Guide to Ruth
Summary
The book of Ruth focuses not on the needs and concerns of the entire Israelite nation, but primarily the needs and concerns of a family, especially concerning a Moabite woman who desires to enter the covenantal relationship between Israel and the Lord. Ruth especially focuses on loyalty and faithfulness between family members and the Lord, and this short novella is composed so that the names of those involved are symbolic of their roles in the story of faithfulness. Ruth is also unique for its emphasis on women’s roles in providing familial peace and loyalty, comparing Ruth to the matriarchs of Genesis. The book of Ruth ends with the wedding of Boaz and Ruth, and the author provides a genealogy culminating in the birth of David, king of Israel, underscoring this family’s importance to the greater national history of Israel.
Videos
Watch selected videos on this book of the Bible to enhance your study. Note: Not all videos included come from a Latter-day Saint perspective. Inclusion on this list should not imply endorsement for all content.
Historical Settings
Time
*All Dates Are Approximate, according to the narrative of the Bible. These dates may reflect literary significance as opposed to the precise dates of history.
See Biblical Chronology- 1140 B.C.*
Further Reading
Francine R. Bennion, “Ruth,” in Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 4 vols., ed. Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: MacMillan Publishing, 1992), 3:1239–40.
Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, Dana M. Pike, and David Rolph Seely, Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament: An Illustrated Reference for Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2009), 184–189.
Kerry Muhelstein, “Ruth, Redemption, Covenant, and Christ,” in The Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament, The 38th Annual BYU Sidney B. Sperry Symposium (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009), 187–206.
Stephen D. Ricks, “Ruth,” in Studies in Scripture, vol. 3: Genesis to 2 Samuel, ed. Kent P. Jackson and Robert L. Millet (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1989), 249–258.
Mack C. Stirling, “Ruth: An Allegorical Reading,” in The Temple: Past, Present, & Future, ed. Stephen D. Ricks and Jeffrey M. Bradshaw (Orem, UT: Interpreter Foundation; Salt Lake City, UT: Eborn Books, 2021), 109–141.
Gaye Strathearn and Angela Cothran, “Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz: Borders, Relationships, Law, and Hesed,” in Covenant of Compassion: Caring for the Marginalized and Disadvantaged in the Old Testament, ed. Avram R. Shannon, Gaye Strathearn, George A. Pierce, and Joshua M. Sears (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book; Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2021), 183–212.
John W. Welch and Yehuda Radday, “Structure in the Scroll of Ruth,” Beth Mikra 77 (1979): 180–187.