Ruth, Book of

The Book of Ruth, set 'in the days when the judges ruled' (Ruth 1:1), narrates the story of Ruth, a Moabite widow who follows her Jewish mother-in-law Naomi from Moab to Bethlehem after the deaths of both their husbands. Ruth's declaration of loyalty — 'Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God' (1:16) — is among the most celebrated expressions of covenant faithfulness (hesed) in Scripture, spoken by a Gentile woman who embraced Israel's God of her own choosing.

The book's plot turns on the institution of the go'el (kinsman-redeemer), as the wealthy Boaz exercises his right and obligation to redeem Naomi's ancestral land and marry Ruth under the levirate custom, after a closer kinsman declines (Ruth 4:1-10). Ruth's faithfulness to Naomi and Boaz's hesed toward both women become models of covenant loyalty that mirrors God's own faithfulness to Israel. The book concludes with the birth of Obed, grandfather of David (4:17-22), placing this Gentile woman within the royal Davidic lineage. Matthew's genealogy of Jesus includes Ruth among four women cited (Matt. 1:5), each representing God's grace working through unexpected and non-Israelite channels. The book is read at Pentecost in Jewish liturgical practice.