The Historical Setting of Ruth
The time of the book is sometime after the close of Judges, written at the time when David began to be prominent in Israel, probably about 150 years after the events occurred; and, as has been pointed out, when the custom of chapter 4:7, of confirming a bargain by drawing off the shoe, had fallen into disuse, or the writer would not take time to explain it. While the book is neither a supplement to Judges nor an introduction to Samuel, it is a needed book historically.