Editing Book of Ruth

{{short description|Book of the Bible}}
{{About|the ancient Hebrew religious text|the 20th-century English-language novel|The Book of Ruth (novel){{!}}''The Book of Ruth'' (novel)|the 1960 film|The Story of Ruth{{!}}''The Story of Ruth''|the 2009 film|The Book of Ruth: Journey of Faith{{!}}''The Book of Ruth: Journey of Faith''|the 2017 ''Ozark'' episode|Book of Ruth (Ozark){{!}}Book of Ruth (''Ozark'')}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2011}}
{{Tanakh OT |Ketuvim |historical}}

The '''Book of Ruth''' ({{langx|he|מְגִלַּת רוּת}}, ''Megillath Ruth'', "the Scroll of Ruth", one of the [[Five Megillot]]) is included in the third division, or the Writings ([[Ketuvim]]), of the [[Hebrew Bible]]. In most [[Old Testament|Christian canons]] it is treated as one of the [[historical books]] and placed between [[Book of Judges|Judges]] and [[1 Samuel]].{{sfn|Coogan|2008|p=8}}

It narrates the story of [[Naomi (biblical figure)|Naomi]] and her daughter-in-law [[Ruth (biblical figure)|Ruth]], who return to [[Bethlehem]] after the deaths of their husbands, where Ruth's loyalty to Naomi leads to her marriage to [[Boaz]]. Their son [[Obed (biblical figure)|Obed]] becomes the grandfather of [[King David]].

Written in [[Biblical Hebrew|Hebrew]] during the [[Persian period]] (c. 550–330 BCE),{{sfn|Grabbe|2004|p=105}}<ref>{{cite book
 | last       = Schipper
 | first      = Jeremy
 | title      = Ruth: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary
 | publisher  = Yale University Press
 | year       = 2016
 | isbn       = 9780300192155
 | url        = https://books.google.com/books?id=RhwvCwAAQBAJ
 | page       = 22
}}</ref> the book is generally considered by scholars to be a work of [[historical fiction]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> [[Evangelical]] scholarship holds that the book is a historical short story.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Lau |first=Peter H. W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G1l-EAAAQBAJ&pg=PP37&dq=book+of+ruth+the+short+story+allows+for+the+historicity |title=The Book of Ruth |date=2023 |publisher=[[Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-4674-6577-9 |series=[[New International Commentary on the Old Testament]] |page=37}}</ref>

The book is held in esteem by [[Gerim|Jewish converts]], as is evidenced by the considerable presence of [[Boaz]] in rabbinic literature. It also functions [[liturgy|liturgically]], as it is read during the [[Jewish holiday]] of [[Shavuot]] ("Weeks").{{sfn|Atteridge|2006|p=383}}

==Structure==
The book is structured into four chapters.{{sfn|West|2003|p=209}}

Act 1: Prologue and Problem: Death and Emptiness (1:1–22)
*Scene 1: Setting the scene (1:1–5)
*Scene 2: Naomi returns home (1:6–18)
*Scene 3: Arrival of Naomi and Ruth in Bethlehem (1:19–22)

Act 2:  Ruth Meets Boaz, Naomi's Relative, on the Harvest Field (2:1–23)
*Scene 1: Ruth in the field of Boaz (2:1–17)
*Scene 2: Ruth reports to Naomi (2:18–23)

Act 3:  Naomi Sends Ruth to Boaz on the Threshing Floor (3:1–18)
*Scene 1: Naomi Reveals Her Plan (3:1–5)
*Scene 2: Ruth at the threshing-floor of Boaz (3:6–15)
*Scene 3: Ruth reports to Naomi (3:16–18)

Act 4:  Resolution and Epilogue:  Life and Fullness (4:1–22)
*Scene 1: Boaz with the men at the gate (4:1–12)
*Scene 2: A son is born to Ruth (4:13–17) <!-- "Naomi" is correct see Ruth 4:17 -->

Genealogical appendix (4:18–22)

==Summary==
[[File:Ruth.JPG|thumb|Hebrew text of Ruth]]
During the time of the [[Biblical judges|judges]], an Israelite family from [[Bethlehem]] (who are [[Ephrath]]ites)—[[Elimelech (biblical figure)|Elimelech]], his wife [[Naomi (Bible)|Naomi]], and their sons [[Mahlon and Chilion]]—emigrate to the nearby country of [[Moab]]. Elimelech dies, and the sons marry two Moabite women: Mahlon weds [[Ruth (biblical figure)|Ruth]] and Chilion [[Orpah]].

