Ruth
About this date: This figure belongs to a broad pre-monarchic or early-monarchic narrative setting, not a securely dated point supplied by this graph.
Moabite woman whose loyalty leads to David's ancestry.
Historical context
Judges, Ruth, and early First Samuel portray leadership before the monarchy. The stories include deliverance and fidelity alongside violence, failed vows, contested power, and social disorder; inclusion is not moral approval.
Key points
- Moabite woman whose loyalty leads to David's ancestry.
- Primary reading: Ruth 1–4. Read the complete passage in its literary context.
- These narratives often expose moral disorder as well as recount deliverance; a character's prominence is not automatic endorsement.
Scripture
- Ruth 1–4 — Principal biblical passage cluster for Ruth; check the summary against the complete text.
Primary sources
Ruth says to Naomi:
Ruth's own pledge to Naomi is the narrative's clearest evidence of the loyalty summarized here.
where you go, I will go; and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people
Passage context and translation
Ruth answers Naomi's request that she return to Moab. Her speech binds her future to Naomi, Naomi's people, and Naomi's God.
Before the excerpt
Don't urge me to leave you, and to return from following you, for
After the excerpt
and your God my God
Sources and further reading
- USCCB introduction to Ruth
Literary and historical introduction; not independent verification of every narrated event.