Ruth
Ruth (daughter-in-law of Naomi)
Ruth is the Moabite daughter-in-law of Naomi. After the deaths of her husband and father-in-law, she chooses to stay with Naomi and return to Bethlehem. There, she gleans in the fields of Boaz, who later marries her. Ruth is the great-grandmother of King David and an ancestor of Jesus Christ. Her story is one of loyalty, faith, and divine providence as well as Gentile inclusion in the lineage of the Messiah.
Associations
- Associated with Yahweh (Ruth 1:16), field (Ruth 2:3), bread (Ruth 2:14), wine vinegar (Ruth 2:14), grain (Ruth 2:14), barley (Ruth 2:17), wheat (Ruth 2:23), feet (Ruth 3:14, Ruth 3:7, 2), wing (Ruth 2:1, 3), worthy woman (Ruth 3:11), Rachel (Ruth 4:11), Leah (Ruth 4:11), Israelite (Ruth 4:11), Perez (Ruth 4:12), Ephrathah (Ruth 4:11), Bethlehem (Ruth 4:11), Tamar (Ruth 4:12), Judah (Ruth 4:12), Moabite (Ruth 1:4)
- Child of Naomi (Ruth 1:2)
- Example of leaving family (Ruth 2:11), humility (Ruth 2:13)
- Married to Kilion (Ruth 1:4, 1), Boaz (Matthew 1:5, Ruth 4:13)
- Member of Moabite (Ruth 1:4)
- Parent of Obed (Ruth 4:13, Ruth 4:17, 4)
- Related to Elimelech's Redeemer (Ruth 3:12)
- Resident of Bethlehem (Ruth 1:19)
- Role as foreigner (Ruth 2:10)
Family
graph TD;
style person/ruth fill:#2fa4e7,stroke:#333,stroke-width:4px;
person/obed(["Obed"])
person/boaz(["Boaz"])
person/ruth(["Ruth"])
person/salmon(["Salmon"])
person/jesse(["Jesse"])
person/kilion(["Kilion"])
person/rahab(["Rahab"])
person/mahlon(["Mahlon"])
person/elimelech(["Elimelech"])
person/naomi(["Naomi"])
person/elimelechs_redeemer(["Elimelech's Redeemer"])
click person/obed "../../person/obed/"
click person/boaz "../../person/boaz/"
click person/ruth "../../person/ruth/"
click person/salmon "../../person/salmon/"
click person/jesse "../../person/jesse/"
click person/kilion "../../person/kilion/"
click person/rahab "../../person/rahab/"
click person/mahlon "../../person/mahlon/"
click person/elimelech "../../person/elimelech/"
click person/naomi "../../person/naomi/"
click person/elimelechs_redeemer "../../person/elimelechs_redeemer/"
person/boaz -->|parent of| person/obed
person/naomi <-->|married to| person/elimelech
person/naomi -->|parent of| person/ruth
person/salmon -->|parent of| person/boaz
person/elimelech -->|related to| person/boaz
person/ruth -->|parent of| person/obed
person/rahab -->|parent of| person/boaz
person/elimelech -->|parent of| person/kilion
person/ruth <-->|married to| person/kilion
person/naomi -->|parent of| person/obed
person/ruth -->|related to| person/elimelechs_redeemer
person/boaz <-->|married to| person/ruth
person/naomi -->|related to| person/elimelechs_redeemer
person/naomi -->|parent of| person/kilion
person/elimelech -->|related to| person/elimelechs_redeemer
person/obed -->|parent of| person/jesse
person/naomi -->|parent of| person/mahlon
Social / political
graph TD;
style person/ruth fill:#2fa4e7,stroke:#333,stroke-width:4px;
person/orpah(["Orpah"])
person/ruth(["Ruth"])
group/moabite(["Moabite"])
click person/orpah "../../person/orpah/"
click person/ruth "../../person/ruth/"
click group/moabite "../../group/moabite/"
person/ruth -->|member of| group/moabite
person/orpah -->|member of| group/moabite
Geographic
graph TD;
style person/ruth fill:#2fa4e7,stroke:#333,stroke-width:4px;
person/boaz(["Boaz"])
person/ruth(["Ruth"])
place/bethlehem(["Bethlehem"])
person/elimelech(["Elimelech"])
person/naomi(["Naomi"])
click person/boaz "../../person/boaz/"
click person/ruth "../../person/ruth/"
click place/bethlehem "../../place/bethlehem/"
click person/elimelech "../../person/elimelech/"
click person/naomi "../../person/naomi/"
person/boaz .->|visited| place/bethlehem
person/boaz -->|resident of| place/bethlehem
person/naomi -->|resident of| place/bethlehem
person/ruth -->|resident of| place/bethlehem
person/elimelech -->|resident of| place/bethlehem
Vocational / functional
graph TD;
style person/ruth fill:#2fa4e7,stroke:#333,stroke-width:4px;
role/foreigner(["foreigner"])
person/ruth(["Ruth"])
click role/foreigner "../../role/foreigner/"
click person/ruth "../../person/ruth/"
person/ruth -->|role as| role/foreigner
Textual / symbolic
graph TD;
style person/ruth fill:#2fa4e7,stroke:#333,stroke-width:4px;
person/ruth(["Ruth"])
person/rachel(["Rachel"])
place/bethlehem(["Bethlehem"])
person/elimelech(["Elimelech"])
person/orpah(["Orpah"])
object/barley(["barley"])
place/ephrathah(["Ephrathah"])
object/bread(["bread"])
group/moabite(["Moabite"])
person/naomi(["Naomi"])
role/worthy_woman(["worthy woman"])
theme/humility(["humility"])
object/wine_vinegar(["wine vinegar"])
person/judah(["Judah"])
animal/bird(["bird"])
person/boaz(["Boaz"])
