![Hayez A woman as Ruth](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Hayez_A_woman_as_Ruth.jpg)
Ruth (; ) is the person after whom the
Book of Ruth is named. She was a
Moabite woman who married an Israelite. After the death of all the male members of her family (her husband, her father-in-law, and her brother-in-law), she stays with her mother-in-law,
Naomi
Naomi or Naomie may refer to:
People and biblical figures
* Naomi (given name), a female given name and a list of people with the name
* Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth
* Naomi (Romanian singer) (bor ...
, and moves to Judah with her, where Ruth wins the love and protection of a wealthy relative,
Boaz
Boaz (; Hebrew: בֹּעַז ''Bōʿaz''; ) is a biblical figure appearing in the Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible and in the genealogies of Jesus in the New Testament and also the name of a pillar in the portico of the historic Temple in J ...
, through her kindness.
She is one of five women mentioned in the
genealogy of Jesus
The New Testament provides two accounts of the genealogy of Jesus, one in the Gospel of Matthew and another in the Gospel of Luke. Matthew starts with Abraham, while Luke begins with Adam. The lists are identical between Abraham and David, but ...
found in the
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and form ...
, alongside
Tamar,
Rahab
Rahab (; Arabic: راحاب, a vast space of a land) was, according to the Book of Joshua, a woman who lived in Jericho in the Promised Land and assisted the Israelites in capturing the city by hiding two men who had been sent to scout the city ...
, the "wife of
Uriah" (
Bathsheba), and
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
.
Book of Ruth
![Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld- Ruth im Feld des Boaz](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Julius_Schnorr_von_Carolsfeld-_Ruth_im_Feld_des_Boaz.jpg)
In the days when the
judges were leading the
tribes of Israel
The Twelve Tribes of Israel ( he, שִׁבְטֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל, translit=Šīḇṭēy Yīsrāʾēl, lit=Tribes of Israel) are, according to Hebrew scriptures, the descendants of the biblical patriarch Jacob, also known as Israel, thro ...
, there was a famine. Because of this crisis,
Elimelech, a man from
Bethlehem
Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...
in Judah, moved to
Moab with his wife,
Naomi
Naomi or Naomie may refer to:
People and biblical figures
* Naomi (given name), a female given name and a list of people with the name
* Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth
* Naomi (Romanian singer) (bor ...
, and his two sons,
Mahlon and Chilion
Mahlon ( ''Maḥlōn'') and Chilion (כִּלְיוֹן ''Ḵilyōn'') were two brothers mentioned in the Book of Ruth. They were the sons of Elimelech of the tribe of Judah and his wife Naomi. Together with their parents, they settled in the land ...
. There Elimelech died, and the two sons married Moabite women,
Orpah
Orpah ( he, עָרְפָּה ''ʿOrpā'', meaning "neck" or "fawn") is a woman mentioned in the Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible. She was from Moab and was the daughter-in-law of Naomi and wife of Chilion. After the death of her husband, Orpah a ...
and Ruth. They lived for about ten years in Moab, before Mahlon and Chilion died, too.
Naomi heard that the famine in Judah had passed and decided to return home. She told her daughters-in-law to return to their mothers' houses and marry again. At first, both Orpah and Ruth refused to leave her, but Naomi told them that she was unlikely to have more sons that Orpah and Ruth could
marry
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
. They all wept, and Orpah decided to leave Naomi and return to her people. Naomi tried again to send Ruth back, too, but she told her that "(...) where you go I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried." (
ESV)
Eventually, Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of
barley
Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley p ...
harvest. There lived a relative of Elimelech, Boaz, and Ruth decided to go to his field and
glean after his
reapers. When Boaz arrived at the field, he asked who the young woman was, and then told Ruth to not go to anyone else's field, but keep gleaning there, and told her that if she was thirsty, she could always drink from the vessels of the reapers. When Ruth asked him why he was so good to a foreigner, Boaz told her that he had heard how loyal she was to Naomi. At mealtime, Boaz invited Ruth to eat with him, and then instructed his reapers to not reproach or rebuke her, and even pull out some barley from their bundles and leave it for her to glean. Ruth gleaned at the fields of Boaz throughout the barley and wheat harvests.
When the harvest ended, and Boaz was
winnowing
Winnowing is a process by which chaff is separated from grain. It can also be used to remove pests from stored grain. Winnowing usually follows threshing in grain preparation. In its simplest form, it involves throwing the mixture into the ...
barley at night at the
threshing floor
Threshing (thrashing) was originally "to tramp or stamp heavily with the feet" and was later applied to the act of separating out grain by the feet of people or oxen and still later with the use of a flail. A threshing floor is of two main type ...
, Naomi advised Ruth to wash and anoint herself, go to the threshing floor, and when Boaz had lain down to sleep, uncover his feet and lie down there. Ruth did as she said. At midnight, Boaz woke up, and Ruth asked him to protect her, as he was her husband's
goel
''Goel'' (Hebrew: גואל, lit. "redeemer"), in the Hebrew Bible and the rabbinical tradition, is a person who, as the nearest relative of someone, is charged with the duty of restoring that person's rights and avenging wrongs done to him or h ...