After about ten years, the two sons of Naomi also die in Moab ([[Ruth 1#Verse 4|1:4]]). Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem. She tells her daughters-in-law to return to their own mothers and remarry. Orpah reluctantly leaves. However, Ruth demurs: "Do not urge me to leave you, to turn back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus and more may the Lord do to me if anything but death parts me from you." (Ruth 1:16–17 NJPS).

[[Image:1795-William-Blake-Naomi-entreating-Ruth-Orpah.jpg|thumb|300px|Naomi entreating Ruth and Orpah to return to the land of Moab by [[William Blake]], 1795]]
[[File:Dore Bible The Gleaners.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"The Gleaners", an engraving illustrating the Book of Ruth by [[Gustave Doré]] (1832–1883)]]
Naomi and Ruth return to Bethlehem at the beginning of the [[barley]] harvest and, in order to support her mother-in-law and herself, Ruth goes to the fields to [[gleaning|glean]]. As it happens, the field belongs to a man named [[Boaz]], who is kind to her because he has heard of her loyalty to her mother-in-law. Ruth tells Naomi of Boaz's kindness, and Ruth continues to glean in his field through the remainder of barley and wheat harvests.

Boaz, being a close relative of Naomi's husband's family, is therefore obliged by the [[Yibbum|levirate]] law to marry Ruth, Mahlon's widow, to carry on his family's inheritance. Naomi sends Ruth to the [[threshing floor]] at night where Boaz sleeps, directing Ruth to "uncover his feet and lie down" and await his instructions" ([[Ruth 3#Verse 4|3:4]]). Ruth complies. On awakening, Boaz asks her who she is, and she replies: "I am your [[handmaid]] Ruth. Spread your robe over your handmaid, for you are a redeeming kinsman" (3:9 NJPS).

Acknowledging he is a close relative, Boaz [[blessing|blesses]] her and agrees to do all that is required. He notes that "all the elders of my town know what a fine woman you are" (3:11 NJPS). However, Boaz advises her that she has a male relative closer than he. Ruth remains in submission at his feet until she returns to the city in the morning.

Early that morning, Boaz goes to the city gate to meet with the other male relative before the town elders. The relative is not named. Boaz addresses him as ''[[Ploni Almoni|ploni almoni]]'' "so and so". The relative, unwilling to jeopardize the inheritance of his own estate by marrying Ruth, relinquishes his [[right of redemption]], thus freeing Boaz to marry Ruth. They transfer the property, redeeming it, and ratify the redemption by the nearer kinsman taking off his shoe and handing it over to Boaz. [[Ruth 4#Verse 7|Ruth 4:7]] notes for later generations that:
:Now this was formerly done in Israel in cases of redemption or exchange: to validate any transaction, one man would take off his sandal and hand it to the other. Such was the practice in Israel. (NJPS)

Boaz and Ruth are then married and have a son. The women of the city celebrate Naomi's joy in finding a redeemer to preserve her family name. Naomi takes the child and places it on her bosom.

The child is named [[Obed (biblical figure)|Obed]], whom the reader discovers is "the father of [[Jesse (biblical figure)|Jesse]], the father of David" (Ruth 4:13–17); that is, he is the grandfather of [[King David]], and so Ruth is the great-grandmother of King David.

The book concludes with an appendix tracing the Davidic genealogy all the way back from [[Perez (son of Judah)|Perez]], "whom [[Tamar (Genesis)|Tamar]] bore to [[Judah (son of Jacob)|Judah]]", through to Obed, down to David.

