Ruth a book of the Bible telling the story of Ruth, a Moabite woman, who when her husband died resolved to accompany her mother-in-law Naomi back to Judah, with the words, ‘Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goes, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.’

The two women returned to Judah, and through Naomi's agency Ruth married her deceased husband's kinsman Boaz and bore a son who became grandfather to King David. Ruth together with Naomi may be taken as a type of devotion; the image of Ruth herself, in her early days in Judah, may also be that of a lonely stranger.

Ruth Eighth book of the Old Testament recounting the story of Ruth, a young Moabite widow. It tells of her devotion to Naomi, her Hebrew mother-in-law; her decision to leave her own land and settle in Israelite territory; and her eventual marriage to the wealthy Boaz, whereby she becomes the great-grandmother of Israel's greatest leader, King David.

Ruth

fl. c. 700s b.c.

Moabite woman who married a Judaean living in Moab. After her husband died, Ruth traveled to Judea with her mother-in-law. She subsequently married another Judaean and became the great-grandmother of King David, and thus, a progenitor of Jesus. Her story in the Old Testament portrays early migration between nations and teaches the importance of the acceptance of foreigners, who may make valuable contributions to one's own nation and culture.

Ruth. Opera in 1 act by L. Berkeley to lib. by E. Crozier based on Book of Ruth. Prod. London 1956. Also title of various 19th-cent. oratorios.

ruth (arch.) pity. XII. f. RUE2. Survives in gen. use in ruthless XIV.