, closest relative tasked with protecting his rights. Boaz said that he would like to do so, but Ruth had an even closer relative than him.
In the morning, Boaz went and sat down by the gates of the town, then talked to the relative when he arrived. He told him that Naomi was selling Elimelech's land. The man said that he would redeem it. Boaz told him that with the land, he would also acquire Ruth, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance in a
levirate marriage and the man refused to do this, fearing that it would impair his own inheritance. Boaz then bought the land and Ruth. Ruth became Boaz's wife, and bore him a son,
Obed, who became the father of
Jesse
Jesse may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible.
* Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Jesse (surname), a list of people
Music
* ''Jesse'' ( ...
, the father of
King David.
Religious interpretations
Jewish perspectives
![RembrandtBoasRuth](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/RembrandtBoasRuth.jpg)
Boaz of Judah blessed Ruth for her extraordinary kindness both to Naomi of Judah and to the Judean People (Ruth 3:10). "And he
oazsaid, 'May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter; your latest act of kindness is greater than the first, not to follow the young men, whether poor or rich.'" Commentary of Rashi () regarding the first act of kindness: "that you did with your mother-in-law".
Ruth's kindness as noted in the Book of Ruth by Boaz is seen in the Jewish Tradition as in rare contradistinction to the peoples of Moab (where Ruth comes from) and Amon in general, who were noted by the Torah for their distinct ''lack'' of kindness. Deut. 23:5: "Because they
he peoples of Amon and Moab
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
did not greet you with bread and water on the way when you left Egypt, and because he
he people of Moab
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
hired Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim against you, to curse you." Rashi notes regarding Israel's travels on the way: "when you were in
state ofextreme exhaustion."
According to the
Ruth Rabbah
Ruth Rabbah (Hebrew: רות רבה) is an haggadic and homiletic interpretation of the Book of Ruth. Like the midrash on the four other "megillot", it is included in the Midrash Rabbot.
Structure and origin
This midrash is divided into eight chapt ...
, Ruth was Orpah's sister and the two were daughters of
Eglon, the king of Moab; according to the same text, Eglon was the son of
Balak.
Tamar Meir of the
Jewish Women's Archive writes that Ruth and David being descended from these two men is seen as a "reward" for them.
[ For Balak, it is his reward for building altars and for Eglon, it is his reward for "arising upon hearing the name of God from Ehud son of Gera".][ The same text says Ruth did not convert during her marriage to Mahlon, contradicting other rabbinic literature, which says Ruth formally converted to Judaism for the sake of marrying Mahlon but did not fully accept the faith until later.][
]Josephus
Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for '' The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly ...
viewed the Book of Ruth as historical and referenced it in his '' Antiquities of the Jews''. Yitzhak Berger suggests Naomi's plan was that Ruth seduce Boaz, just as Tamar and Lot's daughters
The daughters of the biblical patriarch Lot appear in chapter 19 of the Book of Genesis, in two connected stories. In the first, Lot offers his daughters to a Sodomite mob; in the second, his daughters have sex with Lot without his knowledge to b ...
all seduced "an older family member in order to become the mother of his offspring". At the crucial moment, however, "Ruth abandons the attempt at seduction and instead requests a permanent, ''legal'' union with Boaz."
Christian perspectives
Ruth is one of five women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus
The New Testament provides two accounts of the genealogy of Jesus, one in the Gospel of Matthew and another in the Gospel of Luke. Matthew starts with Abraham, while Luke begins with Adam. The lists are identical between Abraham and David, but ...
found in the Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and form ...
, alongside Tamar, Rahab
Rahab (; Arabic: راحاب, a vast space of a land) was, according to the Book of Joshua, a woman who lived in Jericho in the Promised Land and assisted the Israelites in capturing the city by hiding two men who had been sent to scout the city ...
, the "wife of Uriah" ( Bathsheba), and Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
.[ Katharine Doob Sakenfeld argues that Ruth is a model of loving-kindness ('']hesed
( he, חֶסֶד, also Romanized: ) is a Hebrew word that means 'kindness or love between people', specifically of the devotional piety of people towards God as well as of love or mercy of God towards humanity. It is frequently used in Psalms i ...
''): she acts in ways that promote the well-being of others.[Katherine D. Sakenfeld, ''Ruth'' (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1999), 11–12.] In , she demonstrated ''hesed'' by not going back to Moab but accompanying her mother-in-law to a foreign land.[ She chose to glean, despite the danger she faced in the field () and the lower social status of the job. Finally, Ruth agrees with Naomi's plan to marry Boaz, even though she was free of family obligations, once again demonstrating her loyalty and obedience ().][
Barry Webb argues that in the book, Ruth plays a key role in Naomi's rehabilitation.
Ruth is commemorated as a matriarch in the ]Calendar of Saints
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod on 16 July.
