Overview Article
Ruth was a loyal daughter-in-law to Naomi, her mother-in-law who had lost her husband and sons. Boaz was a kind landowner and a close relative of Naomi. This story includes loss and loyalty, a return home, a secret meeting at midnight, a public transfer of property, a marriage, and a child. The book of Ruth tells a story of God's love in the lives of ordinary people.
Key People, Places, and Terms
People 24
- Boaz 36
- Naomi 33
- Ruth 16
- Elimelech 11
- Israel 10
- Judah 8
- Mahlon 6
- Chilion 5
- Jesse 5
- Kinsman Redeemer 5
See all (20)
Places 3
Themes
The Family Redeemer 5 The idea of the family redeemer was established in the law of Moses. The story of Ruth shows us an example of this idea. In that book, this term has a specific legal meaning. In other places, the Hebrew term go’el tra... Famine 1 Famine happened early in the lives of the patriarchs Abraham and Isaac ( Genesis 12:10 ; 26:1 ). When the patriarch Jacob’s family experienced famine, God had already placed his son Joseph in Egypt to help God's peopl... Human Sexuality 1 When God created the first humans in his own image, he created them male and female ( Genesis 1:27 ). God gave them the ability to have children through their sexuality. This was so they could fill the earth with peop... Intermarriage and Divorce 1 God had warned his people not to marry foreigners ( Deuteronomy 7:1–6 ). The problem was not marrying someone from another country or race. The issue was marrying people who followed other gods. Moses himself married...