Ruth 1:1 tells us that during the period when Israel was ruled by judges, a severe famine struck the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah decided to leave with his family and settle in the neighboring country of Moab. The narrator of the book of Ruth, the one who opens the story, is the speaker, and the verse is addressed to the readers of the book as the foundation for everything that follows. It sets the scene before a single character speaks.
In the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
Ruth 1:1 (WEB)
What Ruth 1:1 Means
The opening phrase, “In the days when the judges judged,” places the story in a specific era. The book of Judges describes a time when Israel had no king and each generation seemed to drift into its own confusion, so the author is telling you that this story unfolds in a period of instability. The phrase is a timestamp, not a moral judgment on the people of that time.
“There was a famine in the land” names the crisis that drives everything else. Famine in that world meant failed crops, hungry families, and real danger to survival. The verse does not explain why the famine came, and it does not promise that God will end the famine quickly. It simply states what happened, which is how the Bible often begins its hardest stories.
The verse then says that a man of Bethlehem Judah “went to live in the country of Moab,” with his wife and two sons. Moab was a neighboring nation with a long and often tense history with Israel, so leaving for Moab was a notable decision. The verse reports the move without condemning it or praising it. What it does not say is that moving away from the promised land was automatically sinful, nor that God approved of it. You are left to read the rest of the story to see how the family’s choice plays out.
The Context of Ruth 1:1
The book of Ruth is traditionally attributed to an unnamed author, and many scholars date its composition to after the period of the monarchy, though the setting is the time of the judges. It was written for an Israelite audience who knew the family lines, the geography of Bethlehem and Moab, and the importance of land and lineage in the covenant community. Those readers would have understood the weight of a family leaving the land God had given Israel.
The verses that follow in Ruth 1:2 through 1:4 introduce Elimelech, Naomi, Mahlon, and Chilion, and then show the family’s sons marrying Moabite women named Orpah and Ruth. Ruth 1:3 reports that Elimelech dies and Naomi is left with her two sons. Reading Ruth 1:1 alongside these details shows that the verse is the first step of a story about loss, loyalty, and the unexpected ways God restores a family, so the opening move is not the end of the account.
Key Phrases in Ruth 1:1
Deuteronomy 16:3
You shall eat no leavened bread with it. You shall eat unleavened bread with it seven days, even the bread of affliction; for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste; that you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.
(WEB)
This verse recalls Israel’s exodus from Egypt and the bread of affliction, reminding readers that God’s people have a long memory of hardship and deliverance. Reading it alongside Ruth 1:1 helps you see the famine in Ruth as one more chapter in Israel’s history of depending on God for daily provision.
Ruth 4:17
The women, her neighbors, gave him a name, saying, “A son is born to Naomi”. They named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
(WEB)
This verse, near the end of the book, reports the birth of a son to Ruth and Boaz and names David as their descendant. It shows how the story that began with a famine and a departure ends with a line of faithfulness that leads to the Davidic kingdom.
A Short Prayer From Ruth 1:1
Lord, you know the seasons when the ground feels dry and the way forward is unclear. Like the family in Bethlehem, I sometimes face hard times that push me toward choices I did not plan. Help me to trust that your care reaches beyond the places I wander and the losses I carry. Keep me honest about my needs, and steady my heart so I can keep looking to you as the one who writes the rest of my story. Amen.
