Ruth
About this date: Dates are broad scholarly estimates of composition or final editing, not dates of the events narrated. Traditional attributions and scholarly assessments can differ.
Ruth tells a compact story of migration, bereavement, loyal care, and restored belonging. A Moabite widow becomes part of David's ancestry through ordinary acts of provision and a publicly negotiated family obligation.
Historical context
The story is set in the days of the judges; that setting does not date its composition. Its harvest and redemption customs should be read within the narrative rather than treated as a complete legal handbook.
Key points
- Ruth's loyalty involves movement into an unfamiliar people and a precarious economic position.
- Gleaning connects the story with Israel's provision for poor people and foreigners.
- The genealogy reaches David; Matthew later explicitly names Ruth in Jesus' ancestry.
Scripture
- Ruth 1:1-22 — Bereavement, return, and Ruth's commitment establish the household's vulnerability.
- Ruth 2:1-23 — The field scene makes care for the outsider concrete.
- Ruth 4:1-22 — Public redemption, birth, and genealogy connect family restoration with David.
- Matthew 1:1-6 — Matthew includes Ruth in the genealogy; this is explicit narrative reception, not a claim that Ruth itself predicts every later event.
Sources and further reading
- Anglican Thirty-Nine Articles: canonical books and Apocrypha
- Catholic Catechism §120: canon and book list
- Orthodox Church in America: canon of Scripture
- Orthodox Church in America: Old Testament historical books
- Ruth: complete public-domain WEB text
- USCCB Bible introductions: historical and literary notes