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Author |
Unknown. (Tradition has suggested Samuel.) |
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Date |
Uncertain. (However, the prevalent view ascribes a date between 1011 and 931 BC) |
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Time Span |
12 years (during the time of the judges). |
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Title |
The book is named after its principal character: Ruth. Her biography is outlined in this short story. |
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Background |
The setting for the book of Ruth begins in the heathen country of Moab, a region northeast of the Dead Sea, but then moves to Bethlehem. This true account takes place during the dismal days of failure and rebellion of the Israelites, called the period of Judges. |
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Where |
Unknown (probably in Judah). |
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To Whom |
To the Israelites. |
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Content |
A famine forces Elimelech and his wife Naomi from their Israelite home to the country of Moab. Elimelech dies and Naomi is left with her 2 sons, who soon marry 2 Moabite girls, Orpah and Ruth. Later both of the sons die, and Naomi is left alone with Orpah and Ruth in a strange land. Orpah returns to her parents, but Ruth determines to stay with Naomi as they journey to Bethlehem. This beautiful story of love and devotion tells of Ruth's eventual marriage to a wealthy man named Boaz, by whom she bears a son, Obed, who is the grandfather of David. Ruth's proven devotion has been rewarded with a new husband, a son, and a privileged position in the royal lineage of Jesus Christ. |
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Themes |
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Key |
"Kinsman-Redeemer", "Ancestor." Boaz graphically fulfills the role of "kinsman-redeemer" because, as a relative, he willingly obtains the right to claim the land of Naomi and thus the right to marry Ruth, thereby fathering a son to keep the family line alive. This is only one of several relationships between "ancestors" in the story, which ends with the family tree listing Ruth and Boaz as the great-grandparents of King David. |
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Outline |
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