RUTH: STUDY OUTLINE
for BIBL 105 – Old Testament Survey
I. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND
A. Title and Meaning
•Hebrew Title: “Ruth” (תור - meaning “friendship” or “companion”)
•English Title: “Ruth” (named after primary character)
•Genre: Historical narrative; covenant love story; theological novella
B. Authorship & Date
•Traditional View: Anonymous, possibly Samuel or contemporary (evangelical
position)
•Internal Evidence: “In the days when judges ruled” (1:1)
•Composition Date: Early monarchy period (c. 1000-900 BC)
•Historical Setting: Period of Judges (c. 1100-1050 BC)
C. Canonical Placement
•Hebrew Bible: Writings (Ketuvim) - read at Pentecost
•English Bible: Historical books - between Judges and Samuel
•Purpose of placement: Bridge between Judges chaos and Davidic monarchy
D. Historical Context
•Period: “When judges ruled” - time of moral/political chaos
•Contrast: Bright spot of covenant loyalty during dark period
•Famine: Agricultural crisis drives migration
•Moabite relations: Traditional enemies of Israel (Deut 23:3-6)
E. Structure Overview
1. Departure and Loss (1:1-22)
2. Arrival and Provision (2:1-23)
3. Request and Promise (3:1-18)
4. Redemption and Restoration (4:1-22)
F. Theological Purposes
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•Divine providence: God’s hidden work in ordinary events
•Covenant loyalty (hesed): Faithful love demonstrated
Inclusion theme: Gentile incorporation into covenant people
•Messianic preparation: David’s genealogy established Redemption picture:
Kinsman-redeemer typology
II. DEPARTURE AND LOSS (1:1-22)
A. The Crisis in Bethlehem (1:1-5)
1. Setting and Circumstances (1:1-2)
•Time period: “In the days when judges ruled”
•Crisis: Famine in the land (Bethlehem = “house of bread”)
•Family: Elimelech, Naomi, Mahlon, Chilion
•Origin: Bethlehem of Judah (later David’s city)
•Destination: Country of Moab (east of Dead Sea)
•Intention: “Sojourn” (temporary stay)
2. Death and Marriages (1:3-5)
•First death: Elimelech dies, leaving Naomi widowed
•Moabite wives: Mahlon marries Ruth, Chilion marries Orpah
•Duration: Ten years in Moab
•Second tragedy: Both sons die childless
•Triple widowhood: Three women left without male protection
•Legal implications: No heir for family inheritance
B. The Decision to Return (1:6-18)
1. Naomi’s Plan (1:6-7)
•Good news: “YHWH had visited His people and given them food”
•Decision: Return to Judah from Moab
•Companions: Daughters-in-law accompany her initially
•Journey begins: From dwelling place in Moab
2. First Farewell Speech (1:8-10)
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•Blessing: “May YHWH deal kindly (hesed) with you”
•Recognition: “As you have dealt with dead and with me”
•Wish: “May YHWH grant you rest in house of husband”
•Kiss: Farewell gesture
•Response: “We will return with you to your people”
3. Second Farewell Speech (1:11-13)
•Practical argument: “I have no more sons in my womb”
•Age factor: “Too old to have a husband”
•Hypothetical scenario: Even if married tonight and bore sons
•Waiting: “Would you wait until they were grown?”
•Bitterness: “Hand of YHWH has gone out against me”
4. Different Responses (1:14-18)
•Orpah’s choice: Kisses mother-in-law, returns to her people
•Ruth’s commitment: Clings to Naomi
•Naomi’s urging: “Your sister-in-law has gone back” Ruth’s famous
declaration (1:16-17): o “Where you go I will go” o “Where you lodge I will
lodge”
o“Your people shall be my people”
o“Your God my God”
o“Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried” o “May YHWH do so
to me and more if anything but death parts us”
•Naomi’s acceptance: Stops urging when sees Ruth’s determination
C. Arrival in Bethlehem (1:19-22)
1. Community Recognition (1:19-21)
•Stirred city: “All the city was stirred”
•Recognition: “Is this Naomi?”
