Who was Ruth in the Bible?
Quick answer
Ruth was a Moabite widow whose loyalty to her mother-in-law Naomi brought her into the family — and the royal line — of Israel, making her a great-grandmother of King David.
After her husband died, Ruth refused to leave the widowed Naomi, pledging, “Where you go I will go… your people will be my people, and your God my God.”
Gleaning to feed them both, she met Boaz, a kinsman who showed her kindness and, as a kinsman-redeemer, married her.
Their son Obed became the grandfather of David — placing this faithful outsider in the ancestry of David and of Jesus, a picture of grace reaching beyond Israel.
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Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.