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Biblical figure · kjv

Who Was Ruth in the Bible?

A foreigner from a nation Israel's law excluded — yet Ruth became great-grandmother of King David and an ancestor of Jesus. Her story is grace crossing every boundary.

Who was Ruth?

Ruth was a Moabite woman living during the turbulent period when the judges ruled Israel (roughly 1100 BC). She married Mahlon, a son of Elimelech and Naomi — an Israelite family that had fled to Moab during a famine in Bethlehem. Within about ten years, Elimelech died and both of Naomi's sons died, leaving three widows: Naomi and her two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah. When Naomi resolved to return to Bethlehem, she urged both daughters-in-law to go back to their own families and their own gods. Orpah, heartbroken, eventually obeyed. Ruth refused. Her refusal — expressed in one of the most famous declarations in all of Scripture — set in motion a story that would end with her becoming the great-grandmother of King David and a named ancestor of Jesus Christ in Matthew's Gospel. To understand the weight of Ruth's story, the ethnic and religious tension must not be softened. Moab was a nation east of the Dead Sea whose origins, according to Genesis 19:37, traced back to an incestuous union after the destruction of Sodom. The Mosaic law explicitly stated that no Moabite was to enter the assembly of the LORD, even to the tenth generation (Deuteronomy 23:3). The Moabites had also hired Balaam to curse Israel during the Exodus (Numbers 22-24) and had oppressed Israel during the Judges period. Ruth was not merely a foreigner. She was from a nation that was, in the religious and cultural imagination of Israel, an enemy — spiritually unclean, historically hostile, and legally excluded from the covenant community. Her decision to follow Naomi back to Bethlehem was therefore not just personally costly; it was an act of crossing a profound boundary. In Bethlehem, Ruth gleaned in the fields — a legal provision under Mosaic law that allowed the poor to gather what harvesters left behind. She happened into the field of Boaz, a wealthy relative of Elimelech. Boaz noticed her, inquired about her, and commanded his workers to protect and provide for her. At Naomi's instruction, Ruth approached Boaz at the threshing floor after harvest and invoked the kinsman-redeemer custom — asking Boaz to spread his garment over her, a formal claim on his duty as go'el. Boaz redeemed the family land and married Ruth. Their son Obed became the grandfather of King David. The women of Bethlehem blessed Naomi: "There is a son born to Naomi." Ruth's story is told in the four-chapter Book of Ruth, one of only two books in the Old Testament named for women. Though short, it is dense with themes of loyalty, providence, redemption, and the radical inclusion of outsiders within the people of God.

Timeline

  1. ~1100 BCBorn in Moab, outside the covenant community of Israel
  2. Young adulthoodMarries Mahlon, son of Naomi and Elimelech, during their famine-exile in Moab (Ruth 1:4)
  3. ~10 years laterElimelech and both sons die; Naomi is left with two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah (Ruth 1:3-5)
  4. After deathsRuth vows loyalty to Naomi — "whither thou goest, I will go" (Ruth 1:16-17)
  5. Arrival in BethlehemRuth and Naomi return to Bethlehem at the start of barley harvest (Ruth 1:19-22)
  6. Harvest seasonRuth gleans in the field of Boaz, a wealthy kinsman of Elimelech (Ruth 2)
  7. After harvestAt Naomi's instruction, Ruth approaches Boaz at the threshing floor and invokes the kinsman-redeemer custom (Ruth 3)
  8. Shortly afterBoaz redeems Elimelech's land and marries Ruth in a legal transaction at the city gate (Ruth 4:1-13)
  9. ~1070 BCGives birth to Obed, who becomes the grandfather of King David (Ruth 4:17)
  10. Genealogical legacyNamed in the genealogy of Jesus — one of only four women in Matthew's opening (Matthew 1:5)

Key Facts

When did Ruth live?

Ruth lived during the period of the Judges, roughly 1100 BC. The Book of Ruth opens with the phrase "in the days when the judges ruled" (Ruth 1:1), placing her story before the monarchy of Saul and David.

Was Ruth Jewish?

No. Ruth was a Moabite — a Gentile from a nation east of the Dead Sea that was historically and legally at odds with Israel. She explicitly converted her allegiance when she said, "thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God" (Ruth 1:16). Her inclusion in the covenant was an act of grace, not birthright.

Who did Ruth marry?

Ruth first married Mahlon, one of Naomi's two sons, during the family's time in Moab. Mahlon died without children. Ruth later married Boaz, a wealthy Israelite and kinsman of her deceased father-in-law Elimelech, who acted as her kinsman-redeemer (go'el).

Is Ruth in the genealogy of Jesus?

Yes. Matthew 1:5 names Ruth directly: "and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse." Jesse was the father of King David. Ruth is therefore the great-grandmother of David and a named ancestor of Jesus Christ — one of only four women mentioned in Matthew's genealogy.

What does "whither thou goest, I will go" mean?

The phrase comes from Ruth 1:16, Ruth's vow to Naomi as they traveled toward Bethlehem. It is a declaration of total loyalty — social, geographic, and spiritual. Ruth is pledging to abandon her Moabite identity, family, and gods and to fully join herself to Naomi's people and Naomi's God.

What is a kinsman-redeemer?

The Hebrew word is go'el. Under Mosaic law, when a man died leaving a widow and property, a near male relative was obligated to buy back the family's land, marry the widow, and raise up children in the dead man's name to preserve the family line (Leviticus 25:25; Deuteronomy 25:5-10). In Ruth's case, Boaz served as this redeemer — both economically and personally.

Scripture

Ruth 1:16

“And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.”

Ruth 1:17

“Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.”

Ruth 2:12

“The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.”

Ruth 3:11

“And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.”

Ruth 4:13

“So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.”

Ruth 4:17

“And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.”

Matthew 1:5

“And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse.”

More Questions

Is the Book of Ruth a true story?

The Book of Ruth is presented in the Hebrew canon as historical narrative, not parable or poetry. Jewish tradition places it among the Writings (Ketuvim) and it is read publicly at Shavuot. Its genealogy (Ruth 4:17-22), confirmed in 1 Chronicles 2:5-15 and Matthew 1:3-6, is treated as historical by both Jewish and Christian traditions.

Why is Ruth significant if she was a Gentile?

Ruth's significance is inseparable from her being a Gentile. The Mosaic law excluded Moabites from the assembly of Israel (Deuteronomy 23:3), yet God brought Ruth into the covenant community, made her the great-grandmother of King David, and named her in the genealogy of Jesus. Her story demonstrates that covenant membership was never purely ethnic — it was always a matter of faith and loyalty.

Why do people quote "whither thou goest" at weddings?

Ruth 1:16 has become one of the most quoted vows in Western wedding ceremonies because of its beauty and depth: "whither thou goest, I will go... thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." The irony is that Ruth spoke these words not to a husband but to her mother-in-law. That context does not diminish its use in marriage — the quality of loyalty it describes is exactly what marriage requires — but understanding the original context deepens rather than reduces the text's meaning.

What does Ruth's story teach about inclusion?

Ruth's story teaches that God's covenant community was never meant to be ethnically exclusive. Ruth came from a nation that Israel's law formally excluded, yet her loyalty and faith brought her fully inside. The New Testament writers understood this: Matthew places Ruth in Jesus's genealogy; Paul declares that in Christ there is "neither Jew nor Greek" (Galatians 3:28). Ruth's story is one of Scripture's clearest previews of what the Gospel would accomplish: the full welcome of every nation into the family of God.