Introduction to Ruth – Title

Why Ruth?

The name for this biblical book comes from one of the names of the three main characters, the Moabite daughter-in-law of Naomi and eventual wife of Boaz. Ruth is mentioned by name 12 times in these four chapters but only one other place in the Bible, Matthew 1:5. It is remarkable that this book in our Old Testament is one of two named after women. A book named after a woman is rare because of the emphasis on the patriarchy in general but even more stunning in the case of Ruth because she wasn’t an Israelite, and our Old Testament Scriptures are the Jewish Scriptures. Ruth was a Moabite and the author makes sure to emphasize this fact in his writing mentioning her nationality five times.

It is also interesting that the book was named after Ruth, not only because of her being a Moabite woman, but also because she isn’t the main character of the book. The first chapter opens up and tells us about the plight that Naomi’s family found themselves in and then detailed her grievous losses. The book ends by showing how Naomi was no longer empty but declaring her fullness in the birth of Obed, her grandson. The inclusion of Perez’s genealogical record seems to indicate the author’s intention to direct the reader’s attention away from Ruth.

As we go through this small Old Testament book, we will observe how the characters relate to one another throughout its story. Direct speech, the dialogue between the main characters, is important when trying to apply this portion of Scripture to our lives. No less than fifty-five of the eighty-five verses contain conversation between the characters. Another way to observe this makeup of the book is that of the 1,294 words in the four chapters, 678 (52.4%) occur on the lips of the characters. But, out of the three, Ruth speaks less often than Boaz or Naomi and when she does speak, her speeches are the shortest among the three.

Based on the plot, the book is more appropriately titled “The Book of Naomi”; and on the dialogue, “The Book of Boaz.” On the other hand, when we consider the closing genealogical record, it could have been given the name, “The Book of Obed.” Yet, the author of the book chose Ruth. Why? Perhaps the writer was fascinated by Ruth’s character and God’s adoption of Gentiles and thus chose to name the book after this admirable Moabite woman. Whatever the reason for the author choosing Ruth, we have in our possession a book that is both theologically and practically rich!