Thematic Essay On The Book Of Ruth

The book of Ruth is believed to have been put in its final form after David became King in Hebron, in 1011 B.C. the reason behind this belief is David is recognized as an important figure in the genealogy (4:17, 22). The writer is unknown to us but may have been Samuel. In the Hebrew Bible the book of Ruth was attached to the end of the book of Judges. Later the Jewish people placed the book of Ruth in the third major division of the canon. The Jews used the Book of Ruth in the liturgy of the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost). The author of The Book of Ruth said the time in which, the events recorded took place were during the period, “when the judges governed” Israel (1:1). There have been many different thoughts and ideas on exactly when the story took place. Going by the genealogy found in 4:18-22 if the genealogy is complete Boaz lived during the seventh generation after Perez, the son of Judah and Boaz was therefore King David’s great-grandfather. Some say the life span during the patriarchal period were sometimes very long, so it may be safer to start at David and calculate back. Conservative

One of the themes is to show how, “God often works providentially behind the scenes bringing His will to pass.” Another theme would be loyalty, Shmoop says: “The Book of Ruth is big on loyalty. In fact, the Hebrew word for this—chesed—appears multiple times throughout the story.” Probably One of the most popular quotes from the whole book is Ruth's words to Naomi which is a pledge of loyalty, “for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.” The purpose of the book of Ruth is to present the providential provision of the kinsman-redeemer. The Book of Ruth was written to the