by Stephen Rodgers
RUTH IN 10 WORDS OR LESS
“Loyal daughter-in-law pictures God’s faithfulness, love, and care.”
TITLE
The title of this book takes its name from Ruth the Moabitess heroine who is mentioned by name 12 times in the book itself. The name “Ruth” most likely comes from a Moabite and/or Hebrew word meaning “friendship.”
The 13th (and only other) time that Ruth is mentioned in the Bible is in Matthew 1:5…as an ancestor of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
AUTHOR & AUDIENCE
The author of Ruth is unknown, although Jewish tradition ascribes it to Samuel (Baba Bathra 14b-15a). While that is certainly possible (after all, Samuel did not die until after he had anointed David as God’s chosen king) (1 Sam 16:6-13; 1 Sam 25:1), some scholars disagree since Samuel died before David actually became king, and Ruth 4:17-22 can be interpreted as implying that David’s kingship was already an established fact at the time of writing.
Generations of Israelites would have read Ruth to get a glimpse of what true faith looked like during a time of religious impiety and moral degeneracy.
DATE
Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges (Ruth 1:1), specifically sometimes around the judgeship of Jair (Judges 10:3-5) from circa 1126 BC to 1105 BC. However it was most likely written sometime after that.
For reasons mentioned above, the story most likely was written during the reign of David. Given the fact that Solomon isn’t mentioned, it most likely was written prior to his ascension to the throne, putting it somewhere between 1011 BC and 971 BC.
BACKGROUND & SETTING
Ruth begins in the town of Bethlehem (for those of you unfamiliar with the Bible, it will be significant later), transitions to Moab (located East across the Dead Sea), and then transitions back to the town of Bethlehem for the remainder of the story. The story from beginning to end unveils in four main scenes, over a total of 11-12 years:
- Ruth 1:1-17 – Ten years in Moab
- Ruth 1:19-2:23 – Several months in Boaz’s field
- Ruth 3:1-18 – One day in Bethlehem and one night at the threshing floor
- Ruth 4:1-22 – About one year in Bethlehem
HISTORICAL & THEOLOGICAL THEMES
Three themes consistently surface throughout Ruth:
- Acceptance – Ruth shows that participation in the family of God is not based on nationality or ethnicity, but on faith and obedience.
- Kindness and Faithfulness – The transformation of Naomi from an embittered woman (Ruth 1:20) to a joyful grandmother (Ruth 4:14-16) as a result of the loyalty and kindness of Ruth reflects the character and provision of God.
- Redemption – Boaz’s redemption of the land, Ruth, and the family are all symbolic of Christ’s redemption of the church and his people.
INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES
There are a number of issues that have been raised in regards to the propriety of events in the book of Ruth. Generally, these objections can be grouped into a racial category and a moral category.
In terms of her racial status as a Moabitess, much has been made of the fact that she would have been forbidden from entering the assembly of the LORD (Deut 23:3) or from even marrying an Israelite in the first place (Ex 34:16; Deut 7:1-3; Jos 23:12). The former is partially true; the later is completely false.
- The command God gave forbade Moabites from entering the assembly of the LORD for “ten generations” can be understood literally or figuratively. If taken literally, then it is likely that at least that many generations had passed in that time. If taken figuratively (as Neh 13:1 implies) as a metaphor for “forever,” the problem can seem much more difficult. In actuality however, either case would be undone by the fact that Ruth was a devout proselyte of Jehovah (Ruth 1:16-17) and therefore would be like the foreigner of Isaiah 56:1-8 who joined himself to the LORD.
- It is true that the Israelites were commanded not marry any of the people who possessed the Promised Land. However, the Moabites were not in the Promised Land (Deut 7:1). They were outside it.
In terms of moral objections, some fuss has been made over the fact that Boaz and Ruth spent the night together prior to their marriage (Ruth 3:3-18). What these objections fail to deal with is the fact that the uncovering of a man’s feet and laying down is a known ANE custom of requesting a marriage request (Ruth 3:1-4). The subsequent spreading of a cloak (Ruth 3:9) is symbolic of God’s covering Israel (Eze 16:8). The Bible doesn’t record even a hint of impropriety.
LITERARY FEATURES
There is a reason that Goethe reputedly commented on Ruth as “the loveliest, complete work on a small scale.” Simply put, Ruth is a masterpiece of literature.
The ESV Study Bible puts it this way:
In terms of compact storytelling, Ruth is a masterpiece of narrative art. It is densely packed, yet the charm of the book is evident even to the most unsophisticated reader. The book of Ruth is the classic love story of the Bible. Few stories in the Bible are told from a woman’s viewpoint, but in the story of Ruth, not only is a woman the protagonist but the world of the story is a woman’s world, and the writer gives attention to feminine values and feelings. Of course Boaz in his role as kinsman-redeemer cuts a striking figure as a man who embodies the Lord’s own kindness. The story exalts virtuous womanhood and strong manhood.
The overall genre is story or narrative, but several further subtypes converge as well. Ruth is a love story. It is also an idyll, i.e., a brief story describing a simple, pleasant aspect of rural and domestic life. As that definition suggests, Ruth has affinities with pastoral (rural) literature, and in this case the idealized rural world provides a setting for the idealized romance of the book: even though readers know from the first verse that the story is set in tumultuous times, these do not come into view. The story is also a hero story built around the life of an exemplary heroine as well as featuring an idealized male hero. Boaz is a rarity in the Bible, a character who gets a uniformly positive portrayal; most other characters reveal their flaws. But this reflects the literary function of Boaz as the embodiment of the Lord’s kindness.
The plot of the story of Ruth is a quest story in which the stated goal is to find Ruth a home (Ruth 1:9 and 3:1). The plot follows the conventional U-shape of literary “comedy,” with events first descending into potential tragedy and then rising to a happy ending as obstacles to fulfillment are gradually overcome.
OBJECTIONS
In a rather remarkable departure from the usual pattern of these articles, there are no significant objections to the reliability or validity of Ruth (at least, that I am aware of). It has occasionally been challenged as a legitimate historical account (primarily due to the fact that the author is unknown), but it’s complete compatibility with both Judges, 1 Samuel, and 2 Samuel, argue heavily for its authenticity.
Ruth is far more often challenged on the basis of internal issues, which are outlined above in the INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES segment.
NOTABLE QUOTABLES
- Ruth 1:16
DID YOU KNOW?
- The land of a family or clan could not be sold permanently, only temporarily. (Ruth 4:1-3)
- While giving someone your sandal seems a strange way to conduct a legal arrangement (Ruth 4:7), there is historical evidence that other ANE societies had the same practice (see the Akkadian Nuzi documents).
Other Works Referenced
- Apologetics Study Bible, “Ruth Introduction”
- Archaeological Study Bible
- ESV Study Bible, “Introduction to Ruth”
- MacArthur Study Bible, “Ruth”
- NET Bible, Ruth
- NIV Study Bible, “Ruth”
- Reformation Study Bible, “The Book of Ruth”
- Know Your Bible
- Driscoll, A Book You’ll Actually Read On the Old Testament
- Knight, The Layman’s Bible Handbook