Old Testament · The Judges
Ruth
Who was Ruth?
Ruth was a Moabite widow whose loyalty to her mother-in-law Naomi led her into the family — and the royal line — of Israel.
RoleMoabite woman, ancestor of King David
EraThe Judges
OriginMoab
Mother-in-lawNaomi
HusbandBoaz
LegacyGreat-grandmother of David
After her husband died, Ruth refused to leave her widowed mother-in-law Naomi, pledging, “Where you go I will go… your people will be my people, and your God my God.” She left Moab for Bethlehem.
Gleaning in the fields 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 King David, placing this faithful outsider in the ancestry of David and of Jesus.
Key verses BSB · Public Domain (CC0)
Ruth 1:16 “But Ruth replied: “Do not urge me to leave you or to turn from following you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” Ruth 4:13 “So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And when he had relations with her, the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.”
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Original BibleDawn profile. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy. Scripture quoted from the public-domain Berean Standard Bible.