Ruth was
a Moabitess whose father,
Elimelech, had settled in the land of Moab. On the death of
Elimelech and Mahlon, Naomi came with Ruth, her daughter-in-law,
who refused to leave her, to Bethlehem, the old home from which
Elimelech had migrated. There she had a rich relative, Boaz, to
whom Ruth was eventually married. She became the mother of Obed,
the grandfather of
David. Thus Ruth, a Gentile, is among the
maternal progenitors of
Jesus (Matt. 1:5).
Initial text from Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897 -- Please update as needed