The book of Ruth is set during the time of the judges. The book of Judges selects stories that illustrate the difficulties of the time between Joshua and the rise of kingship, particularly in the period before the rise of David. Ruth, however, gives a story of hope in the midst of suffering.
Ruth’s historical setting is signaled in English Bibles by its location right after the book of Judges. In the Hebrew Bible, it is placed after Proverbs, perhaps suggesting that the book gives us a picture of the virtuous woman (cf. Prov. 31:10–31), and at the beginning of the Megilloth, or festival scrolls, since the book was important for the celebration of the Feast of Weeks in early Judaism.
Genre
The book of Ruth, like those that precede it, has the form of theological history. However, this history is based not on large national events but rather on the story of a single family. The book has a simple style and plot but considerable drama and suspense.
Outline and Structure
I. Naomi Returns to Bethlehem with Ruth (1:1–22)
II. Ruth Meets Boaz (2:1–23)
III. Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor (3:1–18)
IV. Boaz Marries Ruth (4:1–12)
V. Their Offspring, Culminating with David (4:13–22)
I. Naomi returns to Bethlehem with Ruth (1:1–22). The story begins sadly with the death of three men, Elimelek and his two sons, who had moved from Bethlehem to Moab. Their deaths leave their three wives as widows. Elimelek’s wife, Naomi, and her two Moabite daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, then begin the trip back to Bethlehem.
Naomi has grown bitter in her loss, changing her name from “Naomi” (“pleasant”) to “Mara” (“bitter”). She encourages her two daughters-in-law to return home because the future looks bleak in Bethlehem. Orpah returns, but Ruth stays with her mother-in-law, and she renounces her pagan Moabite background, affirms Yahweh, and associates herself with Israel.
II. Ruth meets Boaz (2:1–23). Boaz is now introduced as a wealthy landowner and a relative of Elimelek. When Ruth goes out to glean the leftovers of the harvest, she happens to do so in the fields of Boaz. This is the first of many “coincidences” that point to the providence of God. She catches the attention of Boaz, who makes sure that she is safe and that she gets a good supply of food. Naomi reveals to Ruth that he is one of their closest relatives and a family redeemer.
III. Ruth and Boaz at the threshing floor (3:1–18). Naomi then takes matters into her own hands and encourages Ruth to go up to Boaz as he is celebrating the harvest. She instructs Ruth to wait until Boaz is done eating and drinking and goes to sleep on the threshing floor. Ruth then goes to him, lies beside him, and uncovers his “feet,” almost certainly a euphemism for his genitalia. When he awakens, she asks him to spread his covering over her, in essence asking him to marry her. He does not take advantage of her but praises her for coming to him rather than chasing after the young men of the town. Boaz virtuously admits that there is a family redeemer even closer than he, and so Boaz must deal with him first.
IV. Boaz marries Ruth (4:1–12). Boaz meets the family redeemer, whose name is never given but whose rights to Ruth are greater than those of Boaz. He does want to redeem the land of Elimelek, but when told that this also involves marrying Ruth, he refuses. The customs here are not totally clear, but it appears that if he had paid to redeem the land and then married Ruth, it would be her descendant rather than he who would benefit from the transaction. Boaz, however, does not share his hesitation and marries Ruth.
V. Their offspring, culminating with David (4:13–22). The book ends on a celebratory note. Boaz and Ruth have a baby boy, Obed. This birth is followed by a genealogy showing that Obed is none other than the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.
Date, Authorship, and Purpose
Although the book of Ruth is clearly set in the period of the judges, no mention is made of the time of its composition or authorship.
Many scholars date Ruth late in the history of Israel. They detect a polemic from this book directed at the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The latter books present a harsh policy toward intermarriage with Gentiles (Ezra 10; Neh. 13:23–27). On the other hand, Ruth presents the picture of a devoted Moabite woman whose sacrificial love rescues an Israelite family from oblivion and leads to the glory of the kingship of David.
However, Ruth does not have the tone of a polemic. Also, it may be argued that Ruth does not contradict Ezra and Nehemiah in the issue of intermarriage with Gentiles. Ruth has in essence become an Israelite through her devotion to Yahweh. Ezra and Nehemiah are not worried about bloodlines; they are worried about women who may lead Israel toward the worship of false gods.
A preexilic date is more likely when one takes into account what appears to be an important purpose of the book. The book ends with a genealogy of King David. The child whom Ruth bears to Boaz is an ancestor to none other than King David, with whom the genealogy concludes. The union between Boaz and Ruth is the result of divine providence (see “Theological Message” below), and this providence leads to the future king of Israel. Thus, the implicit message is that God was in control of the events that led to David. We know from the historical books that David would have been considered a usurper by some who considered a descendant of Saul the rightful heir. The book of Ruth may have had the contemporary purpose of supporting David’s claim to the throne by showing that it was the result of God’s intervention.
Although the best arguments favor an early preexilic date, the question remains open.
Theological Message
Although no supernatural events or miracles punctuate the book of Ruth, the attentive reader finishes it knowing that God’s hand guided the events of this story as directly as those of the story of the exodus from Egypt. The book of Ruth is a story of God’s providence narrated in an extremely subtle manner. When the narrator says, “As it turned out, [Ruth] was working in a field belonging to Boaz” (2:3), the meaning is that Ruth herself did not know the significance of her action. God was guiding her toward deliverance.
The book also tells a story of a non-Israelite (Gentile), Ruth herself, who joins the people of faith. In this, we are to see a preview of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham that his descendants will be a blessing to all peoples on earth (Gen. 12:3).
Finally, Ruth’s story may be a family story, but this family leads to great things in Israel. Ruth’s survival leads ultimately to the birth of David, one of the greatest figures in biblical history. In this way, the author says that David was a divine gift to Israel. Of course, Christian readers further recognize that Ruth is named later in the genealogy of the one who is David’s greater son, Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:5).
Contemporary Significance
At first glance, the lasting significance of the book of Ruth appears to be connected to an illustration of the foundational virtues of loyalty, kindness, and generosity. Ruth is the example of loyalty as she sticks close to her mother-in-law, Naomi. Boaz exemplifies kindness and generosity when compared to the unnamed “guardian-redeemer” (4:1–12). Because of the virtuous actions of these characters, the story ends happily. Indeed, the book does encourage its readers to act in positive ways toward others. However, such a reading fails to plumb the book for all its richness.
As noted above, the book subtly describes how God works behind the scenes in order to bring Ruth and Naomi from a dire situation to a blessed one. The book informs those who read it that God works in the lives of ordinary people to accomplish great things.
