How Old Was Ruth in the Bible?
We are often asked, “How old was Ruth in the Bible?” But we can’t just go by the story’s age. Ruth was a hard worker and a mother who lived with her husband’s mother. This story illustrates how important it is to protect the vulnerable, especially women. Boaz’s example shows that women should be protected as much as possible, and he made sure Ruth was safe.
Boaz was older than Ruth
Many have wondered why Boaz was older than Ruth in the story of the Bible. Several scholars believe that Boaz was a wealthy man in the land of Israel who possessed influence. In fact, some rabbis believe that Boaz was a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the nation. Boaz was a generous and gracious man. He was also a kinsman of Naomi’s deceased husband, Elimelech. While we are not told his exact relationship with his family, it is assumed that Boaz was a nephew of Elimelech. Another theory is that he was a cousin of Elimelech.
Boaz was also a respected man in the village. His role was to oversee the threshing of grain and to prevent people from being immoral. He also studied the Torah and sought rest after the famine. Because of this, Boaz believed Ruth was a devil, but he was persuaded when Ruth touched his head.
Boaz is gracious to Ruth. His words are seasoned with salt, implying that he is rich. He also appears to be well-off and employs a large number of workers to work in his fields. Although Boaz may be older than Ruth, he has been blessed with many workers. He also encourages Ruth and builds her up.
Ruth and Boaz were kinsmen through marriage. Ruth’s husband, Elimelech, had been a close relative of Boaz. Boaz followed Ruth’s example and linked the redemption of her inheritance to Ruth’s levirate marriage. When other kinsmen refused to do this, he fulfilled the obligation.
Ruth was a hard worker
In the Bible, we read the story of Ruth, the widow mother of Naomi. Her story shows how God can work through the unlikely people in our lives. She sacrificed everything to help Naomi. She worked from dawn until night to gather grain. And when she took a break, she shared her food with Naomi. But it is not only her faithfulness to Naomi and God that makes this story stand out.
Ruth’s story is a good example of someone who did not let her circumstances dictate her actions. She stepped out to use the resources she had available, even though Naomi was too old to work. She was willing to glean in the fields each day, bend over to gather grain, and grind barley to make flour. She worked long hours and earned her reward.
Though Ruth was a widow, her story shows how God uses those who do hard work. Her hard work earned her a title in the Bible called “virtuous woman.” She was praised by God for her faithfulness and honor to her mother-in-law. Ultimately, she was saved.
The hard work of Ruth was essential for Naomi to survive. As Naomi’s favorite relative, Ruth was allowed to redeem her husband. But before she was allowed to dine with Boaz, she gleaned the fields from dawn to dusk and threshed everything she collected. Naomi noticed Ruth’s hard work.
She had a son
The story of Ruth’s son Obed can be traced back to the biblical book of Ruth. Obed would eventually become the grandfather of King David, who would come from his father’s line. Boaz, the kinsman redeemer of Naomi, provided Ruth with land and a son. Boaz was also the ancestor of King David. Ultimately, the story of Ruth’s son demonstrates the importance of family loyalty, especially when it comes to the Torah.
The Book of Ruth is a story about exile and return. The family of Elimelech had to leave Israel due to famine, but when the famine was over, the family returned to Bethlehem. As the family members returned, Naomi wished them a safe trip back to Moab. She also asked her relatives to return to Judah, taking Ruth with her. However, because of Ruth’s pregnancy, she was not allowed to return to Bethlehem.
This incident was one of many that occurred during Ruth’s life. It seemed as if her life was a series of timely coincidences. In the end, the events of her life were the work of God. The circumstances of Ruth’s life eventually led to the birth of David and the Savior, Jesus. And though it took many centuries for God’s plan to be implemented, Ruth’s life is an amazing example of how God uses the providence of God.
Ruth’s story is well known to many Christians. The book of Ruth explains how her love for Naomi impacted her son’s life. Naomi had a husband and two sons before she married Ruth. Ruth sacrificed her love for her husband for her son and the future of the family. Although Obed and Naomi did not have a child of their own, their son was named Obed, and the line would eventually reveal greater love in the future.
She stayed with her husband’s mother
The Book of Ruth is one of the most beautiful stories of the Bible. It tells the story of Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi. Ruth’s story is included in the canon of the Bible known as Ketuvim, or Writings.
As a young woman, Ruth had no husband and no money, so she stayed with her husband’s mother in law to earn money. She did this by gathering leftover barley from the fields of Boaz, another relative of her husband Ebimilek. Boaz did not know she was there, so she didn’t tell him who she was. Boaz was a relative of Ebimilek’s and “rescued” the land from the family.
When the judges ruled over Israel, there was a famine in the land and many fled to neighboring lands to find food. When the famine hit, Elimelek and his wife Naomi fled to Moab. Elimelek’s sons married Moabite women and stayed there for ten years. Ruth stayed with her mother-in-law after ten years. When the famine passed, Naomi asked the daughters-in-law to return home with her husband.
Naomi had a great influence on Ruth. She helped her daughter-in-law learn the importance of God and how to marry a Godly man. Her mother-in-law had been a godly woman and her life was blessed by her wisdom.
She became a goel
In the Bible, the woman who had the name Ruth became a goel when she married Boaz, a kinsman redeemer. The phrase ‘kinsman redeemer’ is derived from the Hebrew word for kinsman. It means to redeem, receive, or buy. The term was a provision in the Law of Moses for poor people who were enslaved and sold.
This story was also a prophecy: the Jewish people would one day redeem a bride for the Messiah. The first step would be to make sure that the woman was worthy. Ruth’s family had turned its back on God. It would have been extremely difficult for Boaz to take advantage of her.
Ruth was a wise and virtuous woman. The Greek Septuagint translates chayil as dunamis, which means “power.” Her strength matched the description of a godly woman given by Peter. Ruth’s kindness to Naomi makes her more attractive to Boaz.
It’s important to remember that the story of Naomi and Ruth is a metaphor for how we see the Messiah. While Naomi and Ruth were both Jewish, they were still living in pagan nations. The Moabites had been long-time enemies of Israel. Their religion was based on the god Chemosh and practiced child sacrifice.
Regardless of whether you believe in the Bible or not, there is one thing that is clear: Ruth’s inner love for God is evident in her behavior. The Bible mentions her twelve times, and five of those times are as a Moabitess.
She married an Israelite
How old was Ruth in the Bible when she met and married an Israelite? In the Bible, Ruth marries Boaz, a man from Bethlehem, a city in Judah. Boaz is a long-established man and probably was more than 80 years old when he married Ruth. He was also a widower who had no children when he married Ruth. In the Old Testament, such marriages are called Levirate marriages.
Ruth was originally from Moab and was genetically related to Israel, since her family was descended from Lot, a son of Abraham. Although she was living in Moab, she married an Israelite. Unfortunately, her husband and father-in-law had died and she was left to make a choice: whether to return to the land she’d never known and marry an Israelite or stay with the family she’d been living with for so many years.
Ruth’s conversion to Judaism occurs during the barley harvest. As she works to gather food, she makes use of the Jewish law (Leviticus 19:9-10) that says farmers should not collect crop residue “all the way to the edge of the field.” This law allows the poor to feed their families by collecting the leftovers.
Naomi encouraged Ruth to seek the favor of Boaz. The couple married and had a son, Obed. Obed would later be a father to King David.