object/wheat(["wheat"])
being/el-roi(["El Roi"])
theme/leaving_family(["leaving family"])
place/moab(["Moab"])
object/wing(["wing"])
person/tamar(["Tamar"])
group/israelite(["Israelite"])
object/feet(["feet"])
object/grain(["grain"])
being/el-shaddai(["El Shaddai"])
being/yahweh(["Yahweh"])
being/shaddai(["Shaddai"])
person/leah(["Leah"])
person/perez(["Perez"])
object/field(["field"])
being/god(["God"])
click person/ruth "../../person/ruth/"
click person/rachel "../../person/rachel/"
click place/bethlehem "../../place/bethlehem/"
click person/elimelech "../../person/elimelech/"
click person/orpah "../../person/orpah/"
click object/barley "../../object/barley/"
click place/ephrathah "../../place/ephrathah/"
click object/bread "../../object/bread/"
click group/moabite "../../group/moabite/"
click person/naomi "../../person/naomi/"
click role/worthy_woman "../../role/worthy_woman/"
click theme/humility "../../theme/humility/"
click object/wine_vinegar "../../object/wine_vinegar/"
click person/judah "../../person/judah/"
click animal/bird "../../animal/bird/"
click person/boaz "../../person/boaz/"
click object/wheat "../../object/wheat/"
click being/el-roi "../../being/el-roi/"
click theme/leaving_family "../../theme/leaving_family/"
click place/moab "../../place/moab/"
click object/wing "../../object/wing/"
click person/tamar "../../person/tamar/"
click group/israelite "../../group/israelite/"
click object/feet "../../object/feet/"
click object/grain "../../object/grain/"
click being/el-shaddai "../../being/el-shaddai/"
click being/yahweh "../../being/yahweh/"
click being/shaddai "../../being/shaddai/"
click person/leah "../../person/leah/"
click person/perez "../../person/perez/"
click object/field "../../object/field/"
click being/god "../../being/god/"
place/ephrathah <-->|name matches| place/bethlehem
place/bethlehem .->|associated with| person/naomi
person/ruth <.->|associated with| object/barley
person/ruth <.->|associated with| person/tamar
object/field <.->|associated with| person/ruth
person/ruth <.->|associated with| person/leah
object/field <.->|associated with| person/boaz
object/wing <.->|associated with| person/boaz
animal/bird .->|associated with| object/wing
person/ruth <.->|associated with| group/moabite
group/moabite .->|associated with| person/orpah
person/ruth <.->|associated with| object/wheat
role/worthy_woman <.->|associated with| person/ruth
being/yahweh <-->|name matches| being/shaddai
place/bethlehem <.->|associated with| person/ruth
person/ruth <.->|associated with| object/grain
place/moab <-->|name matches| group/moabite
person/ruth <.->|associated with| person/rachel
object/bread <.->|associated with| person/ruth
person/ruth <.->|associated with| group/israelite
person/ruth -->|example of| theme/humility
being/el-roi <-->|name matches| being/yahweh
person/ruth <.->|associated with| object/wine_vinegar
person/judah <.->|associated with| person/ruth
place/bethlehem .->|associated with| person/boaz
place/ephrathah <.->|associated with| person/ruth
person/ruth <.->|associated with| object/wing
being/yahweh <.->|associated with| person/ruth
person/ruth <.->|associated with| person/perez
being/yahweh <-->|name matches| being/el-shaddai
person/ruth -->|example of| theme/leaving_family
being/yahweh <-->|name matches| being/god
object/feet <.->|associated with| person/ruth
place/bethlehem .->|associated with| person/elimelech
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10 years of marriage without children may indicate infertility for both Orpah and Ruth (Robert Whiting, 2025). ↩
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"Opening the feet" is a euphemism for sexual relations. It is unclear what exactly Ruth did, but it was likely more than just uncovering his feet while he slept (Robert Whiting, 2025). ↩
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Boaz says in 2:1 "May Yahweh reward your work and may a full reward be given to you from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you came to take refuge" and in 3:9, Ruth asks him to "Spread your wing over your servant because you are a redeemer." This is likely an allusion to Ruth taking refuge under the wings of God, and Boaz is being asked to symbolically do the same by spreading his "wing" (sometimes translated garment) over her. This is a culturally significant gesture indicating protection and care, akin to the way God protects His people (Robert Whiting, 2025). ↩
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"Yahweh enabled her to conceive" indicates that Ruth had difficulty conceiving and Yahweh overcame said difficulties (Robert Whiting, 2025). ↩