Ancient versions and modern translations consistently entitle
this book after Ruth the Moabitess heroine, who is mentioned by
name twelve times (1:4 to 4:13). Only two OT books receive their
names from women—Ruth and Esther. The OT does not again refer to
Ruth, while the NT mentions her just once—in the context of
Christ’s genealogy (Matt. 1:5; cf. 4:18–22). “Ruth” most likely
comes from a Moabite and/or Hebrew word meaning
“friendship.”Ruth arrived in Bethlehem as a foreigner (2:10),
became a maidservant (2:13), married wealthy Boaz (4:13), and
discovered herself in the physical lineage of Christ (Matt.
1:5). Author and Date Jewish tradition credits Samuel as the
author, which is plausible since he did not die (1 Sam. 25:1)
until after he had anointed David as God’s chosen king (1 Sam.
16:6–13). However, neither internal features nor external
testimony conclusively identifies the writer. This exquisite
story most likely appeared shortly before or during David’s
reign of Israel (1011–971 B.C.) since David is