•Name change: “Call me not Naomi (Pleasant), but Mara (Bitter)”
•Divine sovereignty: “Almighty has dealt bitterly with me”
•Contrast: “Went out full, returned empty”
•Testimony: “YHWH has testified against me, Almighty has afflicted me”
2. Narrative Summary (1:22)
•Companions: Naomi returned with Ruth the Moabitess
•Timing: “Beginning of barley harvest”
•Foreshadowing: Harvest time suggests hope and provision
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III. ARRIVAL AND PROVISION (2:1-23)
A. Introduction of Boaz (2:1)
•Kinsman: Relative of Elimelech’s family
Character: “Mighty man of wealth/valor” (gibbor hayil)
•Name significance: “Boaz” possibly “in him is strength”
•Importance: Potential kinsman-redeemer
B. Ruth’s Initiative (2:2-3)
1. Ruth’s Request (2:2)
•Gleaning proposal: “Let me go to field and glean”
•Legal basis: Levitical law provided for poor (Lev 19:9-10; 23:22; Deut 24:19-21)
•Condition: “Behind one in whose sight I shall find favor”
•Permission: Naomi agrees (“Go, my daughter”)
2. Divine Providence (2:3)
•“Happened to come”: Hebrew suggests divine orchestration
•Boaz’s field: Field belonging to kinsman
•Sovereignty: God guides Ruth’s steps
C. Meeting with Boaz (2:4-16)
1. Boaz’s Arrival and Inquiry (2:4-7)
•Greeting: “YHWH be with you” / “YHWH bless you”
•Godly character: Covenant language in daily life
•Question: “Whose young woman is this?”
•Servant’s report: Ruth the Moabitess, returned with Naomi
•Work ethic: Asked permission, worked steadily with little rest
2. Boaz’s Kindness to Ruth (2:8-16)
•Personal address: “Listen, my daughter”
•Protection: “Do not go to glean in another field”
•Provision: Stay close to my young women
•Safety: Young men charged not to touch you
•Refreshment: Drink from water vessels
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3. Ruth’s Response (2:10)
•Prostration: Falls on face before him
•Question: “Why have I found favor?”
•Status: “I am a foreigner”
4. Boaz’s Explanation (2:11-12)
•Knowledge: “All that you have done for your mother-in-law”
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Sacrifice: Left father, mother, native land
•Commitment: Came to people you didn’t know before
•Blessing prayer: “May YHWH reward your work”
•Under His wings: “Under whose wings you have come to take refuge”
5. Further Provisions (2:13-16)
•Ruth’s gratitude: “You have comforted your servant”
•Mealtime invitation: Eat with reapers
•Roasted grain: Ate and was satisfied, had left over
•Special instructions: Let her glean among sheaves
•Extra provision: Pull out handfuls for her
D. Return to Naomi (2:17-23)
1. Abundant Harvest (2:17-18)
•Gleaning results: About an ephah of barley (½ bushel) Leftover food:
Brought what remained from meal Naomi’s amazement: Where did
you glean today?
2. Revelation of Benefactor (2:19-20)
•Blessing: “Blessed be the one who took notice of you”
•Name revealed: “The man’s name with whom I worked is Boaz”
•Naomi’s response: “Blessed be he by YHWH”
•Covenant loyalty: “Has not forsaken His kindness (hesed)”
•Kinsman identification: “The man is our relative, one of our redeemers”
3. Continued Provision (2:21-23)
•Additional kindness: “Stay close to my young people”
•Naomi’s approval: Good to go with his young women
•Duration: Through barley and wheat harvests
•Living arrangement: Stayed with mother-in-law
IV. REQUEST AND PROMISE (3:1-18)
A. Naomi’s Plan (3:1-5)
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1. Naomi’s Concern (3:1)
•Seeking rest: “Should I not seek rest for you?”