==Composition and genre==
According to some scholars, the Book of Ruth is likely a work of historical fiction.<ref name=":0">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Trible |first=Phyllis |title=Ruth: Bible |encyclopedia=The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women |url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/ruth-bible |access-date=January 5, 2025 |quote= …probably a piece of historical fiction set in the time of the judges.}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web |last=Koosed |first=Jennifer L. |title=Ruth as a Fairy Tale |url=https://legendmakers.bibleodyssey.com/articles/ruth-as-a-fairy-tale/ |website=Bible Odyssey |access-date=January 5, 2025}}</ref> Other scholars hold that the Book is a historical narrative written in the form of a short story.<ref name=":2" />

The book does not name its author.{{sfn|Hubbard|1988|p=23}} It is traditionally ascribed to the prophet [[Samuel]] (11th century BCE), but Ruth's identity as a non-Israelite and the stress on the need for an inclusive attitude towards foreigners suggests an origin in the fifth century BCE, when [[Exogamy|intermarriage]] had become controversial (as seen in [[Ezra–Nehemiah|Ezra]] 9:1 and [[book of Nehemiah|Nehemiah]] 13:1).{{sfn|Leith|2007|p=391}}

A substantial number of scholars therefore date it to the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian period]] (550–330 BCE).{{sfn|Grabbe|2004|p=105}} The genealogy that concludes the book is believed to be a post-exilic [[Priestly source|Priestly]] addition, as it adds nothing to the plot; nevertheless, it is carefully crafted and integrates the book into the [[history of Israel]] running from Genesis to Kings.{{sfn|West|2003|p=211}}

==Oldest surviving manuscripts==
[[File:Damascus Keter, Bible. Manuscript on parchment. Burgos, Spain, 1260. End of the book of Ruth.jpg|thumb|250px|End of the book of Ruth in Damascus Keter, Bible. Manuscript on parchment. Burgos, Spain, 1260.]]
Surviving manuscripts date from hundreds or thousands of years after initial authorship. The oldest [[Biblical Hebrew|Hebrew]] manuscripts include the [[Aleppo Codex]] (10th century) and [[Leningrad Codex|Codex Leningradensis]] (1008).{{sfn|Würthwein|1995|pp=36-37}} Some fragments containing parts of this book were found among the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]], i.e., [[List of manuscripts from Qumran Cave 4#4Q101-4Q200|4Q104]] (~50 BCE),<ref name=thewaytoyahuweh>[https://thewaytoyahuweh.com/dead-sea-scrolls/general-info/#ruth Dead sea scrolls - Ruth]</ref>{{sfn|Ulrich|2010|p=[https://archive.org/details/TheBiblicalQumranScrolls/page/n751 735]}}<ref name=Fitzmyer>{{Cite book|title = A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature|last = Fitzmyer|first = Joseph A.| authorlink = Joseph Fitzmyer | publisher = William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=TILXeWJ2eNAC | year = 2008 | pages = 42 |isbn = 9780802862419 | location = Grand Rapids, MI | access-date= February 15, 2019}}</ref> 4Q105 (30 BCE – 68 CE),<ref name=thewaytoyahuweh/>{{sfn|Fitzmyer|2008|p=42}}{{sfn|Ulrich|2010|p=736}} [[List of manuscripts from Qumran Cave 2|2Q16]] (~50 CE),<ref name=thewaytoyahuweh />{{sfn|Ulrich|2010|pp=[https://archive.org/details/TheBiblicalQumranScrolls/page/n752 736]–738}}<ref name=Fitzmyer /> and 2Q17 (~50 BCE), with only slight variations from the [[Masoretic Text]].{{sfn|Emmerson|2007|p=192}}

A large letter [[Nun (letter)|<big>נ</big>]], a ''majuscula'', occurs in the first word of {{bibleverse|Ruth|3:13|HE}} - לִינִי ({{Strong-number|''lî-nî''|H|03885}}; "tarry, stay, lodge, pass the night") - which the smaller Masora ascribes to the Oriental or Babylonian textualists.<ref name=pulpit>Joseph S. Exell; Henry Donald Maurice Spence-Jones (Editors). The [[Pulpit Commentary]]. 23 volumes. First publication: 1890.{{PD-notice}}</ref><ref name=specialletters>[https://www.win.tue.nl/~aeb/natlang/hebrew/hebrew_bible.html Special letters in the Hebrew Bible]</ref>

