text · B0018
Megillat Ruth מגילת רות
A famine, a Moabite daughter-in-law who refuses to turn back, and a quiet field in Beit Lechem — out of which comes the royal house. The baraita of Bava Batra gives the scroll to Shmuel, the prophet who would anoint Ruth's great-grandson David; in its order of the Ketuvim the baraita sets Ruth first of all the Writings, and the Gemara explains why a story that opens in suffering may stand at the door: it is suffering with an end — an acharit — that issues in David and his songs.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- מגילת רות
- Also known as
- Ruth, Book of Ruth
- Era
- bible
II. When
- Traditional
- written down by Shmuel c. 2830–2880 AM per Bava Batra 14b–15a
- Academic
- dating debated — from the early monarchy to the Persian period
- Duration
- ≈52 years
- Precision
- approximate
IV. What
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Shmuel wrote his book, and Shoftim, and Ruth" (שמואל כתב ספרו ושופטים ורות) — the baraita of Bava Batra. | rabbinic | ★★★★☆ | |
| In the baraita's order of the Ketuvim, Ruth stands first. The Gemara asks why open the Writings with calamity, and answers that Ruth is "calamity that has a future" (פורענות דאית ליה אחרית) — quoting R' Yochanan: why is she named Ruth? Because from her came David, who saturated (ריוה) the Holy One with songs and praises. | rabbinic | ★★★★☆ | |
| Timeline placement c. 2830–2880 AM, within Shmuel's traditional lifetime; the story itself is set in the days of the shoftim. The writing date is schematic, derived from the writer's era. | tradition reconstruction | ★★★☆☆ |