What is the meaning of Ruth 4:22?

Obed was the father of Jesse

“Obed was the father of Jesse” (Ruth 4:22)

• Obed’s birth is the gracious outcome of Ruth and Boaz’s faithfulness (Ruth 4:13–17). What began with famine, loss, and foreign relocation ends with a new branch in Israel’s family tree.

• This phrase roots Obed firmly in real time and space, underscoring that God’s promises unfold through actual people and families (Genesis 12:1-3; Galatians 3:8).

• Obed links the Moabite outsider Ruth to Israel’s destiny, revealing how God weaves Gentiles into His redemptive plan (Matthew 1:5; Ephesians 2:12-13).

• The genealogy in 1 Chronicles 2:12 repeats this exact relationship, reinforcing that Israel’s historical record and salvation history are one and the same.

• By naming Obed as Jesse’s father, Scripture highlights God’s covenant faithfulness across generations, just as He earlier vowed to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 3:15).

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and Jesse was the father of David

“and Jesse was the father of David” (Ruth 4:22)

• Jesse’s appearance turns our gaze to the shepherd-king David, central to God’s covenant with Israel (1 Samuel 16:1-13).

• David’s line receives an eternal promise: “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before Me” (2 Samuel 7:16). Ruth’s closing verse is therefore a hinge between the days of the judges and the dawn of the monarchy.

• The statement affirms that God’s plan moved steadily toward a righteous ruler—ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, called “the Son of David” (Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:32-33).

• By ending the book with David’s name, the text reassures readers that personal obedience (Boaz, Ruth) serves God’s larger, nation-shaping purposes (Psalm 78:70-72).

• This genealogy echoes through the New Testament (Matthew 1:5-6; Luke 3:31-32), confirming the historical reality of Jesus’ ancestry and tying His messianic credentials to prophecy (Isaiah 11:1).

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summary

Ruth 4:22 is far more than a closing note; it anchors the entire story in God’s unfolding covenant plan. Obed links Ruth’s redemption to Israel’s heritage, Jesse bridges the period of the judges to the rise of kings, and David points forward to the everlasting throne fulfilled in Christ. In one concise genealogy, Scripture displays God’s faithful guidance of ordinary lives toward His extraordinary, eternal purposes.