What makes Ruth unique?

The book of Ruth is set in the time of the judges, but the book itself probably took shape many centuries later. Most scholars, in fact, believe that Ruth was written during the post-exilic period, after the people of Israel had been allowed to return home from their exile in Babylonia. Two of the leaders in post-exilic Israel -Ezra and Nehemiah- taught the people to be very strict about separating themselves from foreigners. This likely created a climate of suspicion and distrust of anyone who was a non-Jew in post-exilic Israel. The book of Ruth, then, is an excellent example of Israel's post-exilic literature, which challenged traditional ways of thinking about God, God's purposes, and God's chosen people (Israel).

Why was Ruth written?

The story of Ruth was written to show the people of Israel that God's purposes may be fulfilled in unexpected ways, that God works in the lives of anyone who is faithful, and that God's love and goodness is for everyone-not just those who were part of the covenant people of Israel.

These messages seem easy enough for us to comprehend, but for Jews living in the days when scholars believe the book of Ruth was written, these messages were anything but easy to accept! Ruth was not from any of the tribes of Israel: but from Moab, which was situated across the Jordan River, and whose people were a long-time enemy of Israel. Ruth left the security of her own family to live in Israel with her mother-in-law, Naomi, and to take care of this childless widow. Ruth married and eventually had a child of her own-and surprisingly became an ancestor of King David himself.

What's the story behind the scene?

The story of Ruth tells about events that happened during the time of the judges, which was a period of many years before David became king of Israel in 1000 B.C. Many of the Hebrew terms and customs that are mentioned in the story come from this time, but some of the language and laws at work in the book come from as late as 250 B.C. This means that the final version of the story was probably written down centuries after the time when the story took place, in the time scholars refer as the post-exilic period, that is, after the people of Israel had returned from their exile around 539 B.C.

There is an interesting custom behind the story told in Ruth. In the ancient world, when a married man died and left no children, it was the custom for one of his brothers to marry his widow. Any children they had would then be thought of as the children of the dead brother, so that his name could live on (see Deuteronomy 25:5, 6).

How is Ruth constructed?

Ruth is like a short story with interesting characters and a plot that leads to a happy conclusion. It is meant to be read as a story with an important message about God and God's people. The story told in the book unfolds in four scenes, each one corresponding to a chapter.

• Scene One (Chapter 1): Ruth and Naomi leave Moab
• Scene Two (Chapter 2): In Israel, Ruth meets Boaz
• Scene Three (Chapter 3): Boaz accepts Ruth
• Scene Four (Chapter 4): Ruth and Boaz marry