family, is therefore obliged by the levirate law to marry Ruth, Mahlon's widow, to carry on his family's inheritance. Naomi sends Ruth to the threshing floor at night where Boaz sleeps, directing Ruth to "uncover his feet and lie down" and await his instructions" Ruth complies. On awakening, Boaz asks her who she is, and she replies: "I am your handmaid Ruth.

Spread your robe over your handmaid, for you are a redeeming kinsman" NJPS. Acknowledging he is a close relative, Boaz blesses her and agrees to do all that is required. He ruths biography old testament that "all the elders of my town know what a fine woman you are" NJPS. However, Boaz advises her that she has a male relative closer than he.

Ruth remains in submission at his feet until she returns to the city in the morning. Early that morning, Boaz goes to the city gate to meet with the other male relative before the town elders. The relative is not named. Boaz addresses him as ploni almoni "so and so". The relative, unwilling to jeopardize the inheritance of his own estate by marrying Ruth, relinquishes his right of redemptionthus freeing Boaz to marry Ruth.

They transfer the property, redeeming it, and ratify the redemption by the nearer kinsman taking off his shoe and handing it over to Boaz. Ruth notes for later generations that:. Boaz and Ruth are then married and have a son. The women of the city celebrate Naomi's joy in finding a redeemer to preserve her family name. Naomi takes the child and places it on her bosom.

The child is named Obedwhom the reader discovers is "the father of Jessethe father of David" Ruth —17 ; that is, he is the grandfather of King Davidand so Ruth is the great-grandmother of King David.

Ruth biography old testament

The book concludes with an appendix tracing the Davidic genealogy all the way back from Perez"whom Tamar bore to Judah ", through to Obed, down to David. According to some scholars, the Book of Ruth is likely a work of historical fiction. The book does not name its author. A substantial number of scholars therefore date it to the Persian period BCE.

Surviving manuscripts date from hundreds or thousands of years after initial authorship. There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagintmade in the last few centuries BC. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus 4th centuryCodex Alexandrinus 5th century. The Book of Ruth illustrates the difficulty of trying to use laws given in books such as Deuteronomy as evidence of actual practice.

She instructs Ruth to uncover Boaz's feet after he had gone to sleep and to lie down. When Boaz wakes up, surprised to see a woman at his feet, Ruth explains that she wants him to redeem marry her. The usual interpretation is to see sexual allusions in this part of the story, with 'feet' as a euphemism for genitals. Since there is no heir to inherit Elimelech's land, custom required a close relative usually the dead man's brother to marry the widow of the deceased in order to continue his family line Deuteronomy — This relative was called the goelthe "kinsman-redeemer".

As Boaz was not Elimelech's brother, nor Ruth his widow, scholars refer to the arrangement here as "Levirate-like". This conflict is resolved through the custom that required land to stay in the family: a family could mortgage land to ward off poverty, but the law required a kinsman to purchase it back into the family Leviticus ff. When Boaz meets the near kinsman at the city gate, the place where contracts were settled, the kinsman initially agrees to purchase Elimelech's now Naomi's land; but upon hearing he must also take Ruth as his wife, he withdraws his offer.