Ruth (biblical figure)
Ruth | |
|---|---|
Ruth by Francesco Hayez, 1835 | |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | Obed |
Ruth (/ruːθ/; Hebrew: רוּת, Modern: Rūt, Tiberian: Rūṯ) is the person after whom the Book of Ruth is named. She was a Moabite woman who married an Israelite, Mahlon. After the death of all the male members of her family (her husband, her father-in-law, and her brother-in-law), she stayed with her mother-in-law, Naomi, and moved to Judah with her, where Ruth won the love and protection of a wealthy relative, Boaz, through her kindness.[1] She is the great-grandmother of David.
She is one of five women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus found in the Gospel of Matthew, alongside Tamar, Rahab, the "wife of Uriah" (Bathsheba), and Mary.[2]
The story of Ruth as told in the Book of Ruth was likely written in Hebrew during the Persian period (550–330 BCE).[3][4] Scholars generally consider the book to be a work of historical fiction,[5][6] while other scholars, including evangelical scholars, hold that it is a historical narrative written in the form of a short story.[7]
- ^ Barton, George A. (1936). "Ruth, Book of". Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Co.
- ^ Weren, Wim J. C. (1997). "The Five Women in Matthew's Genealogy". The Catholic Biblical Quarterly. 59 (2): 288–305. JSTOR 43722942.
- ^ Grabbe, Lester L. (2004). The History of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period, Volume 1: Yehud, the Persian Province of Judah. Continuum. p. 105. ISBN 9780567089984.
- ^ Schipper, Jeremy (2016). Ruth: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. Yale University Press. p. 22. ISBN 9780300192155.
- ^ Trible, Phyllis. "Ruth: Bible". The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
…probably a piece of historical fiction set in the time of the judges.
- ^ Koosed, Jennifer L. "Ruth as a Fairy Tale". Bible Odyssey. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
- ^ Lau, Peter H. W. (2023). The Book of Ruth. New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-4674-6577-9.