Ruth 4:18-22
The List at the End
Read the passage
18Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron,
19Hezron was the father of Ram, Ram was the father of Amminadab,
20Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, Nahshon was the father of Salmon,
21Salmon was the father of Boaz, Boaz was the father of Obed,
22Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Ruth ends with ten names: Perez, Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse, and David. Each name belongs to a family line that reaches beyond the events we have been reading.
Perez has already appeared in the blessing at the gate. The people prayed that Boaz's household would become like his house. Now the genealogy places Boaz within that family and follows his descendants to David. The child born to Ruth and Boaz is David's grandfather.
The list helps us see what was at stake in the care of one household. Ruth's loyalty to Naomi, Boaz's kindness in the field, and his responsibility at the gate belong within the history of the family from which David came. God was at work through people caring for the needs before them.
Matthew returns to this line when tracing the ancestry of Jesus Christ. He explicitly names Ruth as Obed's mother, and his genealogy continues beyond David to Jesus. The book that began with famine and bereavement therefore has a place in the story of the Savior who came to save His people from their sins.
How We Know
Matthew 1:3–6 follows the same family line from Perez to David and names Ruth as the mother of Obed. Matthew 1:16 brings the genealogy to Jesus. These passages explicitly connect Ruth's family with the ancestry of Christ.
Questions
1 Where has Perez already been named in this chapter?
AnswerIn the blessing at the gate. The people asked that Boaz’s household become like the house of Perez.
2 How are Boaz, Obed, Jesse, and David related?
AnswerBoaz is Obed’s father, Obed is Jesse’s father, and Jesse is David’s father. Obed, Ruth and Boaz’s son, is David’s grandfather.
3 What does Matthew’s genealogy add to our view of Ruth’s story?
AnswerIt names Ruth as Obed’s mother and places this family in the ancestry of Jesus Christ. Her story belongs within the history that leads to His coming.
4 What can encourage us when our responsibilities feel ordinary?
AnswerGod values faithful care even when we cannot see its wider effect. Our hope rests in Him, not in a promise that our family will become famous.
What This Means for Us
We usually see the need before us more clearly than the future beyond it. Care for the people God has entrusted to you without requiring an impressive outcome to make that care worthwhile. Ruth's family leads us to Jesus, whose saving work gives us a hope larger than any reputation or achievement we could leave behind.
Prayer
Father, thank You for Your care through generations and for sending Jesus to save us. Help us serve the people before us faithfully and entrust the future to You. Amen.