According to the Book of Ruth, what was Ruth’s nationality?

According to the Book of Ruth, Ruth was a Moabite.

Ruth is introduced as a woman from Moab who married Mahlon, an Israelite from Bethlehem. After her husband dies, she chooses to remain with her widowed mother-in-law Naomi and travels with her to Bethlehem. The narrative repeatedly identifies Ruth as a Moabite woman.

Her foreign origin matters to the story because Ruth becomes part of the community of Israel through loyalty, marriage, and family redemption. Boaz, a relative of Naomi’s late husband, eventually marries Ruth. Their son Obed becomes the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.

Moab was a kingdom east of the Dead Sea. The Book of Ruth does not simply erase Ruth’s foreign identity; it makes that identity part of her story and genealogy. A common mix-up is calling her an Israelite because she joins Naomi’s people, but the text’s explicit designation is Moabite.