•Welfare: “That it may be well with you”
Marriage goal: Security through marriage
2. The Strategy (3:2-4)
•Boaz identified: “Is not Boaz our kinsman?”
•Timing: “Tonight he winnows barley on threshing floor”
•Preparation: Wash, anoint, put on best clothes
•Approach: Go down to threshing floor
•Timing: Wait until he finishes eating and drinking
•Action: “Uncover his feet and lie down”
•Response: “He will tell you what to do”
3. Ruth’s Agreement (3:5)
•Complete compliance: “All that you say I will do”
B. The Midnight Encounter (3:6-15)
1. Ruth’s Approach (3:6-7)
•Obedience: Did according to all mother-in-law instructed
•Boaz’s condition: Heart merry, lay at end of grain heap
•Ruth’s action: Came softly, uncovered feet, lay down
2. The Discovery (3:8-9)
•Midnight: Startled awake
•Discovery: Woman lying at his feet
•Question: “Who are you?”
•Identity: “I am Ruth your servant”
•Request: “Spread your wing over your servant”
•Reason: “For you are a redeemer”
3. Boaz’s Response (3:10-13)
•Blessing: “Blessed are you by YHWH, my daughter”
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•Greater kindness: “Latter kindness better than former”
•Character praise: “Have not gone after young men”
•Assurance: “Do not fear, I will do all you ask”
•Community knowledge: “All my people know you are virtuous woman”
•Complication: “There is redeemer nearer than I”
•Plan: “If he will redeem, good; if not, I will”
•Oath: “As YHWH lives”
4. The Wait (3:14-15)
Propriety: Lay until morning but rose before recognition
•Discretion: “Do not let it be known woman came to threshing floor”
•Gift: Six measures of barley
•Reason: “Do not go empty to your mother-in-law”
C. Report to Naomi (3:16-18)
•Question: “How did it go, my daughter?”
•Full report: Told all that man had done
•Gift mentioned: Six measures of barley
•Boaz’s reasoning: “Do not go empty to mother-in-law”
•Naomi’s counsel: “Wait, my daughter”
•Confidence: “Man will not rest until he settles matter today”
V. REDEMPTION AND RESTORATION (4:1-22)
A. Legal Proceedings at the Gate (4:1-12)
1. Setting the Stage (4:1-2)
•Public venue: Gate of city (legal meeting place)
•Boaz’s wait: For the nearer kinsman
•Summons: “Turn aside, sit down here”
•Anonymous address: “Ho, such a one” (concealing identity)
•Witnesses: Ten elders of city as legal witnesses
2. The Land Transaction (4:3-6)
•Property matter: “Naomi is selling parcel of land”
•Family inheritance: “Belonged to our brother Elimelech”
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•First right: “If you will redeem, redeem”
•Public witness: “Before those sitting here and elders”
•Initial agreement: “I will redeem”
•Marriage obligation: “Must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess”
•Purpose: “To perpetuate name of dead on his inheritance”
•Withdrawal: “I cannot redeem for myself”
•Reason: “Lest I impair my own inheritance”
•Transfer: “You redeem my right of redemption”
3. Legal Formality (4:7-8)
•Custom: Remove sandal and give to another
Purpose: Confirm transaction in Israel
Action: Kinsman removes sandal
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4. Public Declaration (4:9-12)
•Witness call: “You are witnesses this day”
•Purchase: “All that was Elimelech’s, Chilion’s, Mahlon’s”
•Marriage: “Ruth the Moabitess, wife of Mahlon, I have acquired”
•Purpose: “Perpetuate name of dead on inheritance” Community response:
“We are witnesses” Blessing prayer:
o Like Rachel and Leah who built house of Israel
o Prosper in Ephrathah, famous in Bethlehem o
House like Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah o
Through offspring YHWH will give you
B. Marriage and Birth (4:13-17)
1. Marriage and Conception (4:13)
•Marriage: Boaz took Ruth as wife
•Divine blessing: “YHWH gave her conception”
•Birth: Bore a son
2. Women’s Blessing (4:14-15)
•Praise: “Blessed be YHWH who has not left you without redeemer”
•Fame: “Name be famous in Israel”
•Purpose: “Restorer of life, nourisher of old age”