There is also a translation into [[Koine Greek]] known as the [[Septuagint]], made in the last few centuries BC. Extant ancient manuscripts of the [[Septuagint]] version include [[Codex Vaticanus]] (4th century), [[Codex Alexandrinus]] (5th century).{{sfn|Würthwein|1995|pp=73-74}} The whole book of Ruth is missing from the extant [[Codex Sinaiticus]].<ref>{{cite book| last= Shepherd|first= Michael |title= A Commentary on the Book of the Twelve: The Minor Prophets | series= Kregel Exegetical Library | publisher= Kregel Academic | year= 2018 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=_iNZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA13|isbn= 978-0825444593 | page= 13}}</ref>

==Themes and background==
[[File:Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld- Ruth im Feld des Boaz.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld]]: ''Ruth in Boaz's Field'', 1828]]

===Levirate marriage and the "redeemers"===
The Book of Ruth illustrates the difficulty of trying to use laws given in books such as [[Deuteronomy]] as evidence of actual practice.{{sfn|Grabbe|2004|p=105}} Naomi plans to provide security for herself and Ruth by arranging a [[levirate marriage]] with Boaz. She instructs Ruth to uncover Boaz's feet after he had gone to sleep and to lie down. When Boaz wakes up, surprised to see a woman at his feet, Ruth explains that she wants him to redeem (marry) her. The usual interpretation is to see sexual allusions in this part of the story, with 'feet' as a [[euphemism]] for [[genitals]].{{sfn|West|2003|p=210}}{{sfn|Coogan|2010|p=13}}{{sfn|Wright Knust|2011|p=32}}<ref group="Note" name="Genitals">For "feet" as a euphemism for genitals see, for example, Amy-Jill Levine, "Ruth," in Newsom and Ringe (eds.), ''The Women's Bible Commentary'', pp. 78-84. The usual interpretation, as given here, is that Ruth is told to uncover Boaz's genitals, but see Kirsten Nielsen, "Other Writings," in McKenzie and Graham (eds.), ''The Hebrew Bible Today'', pp.175-176, where it is argued that Ruth is to uncover herself.</ref>

Since there is no heir to inherit Elimelech's land, custom required a close relative (usually the dead man's brother) to marry the widow of the deceased in order to continue his family line ([[Deuteronomy]] 25:5–10). This relative was called the ''[[Goel (Judaism)|goel]]'', the "kinsman-redeemer". As Boaz was not Elimelech's brother, nor Ruth his widow, scholars refer to the arrangement here as "Levirate-like".{{sfn|Allen|1996|p=521-522}} A complication arises in the story when it is revealed that another man is a closer relative to Elimelech than Boaz and therefore has first claim on Ruth.{{sfn|Allen|1996|p=521-522}}

This conflict is resolved through the custom that required land to stay in the family: a family could mortgage land to ward off poverty, but the law required a kinsman to purchase it back into the family (Leviticus 25:25ff). When Boaz meets the near kinsman at the city gate, the place where contracts were settled, the kinsman initially agrees to purchase Elimelech's (now Naomi's) land; but upon hearing he must also take Ruth as his wife, he withdraws his offer. Boaz thus becomes "kinsman-redeemer" to Naomi and Ruth.{{sfn|Allen|1996|p=521-522}}

===Mixed marriage===
The book can be read as a political parable relating to issues around the time of [[Ezra]] and [[Nehemiah]] (the 5th century BCE):{{sfn|West|2003|p=209}} unlike the story of [[Ezra–Nehemiah]], where marriages between Jewish men and non-Jewish women were broken up, Ruth teaches that foreigners who convert to Judaism can become good Jews, foreign wives can become exemplary followers of Jewish law, and there is no reason to exclude them or their offspring from the community.{{sfn|Grabbe|2004|p=312}} Some believe the names of the participants suggest a fictional nature of the story: the husband and father was Elimelech, meaning "My God is King", and his wife was Naomi, "Pleasing", but after the deaths of her sons Mahlon, "Sickness", and Chilion, "Wasting", she asked to be called Mara, "Bitter".{{sfn|West|2003|p=209}}

