Let's Not Be Ruthless! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Elimelech

Naomi also had two sons who died. Their names were Mahlon and Chilion. Elimelech's name means "God is King".

Question submitted by Ilona_Ritter

Answer: A famine in Israel

The writer of Ruth outlines the reason in the first sentence of the book: "Now there came a time of famine while judges were ruling in the land of Israel" (Ruth 1:1, International Standard Version).


Question submitted by Watchkeeper

Answer: Barley

We are told this in Ruth 1:22. Barley ripens first and is harvested around Pesach (Passover). The first sheaf of barley was to be presented as a wave offering on the Sunday following Pesach (Leviticus 23:10, 11). Wheat was harvested about seven weeks later, and two loaves made from the fresh grain were to be offered as first fruits. This is also illustrated in Exodus 9:31, 32 where we read that the plague of hail sent on Egypt destroyed the barley, which was ripe for harvest, but not the wheat, which is "late in coming up" (English Standard Version). Grapes are harvested in July/August and dates in August/September.

Question submitted by Watchkeeper

Answer: Daughter

Several scholars believe that Boaz was significantly older than Ruth was and the fact that he referred to her as "daughter" supports the assumption. Some people have also suggested that he was a widower before he married Ruth, and/or that he was even still married when he married Ruth, which would have made him a polygamist.

An example of Boaz using the term, in addition to a verse that suggests that Boaz was older than Ruth was, follows.

Ruth 3:10, NASB: "Then he said, 'May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter. You have shown your last kindness to be better than the first by not going after young men, whether poor or rich.'"

Many other translations beside the NASB use the same word. However, the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) uses "young woman" and the Living Bible (TLB) uses "girl" instead of "daughter".

"Honey" and "sweetheart" are, of course, common terms of endearment, but they are not correct for this question. Jesus frequently addressed females as simply "woman" in the New Testament.

Question submitted by Ceduh

Answer: Let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them,and rebuke her not.

Thanks to Boaz's kindness, Ruth and Naomi always had plenty to eat. We also see that Boaz took an interest in Ruth even though he didn't come out and say that he was interested in her.

Submitted by Ilona_Ritter

Answer: Uncover his feet and lay there.

Naomi was playing matchmaker in this chapter, as she knew Boaz would be the perfect husband for Ruth. Normally a woman lying at the feet of a man was considered improper, but Naomi believed that this was the best course of action for Ruth.

Submitted by Ilona_Ritter

Answer: Salmon

Ruth 4:21 lists Salmon as the father of Boaz. Matthew 1:5 agrees that Salmon was Boaz's father; Matthew adds that Salmon's wife and Boaz's mother was a woman named Rahab. Many Christians believe that the Rahab was the same Rahab from the book of Joshua, although some do argue that she was a different Rahab. (I personally believe that the harlot of Jericho and Boaz's mother were the same Rahab after she gave up her life of sin. If they were different women, what was Matthew's point of even mentioning the name "Rahab"? Any other "Rahab" wouldn't have been as famous as the one from the book of Joshua; therefore, I think that Boaz's mother's name would have been irrelevant if she was an unknown Rahab.)

According to the Wikipedia article about Salmon, his father, Nahshon, was with Moses during the exodus from Egypt, so Salmon was probably one of the Israelites who entered the promised land with Joshua. Salmon was possibly one of the spies who Rahab sheltered under her roof.

Question submitted by Ceduh

Answer: David

Yes, this is the same David who would one day be a great king (albeit with some flaws). He also is the king through which the lineage of Jesus would eventually come (see Matthew 1).


Question submitted by Ilona_Ritter

Answer: Rachel and Leah

The people spoke this to Naoimi about Ruth. As the verse states, Leah and Rachel built the house of Israel. They were Jacob's wives and the mothers of the twelve tribes of Israel. "Israel" was Jacob's God-given name.

By blessing Ruth to be like Rachel and Leah, the people basically blessed Ruth to be a great and important woman in Israel. Indeed, this is what happened, because one of Ruth's grandchildren became King David! See Ruth, chapter 4.

Question submitted by Ceduh

Answer: True

Yes, this is true. Although the KJV uses the word "son," it probably means "descendant" or "grandson." While Naomi wasn't biologically Obed's grandmother, she apparently became an adoptive grandmother, since Ruth was originally married to Naomi's son, Mahlon. Whenever I read the book of Ruth, I get the sense that Ruth loved and viewed Naomi as her own mother, while she had been her mother-in-law before Mahlon died.

How happy Naomi, who had lost her husband and her own sons, must had been that she gained a new family through Ruth and Boaz!

Question submitted by Ceduh