# Who was Ruth in the Bible?

Ruth was a woman from Moab who married into an Israelite family. When her husband died, she refused to leave her mother-in-law Naomi and went with her to Bethlehem. There she gathered grain in the fields of Boaz, who married her. Her great-grandson was King David.

- When: “In the days when the judges ruled”, before Israel had a king. Roughly the 1100s BC.
- Read: Ruth 1–4. Start with [Ruth 1](https://www.lumin.faith/read/ruth/1).

Source: https://www.lumin.faith/bible-people/ruth. Scripture quotations are from the Lumin Translation.

## Ruth’s life, in order

1. **Famine and loss** ([Ruth 1:1-5](https://www.lumin.faith/read/ruth/1#1-5)). Naomi’s family moves from Bethlehem to Moab. Her husband and both sons die there, one of them Ruth’s husband.
2. **“Where you go, I will go”** ([Ruth 1:6-18](https://www.lumin.faith/read/ruth/1#6-18)). Naomi tells her daughters-in-law to go home. Orpah goes. Ruth will not leave her.
3. **Back to Bethlehem** ([Ruth 1:19-22](https://www.lumin.faith/read/ruth/1#19-22)). They arrive at the start of the barley harvest. Naomi tells the town to call her Mara, which means bitter. Map: [Bethlehem](https://www.lumin.faith/bible-map#bethlehem).
4. **In the field of Boaz** ([Ruth 2:1-16](https://www.lumin.faith/read/ruth/2#1-16)). Ruth gathers leftover grain in the field of Boaz, a relative of Naomi. He protects her and leaves extra for her. Map: [Bethlehem](https://www.lumin.faith/bible-map#bethlehem).
5. **At the threshing floor** ([Ruth 3:1-13](https://www.lumin.faith/read/ruth/3#1-13)). On Naomi’s advice, Ruth lies at Boaz’s feet in the night and asks him to redeem the family.
6. **Married, and a son** ([Ruth 4:9-22](https://www.lumin.faith/read/ruth/4#9-22)). Boaz marries Ruth at the town gate. Their son Obed is the grandfather of David.

## Key verses

> But Ruth said, “Do not press me to abandon you, to turn back and stop following you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you spend the night, I will spend the night. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. ([Ruth 1:16](https://www.lumin.faith/read/ruth/1#16))

> May Yahweh repay you for what you have done. May you receive a full reward from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” ([Ruth 2:12](https://www.lumin.faith/read/ruth/2#12))

> Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, and Obed fathered Jesse. ([Matthew 1:5](https://www.lumin.faith/read/matthew/1#5))

## What the Bible says, and what tradition adds

### What is a kinsman redeemer?

**In the Bible.** A close relative who had the duty to buy back family land and care for a widow in the family. Boaz takes that role for Ruth and Naomi. See [Ruth 4:9-10](https://www.lumin.faith/read/ruth/4#9-10).

### Who wrote the book of Ruth?

**Tradition, not the Bible.** The book does not say. Jewish tradition in the Talmud names Samuel. Most scholars leave it unknown.

## Related people

- [King David](https://www.lumin.faith/bible-people/david): Shepherd boy, giant killer, king, psalm writer.
- [Esther](https://www.lumin.faith/bible-people/esther): A Jewish queen of Persia who risked her life for her people.
- [Sarah](https://www.lumin.faith/bible-people/sarah): Abraham’s wife. Laughed at the promise, then bore Isaac at 90.