Tomb of Ruth
The traditional burial place of Ruth is a building located in Hebron
Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after Eas ...
. Francesco Quaresmi
Francisco Quaresmio or Quaresmi (4 April 1583 – 25 October 1650), better known by his Latin name Franciscus Quaresmius, was an Italian writer and Orientalist.
Life
Quaresmius was born at Lodi. His father was the nobleman Alberto Quares ...
in the early 17th century reported that Turks and Orientals generally believed the structure contained the tombs of Jesse and Ruth.Franciscus Quaresmius
Francisco Quaresmio or Quaresmi (4 April 1583 – 25 October 1650), better known by his Latin name Franciscus Quaresmius, was an Italian writer and Orientalist.
Life
Quaresmius was born at Lodi. His father was the nobleman Alberto Quare ...
''Historica theologica et moralis Terrae Sanctae''
1639, vol 2 p.782. According to Moshe Sharon
Moshe Sharon ( he, משה שָׁרוֹן; born December 18, 1937) is an Israeli historian of Islam.
He is currently Professor Emeritus of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he serves as Chair in Bahá ...
, the association of the site with Ruth is very late, starting in the 19th century.Moshe Sharon
Moshe Sharon ( he, משה שָׁרוֹן; born December 18, 1937) is an Israeli historian of Islam.
He is currently Professor Emeritus of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he serves as Chair in Bahá ...
''Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, '' Vol 5, H-I BRILL, 2013 pp. 45–52.
/ref> It receives numerous visitors every year, especially on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, when the Book of Ruth is read. Haim Horwitz in his 1835 book on Israeli holy sites ''Love of Jerusalem'' discusses the oral tradition that the tomb houses Ruth's grave as well as Jesse's, who is mentioned in earlier writings. Menachem Mendel of Kamenitz wrote in 1839, "Also in the vineyard was a shelter with two graves: one of Jesse, father of David, and one of Ruth, the Moabite."
Cultural influence
Ruth is one of the Five Heroines of the Order of the Eastern Star
The Order of the Eastern Star is a Masonic appendant body open to both men and women. It was established in by lawyer and educator Rob Morris, a noted Freemason, and adopted and approved as an appendant body of the Masonic Fraternity in 187 ...
.
Ruth was played by Elana Eden
Elana Eden ( he, אילנה עדן; born Elana Lani Cooper, 1 May 1940) is an Israeli actress of film, television, and stage, best known for her film debut as the title role in 20th Century Fox's biblical epic '' The Story of Ruth'' (1960).
Early ...
in Henry Koster
Henry Koster (born Hermann Kosterlitz, May 1, 1905 – September 21, 1988) was a German-born film director. He was the husband of actress Peggy Moran.
Early life
Koster was born to Jewish parents in Berlin, Germany. He was introduced to ci ...
's ''The Story of Ruth
''The Story of Ruth'' is a 1960 American historical romance film directed by Henry Koster, shot in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color, and released by 20th Century Fox. The screenplay, written by Norman Corwin, is an adaptation of the biblical Book o ...
'' (1960); the film depicts Ruth as a pagan priestess prior to her religious conversion. Sherry Morris portrayed her in '' The Book of Ruth: Journey of Faith'' (2009).
In English literature, John Keats in "Ode to a Nightingale
"Ode to a Nightingale" is a poem by John Keats written either in the garden of the Spaniards Inn, Hampstead, London or, according to Keats' friend Charles Armitage Brown, under a plum tree in the garden of Keats' house at Wentworth Place, also ...
" references Ruth as isolated and grief-stricken when laboring in exile: "Perhaps the self-same song that found a path/Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,/She stood in tears amid the alien corn;"
Genealogy: the descent of David from Ruth
See also
*List of artifacts significant to the Bible
The following is a list of inscribed artifacts, items made or given shape by humans, that are significant to biblical archaeology.
Selected artifacts significant to biblical chronology
These table lists inscriptions which are of particular sign ...
*List of mausolea
This is a list of mausolea around the world.
Afghanistan
File:Massoud Tomb.jpg, Ahmed Shah Masood, Panjshir
File:Tomb of former King Zahir Shah - panoramio.jpg, Mausoleum of Mohammad Zaher Shah (Hill of Teppe Maranjan) in Kabul
File:Baba Sa ...
*Lives of the Prophets
The ''Lives of the Prophets'' is an ancient apocryphal account of the lives of the prophets of the Old Testament. It is not regarded as scripture by any Jewish or Christian denomination. The work may have been known by the author of some of the P ...
*Ohel (grave)
Ohel ( he, אוהל; plural: , literally, "tent") is a structure built around a Jewish grave as a sign of prominence of the deceased. cover the graves of some (but not all) Hasidic Rebbes, important rabbis, tzadikim, prominent Jewish community l ...
Further reading
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruth
Book of Ruth
Christian female saints from the Old Testament
Converts to Judaism from paganism
People celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendar
People from Bethlehem
Women in the Hebrew Bible
Moab
Gospel of Matthew