In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “book in the hebrew bible known to jews as the tanakh and to christians as the old testament”. Today it says “bout the ancient hebrew religious text”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-02. In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “book in the hebrew bible known to jews as the tanakh and to christians as the old testament”. Today it says “bout the ancient hebrew religious text”.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2025 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2025
Book of the Bible This article is about the ancient Hebrew religious text. Nevi'im (Prophets) Latter Minor Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Ketuvim (Writings) Five Megillot (Scrolls) Historical Old Testament ( Christianity ) Deuterocanonical Bible portal v t e The Book of Ruth ( Hebrew : מְגִלַּת רוּת , Megillath Ruth , "the Scroll of Ruth", one of the Five Megillot ) is included in the third division, or the Writings ( Ketuvim ), of the Hebrew Bible . In most Christian canons it is treated as one of the historical books and placed between Judges and 1 Samuel . It narrates the story of Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth , who return to Bethlehem after the deaths of their husbands, where Ruth's loyalty to Naomi leads to her marriage to Boaz . Their son Obed becomes the grandfather of King David . Written in Hebrew during the Persian period (c. 550–330 BCE), the book is generally considered by scholars to be a work of historical fiction . Evangelical scholarship holds that the book is a historical short story. The book is held in esteem by Jewish converts , as is evidenced by the considerable presence of Boaz in rabbinic literature. It also functions liturgically , as it is read during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot ("Weeks"). Ruth: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary . The Book of Ruth . New International Commentary on the Old Testament .
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 1297064039.
The opening as it stood in 2005
of Ketuvim The Book of Ruth is a book in the Hebrew Bible known to Jews as the Tanakh and to Christians as the Old Testament .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 15902654.
The opening as it stood in 2010 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
It is a rather short book, in both Jewish and Christian scripture, consisting of only four chapters.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 371102827.
The opening as it stood in 2015 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
In the Jewish canon it is included in the third division, or the Writings ( Ketuvim ); in the Christian canon it is treated as a history book and placed between Judges and 1 Samuel .It is named after its central figure, Ruth the Moabitess , the great-grandmother of David .The book tells of Ruth's accepting the God of the Israelites as her God and the Israelite people as her own.In Ruth 1:16 and 17 Ruth tells Naomi , her Israelite mother in law, "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.Your people will be my people and your God my God.Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried.May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me." The book is held in esteem by Jews who fall under the category of Jews-by-choice , as is evidenced by the considerable presence of Boaz in rabbinic literature.The "Book of Ruth" also functions liturgically, as it is read during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot ("Weeks").The book is traditionally ascribed to the prophet Samuel , but does not name its author.A date during the monarchy is suggested by the book's interest in the ancestry of David , but Ruth's identity as a non-Israelite and the stress on the need for an inclusive attitude towards foreigners suggests an origin in the fifth century BCE, when intermarriage had become controversial (as seen in Ezra 9:1 and Nehemiah 13:1).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 669484065.
The opening as it stood in 2020 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Book of the Bible This article is about the ancient Hebrew religious text.Nevi'im (Prophets) Latter Minor Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Ketuvim (Writings) Five Megillot (Scrolls) Historical Old Testament ( Christianity ) Deuterocanonical Bible portal v t e The Book of Ruth (abbreviated Rth ) ( , Megilath Ruth , "the Scroll of Ruth", one of the Five Megillot ) is included in the third division, or the Writings ( Ketuvim ), of the Hebrew Bible ; in most Christian canons it is treated as a history book and placed between Judges and 1 Samuel . The book tells of Ruth accepting the god of the Israelites as her god and the Israelite people as her own. In Ruth 1:16 –17, Ruth tells Naomi , her Israelite mother-in-law , "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me." The book is held in esteem by Jews who fall under the category of Jews-by-choice , as is evidenced by the considerable presence of Boaz in rabbinic literature. The Book of Ruth also functions liturgically, as it is read during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot ("Weeks").
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 961145315.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Book of the Bible This article is about the ancient Hebrew religious text. Nevi'im (Prophets) Latter Minor Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Ketuvim (Writings) Five Megillot (Scrolls) Historical Old Testament ( Christianity ) Deuterocanonical Bible portal v t e The Book of Ruth ( , Megillath Ruth , "the Scroll of Ruth", one of the Five Megillot ) is included in the third division, or the Writings ( Ketuvim ), of the Hebrew Bible . In most Christian canons it is treated as one of the historical books and placed between Judges and 1 Samuel .The book, written in Hebrew in the 6th–4th centuries BCE, tells of the Moabite woman Ruth , who accepts Yahweh , the God of the Israelites , as her God and accepts the Israelite people as her own. In Ruth 1:16 –17, Ruth tells Naomi , her Israelite mother-in-law , "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me." The book is held in esteem by Jewish converts , as is evidenced by the considerable presence of Boaz in rabbinic literature. It also functions liturgically , as it is read during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot ("Weeks").
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1174251479.
Today
In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “book in the hebrew bible known to jews as the tanakh and to christians as the old testament”. Today it says “bout the ancient hebrew religious text”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined between 2005 and 2025.
Then
book in the hebrew bible known to jews as the tanakh and to christians as the old testament
Now
bout the ancient hebrew religious text
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
