Old Testament · History
Ruth Bible Quiz
Test your knowledge of Ruth: Ruth, Naomi, Boaz and loyalty.
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How does the book of Ruth differ from other biblical books in its style and length?
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Answer: A. It is a short story with a happy ending
The book is a brief, self-contained prose narrative that begins with grief and ends with a birth and genealogy, standing apart from the lengthy law codes, prophetic oracles, and historical chronicles that fill most of the canon.
Ruth 1–4 -
What famous declaration did Ruth make to Naomi?
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Answer: B. Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God
When Naomi urged Ruth to return to her own people and gods, Ruth refused and pledged that wherever Naomi went Ruth would go, that Naomi's people would be her people and Naomi's God her God.
Ruth 1:16 -
Who was the son born to Ruth and Boaz?
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Answer: D. Obed
The neighboring women gave the child his name, declaring a son had been born to Naomi and calling him Obed—who would become the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Ruth 4:17 -
Why did Elimelech take his family to Moab?
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Answer: B. Because of a famine in Bethlehem
A famine in the land drove Elimelech to take his wife and two sons from Bethlehem to sojourn in the country of Moab, setting the entire story in motion.
Ruth 1:1 -
What is the main theme emphasized in the book of Ruth?
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Answer: D. Faithfulness and loyalty
Ruth's refusal to leave Naomi's side and her wholehearted adoption of Naomi's people and God establish devotion and loyal love as the narrative's central moral concern from beginning to end.
Ruth 1–4 -
Which geographical location is central to the story of Ruth and is repeatedly mentioned as the setting of events?
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Answer: B. Bethlehem
The opening verse names Bethlehem as the family's hometown, and every major scene—the harvest, the threshing floor, the gate proceedings, and Obed's birth—unfolds in or around that same town.
Ruth 1:1 -
How was Boaz related to Naomi's family?
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Answer: B. He was a kinsman of Elimelech
Before Ruth ever meets Boaz, the narrator identifies him as a man of great standing who belonged to the clan of Naomi's deceased husband Elimelech, establishing from the outset his family tie to Naomi.
Ruth 2:1 -
What does the story of Ruth teach about God's providence?
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Answer: B. God's sovereignty over circumstances
The narrative traces how seemingly ordinary events—a famine, a death, a gleaner in the right field—quietly converge to restore two destitute women and place them at the root of the Davidic line.
Ruth 1–4 -
Which relative is called 'kinsman-redeemer' in the story of Ruth?
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Answer: A. Boaz
Naomi told Ruth that Boaz was one of their close relatives with the right of redemption, identifying him for the first time as a man with the family obligation to restore their situation.
Ruth 2:20 -
Why couldn't Boaz immediately redeem Ruth?
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Answer: B. There was a closer kinsman who had the first right
Boaz confirmed to Ruth that he was indeed a redeemer for her, but acknowledged that another man was a closer relative and therefore held the prior legal right to act.
Ruth 3:12
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What name did Naomi want to be called when she returned to Bethlehem?
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Answer: B. Mara (meaning bitter)
When the women of Bethlehem came out to meet her, Naomi asked them not to call her Naomi but Mara, explaining that the Almighty had dealt very bitterly with her.
Ruth 1:20 -
How did Boaz handle the legal issue of redemption?
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Answer: C. He met with the closer kinsman and elders at the city gate
Boaz went to the town gate, called the nearer kinsman aside as he passed, and gathered ten elders of the city to serve as witnesses to the formal proceedings about redemption.
Ruth 4:1-2 -
Where did Ruth go to make her request to Boaz?
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Answer: A. To the threshing floor at night
Following Naomi's instructions, Ruth went down to the threshing floor after dark, waited until Boaz had finished eating and drinking, and then quietly uncovered his feet and lay down.
Ruth 3:6-7 -
How does the book of Ruth connect to the lineage of King David?
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Answer: A. Ruth is David's great-grandmother
The closing genealogy records that Ruth and Boaz bore a son named Obed, that Obed fathered Jesse, and that Jesse fathered David, placing Ruth squarely in the great-grandmother position.
Ruth 4:17-22 -
What did Ruth ask Boaz to do?
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Answer: A. Spread his wing over her because he was a kinsman-redeemer
Ruth asked Boaz to spread the corner of his garment over her, invoking the protection and obligation owed her by a close relative who held the right of redemption.
Ruth 3:9
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Keep going in the Kingdom Bible Quiz app
There are 12 more Ruth questions in the app, in five question formats. Play daily, unlock verse reveals, and quiz with family and friends.
Answer key
- A. It is a short story with a happy ending
- B. Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God
- D. Obed
- B. Because of a famine in Bethlehem
- D. Faithfulness and loyalty
- B. Bethlehem
- B. He was a kinsman of Elimelech
- B. God's sovereignty over circumstances
- A. Boaz
- B. There was a closer kinsman who had the first right
- B. Mara (meaning bitter)
- C. He met with the closer kinsman and elders at the city gate
- A. To the threshing floor at night
- A. Ruth is David's great-grandmother
- A. Spread his wing over her because he was a kinsman-redeemer
About the book of Ruth
Ruth is the 8th book of the Bible and belongs to the History section of the Old Testament. It has 4 chapters. Ruth is a short story of loyalty and redemption: a Moabite widow stays with her mother-in-law Naomi, marries Boaz of Bethlehem, and becomes the great-grandmother of King David.
Using this quiz with a group
These questions work well for Sunday school, youth group, small groups and family devotions. Read each question aloud, let everyone answer, then read the explanation together. Use the print button for a worksheet with an answer key at the end.