Judges era · OT
Ruth the Moabitess
A Moabite widow whose loyal love brought her into the line of David — and of Christ.
Ruth was a young Moabite woman who married into a Hebrew family that had emigrated to Moab during a famine. After her husband's death she made the famous covenant with her mother-in-law Naomi: 'whither thou goest, I will go ... thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God' (Ruth 1:16). She returned with Naomi to Bethlehem in poverty.
Gleaning in the fields, she came to the notice of Boaz, a wealthy kinsman of her late father-in-law. Through the levirate custom of kinsman-redemption, Boaz took her as wife, and she bore Obed, the grandfather of King David. The Book of Ruth, set in the dark days of the Judges, is a quiet four-chapter testimony that God writes the covenant of redemption into ordinary lives — and that even a Moabite outsider belongs in the genealogy of the Messiah (Matthew 1:5).
Key moments
Covenant with Naomi
'Thy people shall be my people' (Ruth 1:16-17).
Gleaning in Boaz's field
Provided for under the wings of Israel's God (Ruth 2).
Marriage to Boaz
Redeemed by her kinsman; bears Obed, ancestor of David.
Key verses
"And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, and 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; where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me."
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"Jehovah recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of Jehovah, the God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to take refuge."
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"So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife; and he went in unto her, and Jehovah gave her conception, and she bare a son. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be Jehovah, who hath not left thee this day without a near kinsman; and let his name be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of life, and a nourisher of thine old age, for thy daughter-in-law, who loveth thee, who is better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbors 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."
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"and Salmon begat Boaz of Rahab; and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;"
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Frequently asked
Why is Ruth in the genealogy of Jesus?
Ruth, a Moabite, married Boaz of Bethlehem and bore Obed, who fathered Jesse, who fathered David — placing her in the royal and messianic line (Matthew 1:5). Her inclusion shows that God's covenant grace reaches beyond Israel.
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