Ruth was written either during the time of David during the ninth or tenth century B.C., or during the post-exilic era during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah.

Those who date the book during the time of David highlight the importance of the book’s closing genealogy, which links King David to the baby born to Ruth and Boaz. The purpose of including this detail is to show that, in Ruth, David had Moabite origins, even though the Moabites were Israel’s enemies. The book of Ruth legitimizes David’s dynasty by showing that Ruth, despite her Moabite origins, was still an ideal ancestor. She was an outsider who became an insider. She responded to Naomi’s request to return to her people and to her God. She was a woman who modeled how to live a life of covenant faithfulness.

On the other hand, those who date the book of Ruth to the post-exilic period highlight the book’s theme of inclusion. The vision of including outsiders—people like Ruth—protests Ezra and Nehemiah’s policies of excluding outsiders, specifically the foreign wives and children.

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