•Ruth’s value: “Better to you than seven sons”
•Love: “Who loves you”
3. Naomi’s Joy (4:16-17)
•Nurse role: Took child, laid on her bosom
•Care: Became his nurse
•Naming: Women named him Obed
•Explanation: “Son has been born to Naomi”
•Identity: “He is father of Jesse, father of David”
C. Genealogical Conclusion (4:18-22)
1. Genealogy of Perez (4:18-22)
•Introduction: “These are generations of Perez” Line of descent:
1. Perez begot Hezron
2. Hezron begot Ram
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3. Ram begot Amminadab
4. Amminadab begot Nahshon
5. Nahshon begot Salmon
6. Salmon begot Boaz
7. Boaz begot Obed
8. Obed begot Jesse
9. Jesse begot David
2. Messianic Significance
•Davidic line: Direct ancestry of King David
•Covenant promise: Fulfills promise to Judah (Gen 49:8-12)
•Gentile inclusion: Moabite woman in messianic line
•Divine providence: God’s plan through ordinary events
VI. MAJOR THEOLOGICAL THEMES
A. Hesed (Covenant Loyalty/Faithful Love)
•Ruth to Naomi: Loyal commitment beyond duty
•Boaz to Ruth: Kindness beyond legal requirement
•God to His people: Faithful provision and care
•Reciprocal nature: Human hesed reflects divine hesed
•Covenant basis: Rooted in relationship obligations
B. Divine Providence
•Hidden sovereignty: God works through natural circumstances
•Timing: Ruth “happens” to glean in Boaz’s field
•Provision: From famine to fullness
•Protection: Safety and care for vulnerable women
•Purpose: Messianic line preserved and advanced
C. Redemption (Go’el - Kinsman-Redeemer)
•Legal concept: Family obligation to restore/redeem
•Requirements: Near kinsman, able, willing
•Land redemption: Restore family inheritance
•Marriage responsibility: Perpetuate family name
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•Christ typology: Ultimate kinsman-redeemer D. Inclusion of Gentiles
Ruth’s conversion: Genuine faith commitment
Community acceptance: Integrated into covenant people
•Messianic line: Gentile ancestry of David/Christ
•God’s grace: Salvation available to all nations
•Breaking barriers: Transcends ethnic boundaries
E. Divine Reversal
•From emptiness to fullness: Naomi’s transformation
•From famine to harvest: Community restoration
•From despair to hope: God’s gracious intervention
•From death to life: New generation born
•From outsider to insider: Ruth’s acceptance
VII. LITERARY AND STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
A. Chiastic Structure
•A: Naomi and Ruth travel to Bethlehem (1:1-22)
•B: Ruth works in Boaz’s field (2:1-23)
•B’: Ruth approaches Boaz at threshing floor (3:1-18)
•A’: Boaz and Ruth marry in Bethlehem (4:1-22)
B. Character Development
•Ruth: From outsider to insider, from gleaner to wife
•Naomi: From bitter to blessed, from empty to full Boaz: From kind employer
to kinsman-redeemer
•Community: From recognition to blessing
C. Dramatic Tension
•Crisis: Multiple deaths and destitution
•Conflict: Legal complications with nearer kinsman
•Climax: Redemption scene at city gate
•Resolution: Marriage, birth, restoration
D. Theological Artistry
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•Ordinary events: Divine purposes through normal circumstances
•Human initiative: Characters make choices within God’s plan
•Divine sovereignty: God’s purposes accomplished through human decisions
•Covenant love: Hesed demonstrated at human and divine levels
VIII. CHRISTOLOGICAL CONNECTIONS (Evangelical Perspective)
A. Kinsman-Redeemer Typology
•Boaz as type: Points to Christ as ultimate Redeemer
•Requirements fulfilled: Near kinsman (incarnation), able (divine power), willing
(love)
•Redemption price: Boaz pays cost, Christ pays sin’s penalty
•Marriage imagery: Church as bride of Christ
•Inheritance restoration: Eternal inheritance through Christ
B. Gentile Inclusion
•Ruth’s faith: Model of Gentile conversion to true God
•Covenant participation: Full inclusion in God’s people
•Messianic significance: Gentiles in Christ’s genealogy
•Church foreshadowing: All nations blessed in Christ
