Ruth 1, new international version niv the bible app. You can find the best commentary on ruth for you using the tools on the right side. Ruth was a moabite woman, whose sense of piety and devotion to her motherinlaw naomi led to her marriage to the prominent boaz of bethlehem in judah. The story is set in the time of the judges, a time characterized in the book of judges as a period of religious and moral degeneracy, national disunity and frequent foreign oppression. Their sons names are metaphors for their misery mahlon means sickness and chilion means wasting in hebrew. But naomi is so embittered by gods hard providence that she cant see his mercy at work in her life. Thus seen, the book of ruth provides its readers with a light of spiritual faithfulness in a period of otherwise spiritual darkness. Commentary on the book of ruth by matthew henry old.
But she did have her two young daughtersinlaw, orpah and ruth. Our story opens on a nice jewish family with a problem. The book of ruth shows the type pattern of the coming christ who redeem people of any descent or background only those who believe what god gives to be believed regarding. Your children will be moved by this amazing story of love and friendship. She was dissatisfied with the idolworship of her own. Because of a famine in israel, a hebrew family moved to moab. It reads more like a short story and the insight in it runs deep. These two issues are addressed in the book of ruth. Most people believe that samuel penned the book of ruth. Had ruth acted in any respect that in those days was judged indecent or immodest, it is most likely she would have highly displeased such a grave. Ruth was a moabite princess of very fine character, who became the great grandmother of king david. Ruth was a moabite princess of very fine character, who became the greatgrandmother of king david. Ruth and boaz are the reason why jesus was born in bethlehem.
The story of ruth offers vital lessons to every generation and has enjoyed nearly universal acceptance by biblical scholars and critics throughout the centuries. Having moved to moab and lost everything there, including her husband and two sons, naomi decided it was time to return home to judah. Over the years, some scholars have argued that ruth is actually more focused on naomi than the titular heroine. Sep 06, 2016 this heartfelt video of the ruth and naomi brings to life the biblical account of the book of ruth. Ruth 3 commentary meaning summary sermon explaining the. Ruth goes with naomi to bethlehem and, in gods perfect timing, a kinsmen redeemer is revealed, boaz.
The author was anonymous but some believe it was perhaps written by samuel the prophet. Ruth 3 commentary meaning summary sermon explaining the book. Grab your free printable on the key verses from the book of ruthsneak peak below. A summary of the book of ruth biblical christianity. Jan 02, 2020 the kinsman who redeems or vindicates a relative is illustrated most clearly in the book of ruth, where the kinsmanredeemer is boaz. Ruth might hold the title of best daughterinlaw ever. The book of ruth has always been one of my favorite books of the bible. Intro to ruth biblica the international bible society. The story begins with a famine in the days when the judges ruled ruth 1. Ruth overview, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, filling six volumes, provides an exhaustive look at every verse in the bible. It was god who preserved a kinsman to continue naomis line 2. Naomi entreating ruth and orpah to return to the land of moab by william blake, 1795. Yet, despite the fact that such information is illusive when it comes to biblical texts, the intuition remains among laypeople and scholars alike that it is likely relevant to how we understand the hbot. This is one of the two books in the bible where a woman is the main character.
Ruth 1 commentary explaining the book bible study guide. The kinsman who redeems or vindicates a relative is illustrated most clearly in the book of ruth, where the kinsmanredeemer is boaz. The book of ruth is an important historical work in hebrew scripture, our old testament of the bible, as it traces the lineage of king david and ultimately that of the messiah, jesus christ. The book of ruth shows the type pattern of the coming christ who redeem people of any descent or background only those who believe what god gives to be believed regarding himself and the christ, and thereby they would be saved to god and become god s people. Ruth 4 the marriage of boaz and ruth enduring word. The story of ruth as you may never have thought of it before. Jesus has been through the whole book, pictured by boaz and the office of the kinsmanredeemer. And so like all the other scriptures, as paul says romans 15. The story is told in the book of ruth, part of the biblical canon called ketuvim, or writings. The book of ruth is the narrative of a love story, yet also has some important genealogy. It is interesting, to me, that these two gentiles by birth were ancestors of jesus. It must have been heartbreaking for her to start the return journey without those she had come with. So a man from bethlehem in judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of moab. Watch our overview video on the book of ruth, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought.
