Book of Ruth
A Moabite woman's loyalty leads to the lineage of King David.
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During the Shavuot pilgrimage festival, Jewish congregations traditionally recite the Book of Ruth in synagogue prayer services.[1]
Quick Facts
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Division
- Writings (Ketuvim)
- Chapters
- 4
- Key figures
- Ruth
- Naomi
- Boaz
- Obed
- Significance
- Ancestry of King David; model for Jewish conversion
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
It does not name its author, though tradition ascribes it to the prophet Samuel.[2] After the deaths of their husbands, Ruth the Moabite chooses to accompany Naomi back to Bethlehem.[3] Some scholars view it as historical fiction, while others see it as a historical short story.[4] Fragments of Ruth were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, dating from around 50 BCE to 68 CE.[5]
Scholars generally date the book's composition in Biblical Hebrew to the Persian period, specifically between 550 and 330 BCE.[3][6] Because Ruth remained devoted to Naomi, she eventually wed Boaz, who was a Judahite relative of the family.[7] The text of Ruth is divided into four separate chapters.[8] Among the most ancient Hebrew manuscripts preserving this book is the Aleppo Codex, which dates from the 10th century.[5]
What the cited sources add
The Sacks source describes Ruth as the book of "chessed," or loving-kindness.[9] Sacks notes that the words "chessed" and "to redeem" appear in Ruth three and twenty-four times respectively.[9] Ziegler reports that most midrashim assume the women did not convert prior to their marriage.[10] Ziegler states that Ruth's declaration "Your nation is my nation" marks her choice to attach herself to Naomi's people.[10]
The Sacks source explains that Ruth is read on Shavuot because the key events are set during the barley and wheat harvests.[9]
References
- Wikipedia, "Book of Ruth" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ziegler, "Ruth and Conversion", Yeshivat Har Etzion, March 7, 2019; Sacks, "Shavuot", The Rabbi Sacks Legacy; "Ruth 1:16–17", Sefaria; "Shavuot"; Atteridge 2006, p. 383 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Book of Ruth" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hubbard 1988, p. 23; Leith 2007, p. 391 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Book of Ruth" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Grabbe 2004, p. 105; Schipper, "Ruth: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary", Yale University Press, 2016, p. 22 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Book of Ruth" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Trible, "Ruth: Bible"; Koosed, "Ruth as a Fairy Tale", Bible Odyssey; Lau, "The Book of Ruth", Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2023, p. 37 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Book of Ruth" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Würthwein 1995, p. 36-37; Dead sea scrolls - Ruth; Ulrich 2010, p. [https://archive.org/details/TheBiblicalQumranScrolls/page/n751 735]; Fitzmyer, "A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature", William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008, p. 42; Dead sea scrolls - Ruth; Fitzmyer 2008, p. 42; Ulrich 2010, p. [https://archive.org/details/TheBiblicalQumranScrolls/page/n751 735]; Dead sea scrolls - Ruth; Ulrich 2010, p. [https://archive.org/details/TheBiblicalQumranScrolls/page/n751 735]; Fitzmyer, "A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Book of Ruth" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Grabbe 2004, p. 105; West 2003, p. 209 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Book of Ruth" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ruth 1:2, 6–7, 19–22", Sefaria; "Ruth 4:13–22", Sefaria (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Book of Ruth" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: West 2003, p. 209 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Sacks, "Shavuot", The Rabbi Sacks Legacy. facts only, no text reused. rabbisacks.org
- Ziegler, "Ruth and Conversion", Yeshivat Har Etzion, March 7, 2019. facts only, no text reused. etzion.org.il
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Book of Ruth (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
Also in the Codexery
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Book of Ruth (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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