Ruth

the faithful Moabite

Who was Ruth?

She was a Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, Naomi’s son. When Naomi returned to Bethlehem, Ruth went with her. Ruth 1:4-5, 16; Ruth 4:10
She gleaned grain in Boaz’s field and brought it to her mother-in-law. Ruth 2:3, 17-18
She married Boaz and was the great-grandmother of King David. Matthew names her in the genealogy of Jesus. Ruth 4:13, 17; Matthew 1:5

Also called: Ruth the Moabite Ruth 2:2
From: Moab: she was a Moabite Ruth 1:4; Ruth 2:6
Occupation: Gleaner: she picked up the ears of grain the reapers left behind Ruth 2:2-3

What the Bible says

Ruth 1:4-5, 16; Ruth 4:10

⁴And they took wives of the women of Moab, of which one was called Orpha, and the other Ruth. And they dwelt there ten years. ⁵And they both died, to wit, Mahalon and Chelion: and the woman was left alone, having lost both her sons and her husband. ¹⁶She answered: Be not against me, to desire that I should leave thee and depart: for whithersoever thou shalt go, I will go: and where thou shalt dwell, I also will dwell. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.

Ruth 2:3, 17-18

³She went therefore and gleaned the ears of corn after the reapers. And it happened that the owner of that field was Booz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech. ¹⁷She gleaned therefore in the field till evening: and beating out with a rod and threshing what she had gleaned, she found about the measure of an ephi of barley, that is, three bushels: ¹⁸Which she took up and returned into the city, and shewed it to her mother in law: moreover she brought out, and gave her of the remains of her meat, wherewith she had been filled.

Ruth 4:13, 17; Matthew 1:5

¹³Booz therefore took Ruth, and married her: and went in unto her, and the Lord gave her to conceive and to bear a son. ¹⁷And the women her neighbours, congratulating with her and saying: There is a son born to Noemi: called his name Obed: he is the father of Isai, the father of David.

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

The path of Ruth

Before Jesus. In Moab she married Mahlon, the son of Naomi. About ten years later, Mahlon died. Ruth 1:4-5; Ruth 4:10
With Jesus. Naomi asked her two daughters-in-law to go back to their mothers’ homes. Orpah said goodbye; Ruth stayed with her. Ruth 1:8, 14
With Jesus. Ruth told Naomi that she would go wherever Naomi went, and that Naomi’s God would be her God. Ruth 1:16
With Jesus. They arrived in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. Ruth 1:22
With Jesus. She went to glean and came to the field of Boaz, a relative of Elimelech. Ruth 2:3
With Jesus. On Naomi’s advice, she went one night to the threshing floor where Boaz was winnowing barley. She asked Boaz to spread his cloak over her. Ruth 3:3-9
Afterward. Boaz married her. They had a son, Obed, who was the grandfather of David. Ruth 4:13, 17

Words of Ruth

“Be not against me, to desire that I should leave thee and depart: for whithersoever thou shalt go, I will go: and where thou shalt dwell, I also will dwell. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.” Ruth 1:16

When Naomi asked her to go back to her own people, as Orpah had done.

“Whence cometh this to me, that I should find grace before thy eyes, and that thou shouldst vouchsafe to take notice of me a woman of another country?” Ruth 2:10

When Boaz told her to stay and glean in his field.

“I am Ruth thy handmaid: spread thy coverlet over thy servant, for thou art a near kinsman.” Ruth 3:9

On the threshing floor, at midnight, when Boaz asked her who she was.

What they were like

Faithful: she stayed with her mother-in-law when both of them were widows. Ruth 1:16-17
Hardworking: she gleaned from the morning on, almost without resting. Ruth 2:7
Boaz told her that all of Bethlehem knew she was a woman of virtue. Ruth 3:11

The greatest thing they did

She left her land and her gods to follow the God of Naomi. Ruth 1:15-16
The women of Bethlehem told Naomi that Ruth was worth more to her than seven sons. Ruth 4:15

Not to be confused with

Orpah was Naomi’s other daughter-in-law, also a Moabite. Orpah went back to her people; Ruth stayed with Naomi. Ruth 1:4, 14-15
According to Matthew, Rahab was the mother of Boaz; Ruth was his wife. Both are in the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew 1:5

In the Church today

In art, recognized by: Ears of barley From Rut 2, 2-3.17; this is how Christian art shows her

What people ask

Was Ruth an Israelite?

No. She was a Moabite, from a neighboring people. That is why she told Boaz she was a foreigner. Ruth 1:4; Ruth 2:10

What does it mean that Ruth “gleaned”?

She picked up the ears of grain the reapers left behind. The Law of Moses left that for the poor, widows and foreigners. Ruth 2:2; Leviticus 19:9-10; Deuteronomy 24:19

Why did Ruth go to the threshing floor at night?

Naomi advised her to. Ruth asked Boaz to spread his cloak over her. A NAB note explains that this was how she asked him to protect her by marrying her. Ruth 3:1-9; NAB note on Rut 3, 9

When did Ruth live?

In the time of the judges, before Israel had a king. Ruth 1:1

Is Ruth an ancestor of Jesus?

Yes. Matthew names her in the genealogy of Jesus: she was the mother of Obed, the grandfather of David. Matthew 1:5; Ruth 4:17

Daily life She walked behind the reapers, picking up the ears of grain that were left. Ruth 2:3 In the evening she beat out the ears to get the grain.…

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Who Ruth is connected to

Naomi · mother-in-law and daughter-in-law
Boaz · husband and wife
David · great-grandmother
Jesus · ancestor of Jesus

More people

All the people of the Bible · The Twelve Apostles · Women of the Bible

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