The book of ruth is included in the third division, or the writings, of the hebrew bible. The book of ruth showed the israelites the blessings that obedience could bring. T he book of ruth contains an interesting story about a moabite woman who was redeemed into a hebrew family. Among historical narratives in scripture it is unexcelled in its compactness, vividness, warmth, beauty and dramatic effectivenessan exquisitely wrought jewel of hebrew narrative art. The story of ruth in the bible has a lesson that can be applied to our lives.
The sons marry two local girls, ruth and orpah, during this time. The book tells of ruth accepting the god of the israelites as her god and the israelite people as her own. The book of ruth came along at a time of irresponsible living in israels history and appropriately called the people back to a greater responsibility and faithfulness before godeven in difficult times. The book of ruth gives us a glimpse into the hidden work of god during the worst of times. From this family came boaz and, later, great king david. Jan 10, 2018 the book of ruth is the kind of high drama that would have played well in jewish oral tradition. Their son was obed, the father of jesse, the father of david. The book of ruth reflects a time of peace between israel and moab contrast jdg 3. There, they set up shop, eat some food, and live for about ten years.
Best ruth commentaries updated for 2020 best bible. And it was god who constrains ruth to stay with naomi. On its face, the book of ruth is a short selfcontained story, unconnected to the narrative sequence from genesis through kings. Ancient versions and modern translations consistently entitle this book after ruth the moabitess heroine, who is. The hidden symbolism you never saw in the book of ruth bible. Afflictions will make great and surprising changes in a little time. This was a country not far from israel on the east side of the dead sea. Ruth was a gentile not of the judeanisraeli descent but from another ethnic group, her background was a nation otherthan israel and she married a descendant of israel. It is a groundless tradition of the jews that ruth was the daughter of eglon king of moab, yet the chaldee paraphrast inserts it. This commentary on the book of ruth explores that lesson.
The timeline of this book is intertwined during the period of the judges. Ruth overview matthew henrys complete commentary on the. Recently ive discovered the parallel between the familiar tale and a new covenant life. It celebrates the loyalty and reward of a young moabite widow ruth who chooses to follow her israelite motherinlaw naomi back to bethlehem after naomi was bereaved of her own husband and two sons.
Ruth would later marry boaz, but more on that in a minute. Because it is about ordinary people, this story can help us today. Before attempting to study revelation 5, you need to understand the book of ruth. The book may have been written by samuel and was probably penned during the time of david. A faithful family is driven by famine from judah to the nonjewish land of moab. Story of ruth first obviously were landing in the middle of the book of ruth. Jesus, the greatest of all kings, came from bethlehem from the same family. A recurring view of history based upon yhwhs covenants. The book of ruth, which is usually just called ruth, gets its title from its main character. Edward campbell says it best in the anchor yale bible commentary, the book of ruth is an intricately woven, magnificently crafted story. The death of elimelech and his two sons, and the disconsolate condition naomi was thereby reduced to.
Lessons from the book of ruth lesson 1 general introduction overview the book of ruth is a short narrative account that has its setting. Book of ruth, old testament book belonging to the third section of the biblical canon, known as the ketuvim, or writings. Its an intimate family tale of misfortune, crafty use of kinship ties, and ultimately, loyalty. Oct 15, 2015 watch our overview video on the book of ruth, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book of ruth is a hebrew short story, told with consummate skill. Ruth bible story summary what christians want to know. A glimpse of the old testament reveals that the period known as. A western view of history is primarily linear as it traces events in a chronological line from a to z with cause and effect viewed in naturalistic terms 2. Lessons in life and faith from the book of ruth in the bible. So it is for the hbot broadly, and so it is for the book of ruth. But the consideration of jesus in this book of ruth doesnt begin with the mention of king david. You will also find options for commentaries on ruth that help pastors, teachers, and readers with application of the bible, commentaries that approach the scripture versebyverse, classic christian commentaries, and much more. Famine has hit bethlehem, which forces elimelech and his wife, naomi, to move east to moab with their two sons to get some grub.
