The Book of Ruth Figures

Ruth is the star of this show. Her name is even up on the marquee in big letters. So, what's up with our main heroine? How did a housewife from Moab become one of the most revered and inspiring wom...

Naomi is the second most important woman in this story. Or is she actually the most important one? After all, the story starts and ends with her. Maybe this whole thing has been misnamed. The Book...

Boaz is our romantic lead. If this were a movie, he'd be played by Matthew McConaughey and there'd be a whole lot of shots of Boaz shirtless in a field of barley. Can Shmoop get in line for tickets...

The patriarch of this family, and his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, don't stick around long enough to make much of an impression on us. By the time were a few verses into the story, all the gents a...

Naomi's other, not-as-awesome daughter-in-law, Orpah, was married to her son Chilion before his untimely demise. Though she wants to leave Moab with Ruth and follow her mother-in-law to Judah, Orpa...

This dude conveniently appears at the end of chapter 3 to throw one final kink into Ruth and Boaz's happily-ever-after. While they're sharing a romantic moment on the threshing floor Boaz mentions...

Everyone loves a baby and Obed, the son of Ruth and Boaz, is no exception. After everything is finally settled and Ruth and Boaz are living happily-ever-after, "the Lord ma[kes Ruth] conceive, and...