The reference to [[Moab]] raises questions, since in the rest of the biblical literature it is associated with hostility to Israel, sexual perversity, and [[idolatry]], and {{bibleverse|Deut.|23:3–6|9|Deuteronomy 23:3–6}} excluded an Ammonite or a Moabite from "the congregation of the {{LORD}}; even to their tenth generation".{{sfn|West|2003|p=209}} Despite this, Ruth the Moabite married a Judahite and even after his death still regarded herself a member of his family; she then married another Judahite and bore him a son who became an ancestor of [[David]].{{sfn|Grabbe|2004|p=312}} Concerning this, the [[Mishnah]] says that only male Moabites are banned from the congregation.{{sfn|Mihăilă|2011|p=32-33}}

===Contemporary interpretations===
[[File:Levenspoort.jpg|thumb|"Levenspoort" (Arch of Life), with a quote from Ruth 4:10 at its base; a bronze memorial sculpture by Yetty Elzas. In remembrance of the [[List of Jews deported from Wageningen (1942–43)|71 Jewish citizens]] of Wageningen and surroundings, deported and murdered during the years 1940–1945]]
Scholars have increasingly explored Ruth in ways which allow it to address contemporary issues. [[feminism|Feminists]], for example, have recast the story as one of the [[dignity of labour]] and female self-sufficiency,{{citation needed|date=May 2021}} and as a model for [[lesbianism|lesbian]] relations,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/30070674|title=Reading Ruth : contemporary women reclaim a sacred story|date=1994|publisher=Ballantine Books|others=Judith A. Kates, Gail Twersky Reimer|isbn=0-345-38033-9|edition=1st|location=New York|oclc=30070674}}</ref> while others have seen in it a celebration of the relationship between strong and resourceful women.<ref>{{Cite web|last=A. A.|first=English|title=The Old Testament Story of Ruth: a Biblical Heroine for Everyone|url=https://www.learnreligions.com/the-book-of-ruth-117383|access-date=2021-06-12|website=Learn Religions|language=en|archive-date=June 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612083851/https://www.learnreligions.com/the-book-of-ruth-117383|url-status=live}}</ref> Others have seen it as a book that champions outcast and oppressed peoples.{{sfn|Irwin|2008|p=699}}

{{anchor|Family tree}}

==Genealogy: the ancestry of David from Ruth==
Various relationships mentioned in the book form a family tree:
{{chart/start}}
{{chart | |,|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|.| | | | | | | | | }}
{{chart | |!| | | | | | | | | | | ELI |~|y|~| NAO | | | | ELI=[[Elimelech]]| NAO=[[Naomi (biblical figure)|Naomi]]|}}
{{chart | |!| | | | | | | | | | | |,|-|-|^|-|-|.| }}
{{chart | BOA |~|y|~| RUT |~|~|~| MAH | | | | CHIL |~|~|~| ORP | BOA=[[Boaz]]| RUT='''Ruth'''| MAH=[[Mahlon and Chilion|Mahlon]]| ORP=[[Orpah]]| CHIL=[[Mahlon and Chilion|Chilion]]|}}
"{{chart | | | | |!| | | | | | | || | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | }}
{{chart| | | |OBE| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | OBE=[[Obed (biblical figure)|Obed]]|}}
{{chart | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | }}
{{chart | | | | JES | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | JES=[[Jesse (biblical figure)|Jesse]]}}
{{chart | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | }}
{{chart | | | | DAV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | DAV=[[David]]|}}
{{chart/end}}

