Ruth was a gentile (non Jew) from the country of Moab, one of the neighboring countries of Israel. She married a Jewish man named Chilion who had migrated with his family to Moab in order to escape a famine in Bethlehem. Not long after marriage, Chilion died, leaving Ruth a widow. She was left destitute with her mother in law Naomi and her sister in law Orpah.
