Overview
Ruth records how, in the period of the judges, Ruth the Moabite accompanied her mother-in-law Naomi to Bethlehem and came to belong to the people of YHWH. Through the marriage of Ruth to Boaz, the kinsman-redeemer, the household of Naomi is restored. The book closes with a genealogy in which Ruth becomes the great-grandmother of David.
Theme Restoration through covenant loyalty (hesed) and redemption, and the providence of God leading to the house of David
Historical background
The events of Ruth are set in the period of the judges, with Bethlehem and Moab as the principal locations. Institutions prescribed in the Torah, such as gleaning, redemption of property, and levirate marriage (Leviticus 19, 25; Deuteronomy 25), form the background of the narrative. In the Hebrew Bible it belongs to the Five Scrolls and is traditionally read at the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot).