Historical narrative · 4 chapters
Ruth
Loyal love, ordinary faithfulness, and family redemption lead toward the line of David. God’s providence works through generosity toward the vulnerable outsider.
Historical & literary context
Author unnamed. Set in the time of the judges, it follows a Moabite widow and an Israelite family in Bethlehem.
Introduction and study notes are commentary, not Scripture.
The shape of the book
- 1 · Loss and return
- 2–3 · Provision and a request for redemption
- 4 · Redemption and David’s ancestry
A passage to begin with
Ruth 1:16-17
16But 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. 17Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
Berean Standard Bible · Public domain
Read the full chapterThink it through
What does costly loyalty look like when there is no guarantee of reward?