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 evangelical scholars hold that it is a historical narrative written in the form of a short story.[7]
…probably a piece of historical fiction set in the time of the judges.