Its main character is a moabite woman named ruth, the daughterinlaw of a jewish widow named naomi. Ruth s story is celebrated during the jewish festival of shavuot, the feast of weeks, 50 days after passover. So i began to put this book together so that women can be encouraged that sometimes life begins after a devastation, she explained. The book of ruth is set during the time of the judges. Ruth s kindness as noted in the book of ruth by boaz is seen in the jewish tradition as in rare contradistinction to the peoples of moab where ruth comes from and amon in general, who were noted by the torah for their distinct lack of kindness. If you have a group of 6 or more you may want to split up into smaller groups of 3 or 4 is it anyones first time reading through the book of ruth. The third reason for verses 8 is to make ruths faithfulness to naomi appear amazing. If this suggests that the book of ruth is an anomaly, i propose to show that, on the contrary, its thematic connections with the rest of the bible are much stronger than we generally perceive. The book of ruth is a short narrative account that has its setting. It is the work of a person standing in the midstream of israelite life and thought, a person wishing to communicate to his audience things very close to the heart of the old testament. The book of ruth is one of only two books of the bible to be named after women the other is esther. Ruth and naomi book of ruth sunday school lesson and. Book of ruth overview insight for living ministries.
This story is about an ordinary family whose members suffered many losses but god went on looking after them. Moreover, jewish canonical tradition links judges and ruth, together as one book, again pointing to an early date. It explains like no other book in the bible, the role and mission of the kinsman redeemer. The hidden symbolism you never saw in the book of ruth,andrew wilson, alastair robert study from the bible and be encouraged to grow. Oct 16, 2019 ruth is one of the most significant books in the old testament for the church. After all, its naomis family and her loss that run throughout the story. In the hebrew bible, ruth stands with the song of solomon, lamentations, ecclesiastes, and esther. Because they the peoples of amon and moab did not greet you with bread and water on.
The book of ruth is one of the bible s shortest books, telling its story in just four chapters. This short book, only four chapters, shows how god uses unexpected people in amazing ways. The nearer kinsman declines his right of redemption. The book of ruth tells a touching story of the love and devotion of an ancestor of david and jesus christ.
It showed them the loving, faithful nature of their god. The final words of the book link ruth with her greatgrandson, david ruth 4. But the book of ruth is more than it might appear at first glance. When we open to the 3rd chapter of the book of ruth were coming into the middle of several story lines in the bible. This book is also an essential prerequisite to understanding the book of revelation.
Ruth 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, by the leading authority in the church of christ, presents a verse level look at the bible. Read the book of ruth in its entirety what do you know about the book of ruth. Even though its small, this remarkable book contains many principles with profound impact to our lives today. Have you ever thought of how it could apply to your life. The book of ruth derives its name from its principal character. Ruth, biblical character, a woman who after being widowed remains with her husbands mother. Bible survey ruth hebrew name ruut friend greek name oiktos greek form of the hebrew author samuel according to tradition. May god, by his grace, fit us for all such changes, especially the great change. The genealogy at the end of the book shows davids lineage through the days of the judges, acting as a support for his rightful kingship. This was a time when the people of israel had abandoned gods ways and fallen into idolatry, horrific social conditions, and a disastrous civil war, as told in the chapters of judges immediately preceding the book of ruth in christian bibles. In ruth, an israelite family faces tragic loss, and god uses the. The biographical sketch of this godly young moabitess contains much information concerning the customs of the ancient near east and provides its readers with some valuable data regarding the ancestry of king david. Ruths story is celebrated during the jewish festival of shavuot, the feast of weeks, 50 days after passover.
Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole of the old testament, and the gospels and acts in the new testament. Ruth 1 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on. There is no special book in the bible about mary, but god has given us this lovely book about ruth. Uncover his feet remove the clothes which are upon his feet. The book of ruth is one of the most moving accounts in the bible, a story of love and loyalty that is a stark contrast to todays cynical, throwaway society. The book of ruth, which appears in the third section of the hebrew bible, ktuvim, writings, is a beautiful folktale written in four short chapters. Famine has hit bethlehem, which forces elimelech and his wife, naomi.
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