Verses 4:18–22 contains a genealogy [[Perez (son of Judah)|Perez]] (son of [[Judah (son of Jacob)|Judah]]) to [[David]] with names.{{sfn|Emmerson|2007|p=195}}
{{Tree chart/start}}
{{Tree chart| | | | PE | | | |PE=[[Perez (son of Judah)|Perez]]}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | ! | }}
{{Tree chart| | | | HE |HE=[[Hezron]]}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | ! | }}
{{Tree chart| | | | RA |RA=[[Ram (biblical figure)|Ram]]}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | ! | }}
{{Tree chart| | | | AM |AM=[[Amminadab]]}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | ! | }}
{{Tree chart| | | | NA |NA=[[Nahshon]]}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | ! | }}
{{Tree chart| | | | SA |SA=[[Salmon (biblical figure)|Salmon]]}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | ! | }}
{{Tree chart| | | | BO |BO=[[Boaz]]}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | ! | }}
{{Tree chart| | | | OB |OB=[[Obed (biblical figure)|Obed]]}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | ! | }}
{{Tree chart| | | | JE |JE=[[Jesse (biblical figure)|Jesse]]}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | ! | }}
{{Tree chart| | | |DAV|DAV=[[David]]|
|boxstyle_DAV=background-color: yellow;
}}
{{Tree chart/end}}

==See also==
* [[Goel (Judaism)]]
* [[Levirate marriage]]
* [[Genealogy of Jesus]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Allen |first=Leslie C. |chapter=Ruth |editor1-last=LaSor |editor1-first=William Sanford |editor2-last=Hubbard |editor2-first=David Allan |editor3-last=Bush |editor3-first=Frederic William |display-editors=3 |editor4-last=Allen |editor4-first=Leslie C. |title=Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament |year=1996 |publisher=Eerdmans |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6wSWpZmmlAoC&pg=PA521 |isbn=9780802837882 }}
* {{cite book |last=Atteridge |first=Harold W. |title=The HarperCollins Study Bible |year=2006 |publisher=HarperCollins }}
* {{cite book |last=Bartal |first=Ruth |title='The Book of Ruth and Blanche of Castile |year=2023 |publisher=Leiden: Alexandros Press|isbn=9789490387129 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Coogan |first=Michael D. |author-link=Michael D. Coogan |title=A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in Its Context |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2rxBAQAAIAAJ |isbn=9780195332728 |access-date=November 28, 2021 |archive-date=July 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701141003/https://books.google.com/books?id=2rxBAQAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book|first=Michael D.|last=Coogan|title=God and Sex: What the Bible Really Says|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=laM1AQAAQBAJ&pg=PT13|date=1 October 2010|publisher=Grand Central Publishing|isbn=978-0-446-57413-6|page=13}}
*{{cite book|last= Emmerson | first= Grace I. | chapter = 11. Ruth | title=The Oxford Bible Commentary | editor-first1=John| editor-last1=Barton | editor-first2=John| editor-last2= Muddiman | publisher = Oxford University Press |edition= first (paperback) | date = 2007 | pages = 192–195 | isbn = 978-0199277186 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZJdVkgEACAAJ| access-date=February 6, 2019}}
* {{cite book |last=Grabbe |first=Lester L. |author-link=Lester L. Grabbe |title=The History of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period, Volume 1: Yehud, the Persian Province of Judah |year=2004 |publisher=Continuum |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-MnE5T_0RbMC&pg=PA105 |isbn=9780567089984 |pages=105 & 312 }}
* {{cite book |last=Hubbard |first=Robert L. Jr. |title=The Book of Ruth |year=1988 |publisher=Eerdmans |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wJQvoHg91QkC&pg=PA23 |isbn=9780802825261 }}
* {{Cite Catholic Encyclopedia |wstitle=Book of Ruth |volume=13 |first=Francis |last=Gigot}}
* {{cite book
|last=Irwin
|first=B.P.
|chapter=Ruth 4: Person
|editor1-last=Longman
|editor1-first=Tremper
|editor2-last=Enns
|editor2-first=Peter
|title=Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings
|year=2008
|publisher=InterVarsity Press
|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kE2k36XAkv4C&pg=PA699
|isbn=9780830817832
}}
* {{cite book |last=Leith |first=Mary Joan Winn |chapter=Ruth |editor1-last=Coogan |editor1-first=Michael D. |editor2-last=Brettler |editor2-first=Marc Zvi |editor3-last=Newsom |editor3-first=Carol Ann |display-editors=3 |editor4-last=Perkins |editor4-first=Pheme |title=The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version |year=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nc-i_pQsiW8C&pg=PA391 |isbn=9780195288803 }}
* {{cite book |last=Mihăilă |first=Alexandru |title=The Conversion of the Foreigners between Ruth and Ezra-Nehemiah |year=2011 |publisher=Institutul Teologic Penticostal }}
* {{Cite book | editor-last = Ulrich | editor-first = Eugene | editor-link = Eugene Ulrich | title = The Biblical Qumran Scrolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants | year = 2010 | pages = | publisher = Brill | url = https://archive.org/details/TheBiblicalQumranScrolls |access-date= May 15, 2017 | isbn= 9789004181830}}
* {{cite book |last=West |first=Gerald |chapter=Ruth |editor1-last=Dunn |editor1-first=James D.G. |editor2-last=Rogerson |editor2-first=John William |title=Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible |year=2003 |publisher=Eerdmans |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Vo-11umIZQC&pg=PA211 |isbn=9780802837110 }}
* {{cite book|first=Jennifer|last=Wright Knust|authorlink=Jennifer Knust|title=Unprotected Texts: The Bible's Surprising Contradictions About Sex and Desire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zYKkB9hCUuMC&pg=PP32|date=25 January 2011|publisher=HarperOne|isbn=978-0-06-201082-7|page=32|access-date=August 8, 2021|archive-date=November 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111155942/https://books.google.com/books?id=zYKkB9hCUuMC&pg=PP32#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book | last = Würthwein | first = Ernst | authorlink = Ernst Würthwein | title = The Text of the Old Testament | publisher = Wm. B. Eerdmans |location = Grand Rapids, MI | year=  1995 | translator-first1 = Erroll F.| translator-last1 = Rhodes |isbn = 0-8028-0788-7 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FSNKSBObCYwC | access-date= January 26, 2019}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{wikisource|Ruth (Bible)}}
{{Commons category|Book of Ruth}}
'''Jewish translations and study guides'''
* [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/e/et/et2901.htm ''Ruth'' at Mechon Mamre – (Jewish Publication Society of America Version, 1917)]
* [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Bible/Ruthtoc.html Jewish Virtual Library]
* [https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12947-ruth-book-of Jewish Encyclopedia]
* [https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16453 Ruth – English translatin [with Rashi commentary&#93;]