•Breaking barriers: No distinction in Christ
C. Divine Grace
•Unmerited favor: Ruth receives beyond what she deserves
•Sovereign choice: God’s electing grace demonstrated
•Faithful love: God’s hesed reflected in human relationships
•Restoration theme: From death to life, emptiness to fullness
•New creation: Transformation through divine intervention
D. New Testament Connections
•Matthew 1:5: Ruth in Christ’s genealogy
•Romans 11: Grafting in of Gentiles
•Ephesians 2: Breaking down dividing walls
•Hebrews 2: Christ as kinsman through incarnation
•Revelation 19: Marriage supper of the Lamb
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IX. HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND
A. Legal Customs
•Levirate marriage: Brother’s duty to marry widow (Deut 25:5-10)
•Land redemption: Keep property in family (Lev 25:25-28)
•Gleaning rights: Provision for poor (Lev 19:9-10; Deut 24:19-21)
Gate proceedings: Legal transactions at city gate
Sandal ceremony: Confirm property transfer
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B. Social Conditions
•Widow vulnerability: No social safety net without male protection
•Foreign women: Moabites traditionally excluded (Deut 23:3-6)
•Harvest customs: Community gathering and celebration
•Threshing practices: Winnowing in evening winds
•Marriage customs: Arranged marriages, family negotiations
C. Religious Context
•Judges period: Moral and spiritual decline
•Covenant loyalty: Rare but celebrated when found
•Divine names: YHWH (covenant name) and Shaddai (Almighty)
•Blessing formulas: “YHWH be with you” common greeting Providence
belief: God works through natural events
X. CONTEMPORARY APPLICATIONS
A. Faithful Commitment
•Marriage loyalty: Ruth’s commitment to Naomi as model
•Family obligations: Care for extended family members
•Cross-cultural relationships: Breaking down ethnic barriers
•Covenant love: Faithful love beyond mere duty
B. Divine Providence
•Trust in circumstances: God works through ordinary events
•Open to opportunities: Ruth’s willingness to work and serve
•Long-term perspective: God’s plans unfold over time
•Community involvement: Engaging with local people and customs
C. Redemption Principles
•Costly love: True redemption requires sacrifice
•Willing service: Boaz’s voluntary kindness beyond requirement
•Inclusive grace: God’s love extends to all people
•Restoration hope: God specializes in making beauty from ashes
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D. Character Development
•Virtuous woman: Ruth as model of noble character
Generous leadership: Boaz as example of godly authority
Transforming relationships: How people can change each other
Community responsibility: How society should care for vulnerable
XI. KEY MEMORY PASSAGES
A. Ruth’s Commitment
•1:16-17: “Where you go I will go... your God my God”
•1:16: “Your people shall be my people”
•3:9: “I am Ruth your servant... you are a redeemer”
B. Covenant Loyalty (Hesed)
•1:8: “May YHWH deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead”
•2:12: “May YHWH reward your work... under whose wings you have come”
•2:20: “Blessed be he by YHWH, who has not forsaken His kindness”
C. Divine Providence
•2:3: “Her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging to Boaz”
•4:13: “YHWH gave her conception”
•4:14: “Blessed be YHWH, who has not left you this day without a
kinsmanredeemer”
D. Character Descriptions
•2:1: “Boaz... a mighty man of wealth”
•3:11: “All the city of my people knows that you are a virtuous woman”
•4:15: “Your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven
sons”
E. Messianic Significance
•4:17: “He is the father of Jesse, the father of David”
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•4:21-22: “Salmon begot Boaz... Boaz begot Obed... Obed begot Jesse... Jesse
begot David”
XII. STUDY QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW
A. Historical Questions
How does Ruth fit into the period of the Judges?
