AUTHOR: The authorship of the Book of Ruth is unknown. A Jewish tradition attributes authorship to Samuel, however, some rabbis attribute authorship to Naomi. However, if the references to David [Ruth 4:17-22] are an integral part of the original book, and not a later appendix, then the text was not written by either of them, since both died before David was crowned king. .

ORIGIN OF THE NAME: The book is named after one of its main characters, Ruth the Moabitess, whose name means "friendship".

THEME: God rewards living by faith. The Book of Ruth presents us with the reward for those who remain faithful in the face of life's adversities. It is a story of both human and divine faithfulness. The book can be summarized in four moments: the option for faith [ Rt 1:1-22 ], the challenge for faith [ 2:1-23 ], a claim for faith [ 3:1-18 ] and a son in reason of faith [4:1-18]. The episodes related in the Book of Ruth take place during the period of the Judges, probably during the time of Gideon, and cover a period of ten years.

COMPILATION: The date is uncertain. Some evidence indicates that the book was written during the reign of David or Solomon:

[ Ruth 1:1 ] The book was written after the time of the Judges.

[ Ruth 4:7 ] Narrator explains ancient customs to readers.

[ Ruth 4:17-22 ] Mention of David's genealogy.

The book of Ruth consists of 4 chapters and 85 verses.