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Ruth 2

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Boaz, Kinsman of Elimelech 1–3

1
And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz. ​
2
And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. ​
3
And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on the portion of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. ​

Boaz Shows Favor to Ruth 4–16

4
And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the reapers, Jehovah be with you. And they answered him, Jehovah bless thee. ​
5
Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
6
And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab: ​
7
and she said, Let me glean, I pray you, and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. So she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, save that she tarried a little in the house.
8
Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither pass from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens.
9
Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn. ​
10
Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found favor in thy sight, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a foreigner? ​
11
And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been showed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thy husband; and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people that thou knewest not heretofore. ​
12
Jehovah recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of Jehovah, the God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to take refuge. ​
13
Then she said, Let me find favor in thy sight, my lord, for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken kindly unto thy handmaid, though I be not as one of thy handmaidens.
14
And at meal-time Boaz said unto her, Come hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers, and they reached her parched grain, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left thereof. ​
15
And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not.
16
And also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and rebuke her not. ​

Naomi Discovers the Kinsman 17–23

17
So she gleaned in the field until even; and she beat out that which she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. ​
18
And she took it up, and went into the city; and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth and gave to her that which she had left after she was sufficed.
19
And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to-day? and where hast thou wrought? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to-day is Boaz.
20
And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of Jehovah, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is nigh of kin unto us, one of our near kinsmen. ​
21
And Ruth the Moabitess said, Yea, he said unto me, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.
22
And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, and that they meet thee not in any other field.
23
So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz, to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Ruth 2

Verse 1

a mighty man of wealth — The Hebrew is gibbor chayil, the 'mighty man of valour' of Gideon (Judg 6:12) and Jephthah (11:1). The same chayil is used of Ruth as 'a virtuous woman' in 3:11. 'Kinsman' is moda, one who is known. Boaz stands in the line of Christ: 'Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth' (Matt 1:5).

Verse 2

glean ears of corn — The Law left the corners and gleanings of the field 'unto the poor, and to the stranger' (Lev 23:22) and a forgotten sheaf 'for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow' (Deut 24:19). Ruth is a widow and a foreigner. She asks to glean 'after him in whose sight I shall find grace' (chen), a word that returns in v.10 and v.13.

Verse 3

her hap was to light — 'Hap' is miqreh, a chance happening, and 'light' is qarah, to befall, so the Hebrew reads her chance chanced. The same verb stands in Abraham's servant's prayer, 'send me good speed this day' (Gen 24:12). The field proves to be that of Boaz, 'of the kindred of Elimelech', and Naomi names the LORD in v.20.

Verse 4

The LORD be with you — The master and the reapers exchange the LORD's name. The exchange matches the greeting of Ps 129:8, 'The blessing of the LORD be upon you: we bless you in the name of the LORD', said by those who pass the harvest. Boaz comes 'from Bethlehem', the town of 1:1 and 1:22.

Verse 6

the Moabitish damsel — The servant describes her by her country and by Naomi, 'that came back with Naomi'. 'Came back' is shub, the verb of return in ch.1. A Moabite was barred from 'the congregation of the LORD… even to their tenth generation' (Deut 23:3), and Ruth is introduced as a Moabite before anything else is said of her.

Verse 9

shall not touch thee — 'Touch' is naga, as in Abimelech's order, 'He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death' (Gen 26:11). Boaz's protection covers the whole field, and her thirst: she may 'go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn'.

Verse 10

take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger — 'Take knowledge' is nakar, to take notice of, and 'stranger' is nokriyah, a foreign woman. The two words share a root, and she asks why a foreigner has been noticed. Naomi uses the same verb in v.19, 'blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee'.

Verse 11

the land of thy nativity — Moledet is the word of the call to Abram, 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house' (Gen 12:1; KJV 'kindred'). Boaz describes Ruth's leaving of father, mother and land in the same terms, and what he knows of her was 'shewed' him.

Verse 12

under whose wings thou art come to trust — 'Trust' is chasah, to take refuge, as in Ps 91:4, 'under his wings shalt thou trust'. 'Full reward' is maskoret, wages paid in full. In 3:9 Ruth asks Boaz to 'spread therefore thy skirt' over her, and 'skirt' and 'wings' are the same Hebrew word, kanaph.

Verse 14

dip thy morsel in the vinegar — 'Vinegar' is chomets, sour wine, used for dipping bread. The 'parched corn' (qali) is roasted grain, a plain food (Lev 23:14; 1 Sam 17:17). 'Was sufficed, and left' uses the verb of 2 Kgs 4:44, 'they did eat, and left thereof', and she keeps the remainder for Naomi (v.18).

Verse 16

let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose — The verb 'let fall' (shalal) is doubled in the Hebrew, 'draw out, draw out'. The 'handfuls' (tsebet) are pulled from the reapers' own bundles. This goes past what the Law required, the corners and the gleanings (Lev 19:9), and he adds 'rebuke her not', as in v.15, 'reproach her not'.

Verse 17

an ephah of barley — 'Beat out' is chabat, the verb used of Gideon's threshing (Judg 6:11). An ephah is ten omers (Ex 16:36), and an omer was a person's portion of manna for a day (Ex 16:16). The barley is the grain of 'the beginning of barley harvest' when she came to Bethlehem (1:22).

Verse 20

his kindness to the living and to the dead — 'Kindness' is chesed, the word of Naomi's prayer in 1:8 and of Boaz's praise in 3:10. 'Next kinsmen' is go'el, the relative who redeems, as 'any of his kin come to redeem' a sold possession (Lev 25:25). Naomi recognises Boaz as one who holds that duty.

Verse 23

the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest — She gleaned from 'the beginning of barley harvest' (1:22) to the end of wheat harvest, which the feast of weeks marks as 'the firstfruits of wheat harvest' (Ex 34:22). Throughout this time she kept fast by Boaz's maidens and 'dwelt with her mother in law'.