'''Christian translations and study guides'''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070219150900/http://www.hopeofisrael.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=32 The Kinsman Redeemer]
* [http://www.gospelhall.org/bible/bible.php?passage=Ruth+1 ''Online Bible'' – GospelHall.org]
* [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ruth;&version=31; Biblegateway]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060522235628/http://www.intervarsity.org/ism/article/1827 Bible Study on Cross-Cultural Love – InterVarsity website]
* [http://www.meakc.com/book-of-ruth Redeemed]
* {{librivox book | dtitle=Book of Ruth| stitle=Bible Ruth}} Various versions

'''Non-affiliated translations and study guides'''
* [https://theheavenlyfire.weebly.com/uploads/3/0/3/1/30313305/thf-ruth-2.0.pdf ''The Heavenly Fire: Ruth''] ([[Portable Document Format|PDF]]) (Creative Commons translation with in-depth introduction and extensive translation notes)

'''Encyclopedic entries'''
* [https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13276a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia]

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou | [[Ketuvim|History books]]|||}}
{{s-bef | before = [[Song of Songs]] }}
{{s-ttl | title  = [[Tanakh|Hebrew Bible]] }}
{{s-aft | after  = [[Book of Lamentations|Lamentations]] }}
{{s-bef | before = [[Book of Judges|Judges]] }}
{{s-ttl | title = Christian<br>[[Old Testament]] }}
{{s-aft | after  = [[Books of Samuel|1–2 Samuel]] }}
{{s-end}}
{{Book of Ruth}}
{{Books of the Bible}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruth, Book Of}}
[[Category:Book of Ruth| ]]
[[Category:6th-century BC books]]
[[Category:5th-century BC books]]
[[Category:4th-century BC books]]
[[Category:Ketuvim| 05]]
[[Category:Moab]]
[[Category:Shavuot]]
[[Category:Historical books]]