What legal customs are demonstrated in the book?
How does Ruth’s Moabite background affect the story?
What is the significance of Bethlehem as the setting?
B. Theological Questions
•How does the book demonstrate God’s providence?
•What is the significance of hesed (covenant loyalty) in the narrative?
•How does the kinsman-redeemer concept point to Christ?
•What does Ruth’s inclusion teach about God’s grace to Gentiles?
C. Literary Questions
•How does the book’s structure contribute to its message?
•What is the significance of the genealogy at the end?
•How do the characters develop throughout the narrative? What role does
dialogue play in advancing the story?
D. Practical Questions
•What can modern readers learn about loyalty and commitment?
•How should believers understand God’s providence in daily life?
•What principles of care for the vulnerable are demonstrated? How does the
book address cross-cultural relationships?
XIII. INTEGRATION WITH BIBLICAL THEOLOGY
A. Pentateuchal Connections
•Genesis: Promise to Judah fulfilled (49:8-12)
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•Leviticus: Gleaning laws and kinsman-redeemer concept
•Deuteronomy: Levirate marriage and Moabite exclusion overcome by grace
•Covenant promises: Land, seed, blessing themes continued
B. Historical Books Context
•Judges: Bright contrast to moral darkness of period
•Samuel: Prepares for David’s rise to kingship
•Chronicles: David’s genealogy expanded
•Canonical purpose: Bridge from Judges chaos to monarchical stability
C. Wisdom Literature Parallels
Proverbs: Virtuous woman theme (Prov 31:10-31)
Psalms: Divine providence and protection themes
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Ecclesiastes: God’s timing in human affairs
Song of Songs: Love and loyalty between individuals
D. Prophetic Anticipation
•Isaiah: Inclusion of foreigners in God’s covenant (Isa 56:3-8)
•Jeremiah: New covenant promises (Jer 31:31-34)
•Zechariah: Many peoples joining YHWH (Zech 2:11)
•Malachi: Messenger preparing way for David’s greater Son
E. New Testament Fulfillment
•Matthew: Ruth in Christ’s genealogy (Matt 1:5)
•Luke: Universal scope of salvation
•Acts: Gospel to all nations
•Romans: Gentile inclusion in covenant people
•Ephesians: Unity of Jew and Gentile in Christ
•Revelation: People from every nation, tribe, tongue
XIV. RUTH IN REDEMPTIVE HISTORY
A. Covenant Development
•Abrahamic covenant: Blessing to all nations begins fulfillment
•Mosaic law: Legal framework provides redemption mechanism
•Davidic covenant: Genealogical foundation established
•New covenant: Foreshadowed in inclusion of Gentiles
B. Messianic Preparation
•Genealogical necessity: David’s ancestry through Ruth
•Gentile inclusion: Breaking down ethnic barriers
•Redemption theme: Kinsman-redeemer typology
•Divine grace: Unmerited favor demonstrated
C. Canonical Function
•Historical bridge: Links Judges period to monarchy
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•Theological instruction: Demonstrates covenant principles
•Literary artistry: Shows God’s work through ordinary people
•Moral example: Character studies in faithfulness
D. Theological Contribution
Providence doctrine: God’s hidden but sovereign work
Grace theology: Divine favor beyond human merit
•Covenant love: Hesed as divine and human characteristic
•Inclusive salvation: God’s heart for all peoples
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