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Commentary on Ruth 2 verses 4–16
Now Boaz himself appears, and a great deal of decency there appears in his carriage both towards his own servants and towards this poor stranger.
I. Towards his own servants, and those that were employed for him in reaping and gathering in his corn. Harvest-time is busy time, many hands must then be at work. Boaz that had much, being a mighty man of wealth, had much to do, and consequently many to work under him and to live upon him. As goods are increased those are increased that eat them, and what good has the owner thereof save the beholding of them with his eyes? Boaz is here an example of a good master.
1.He had a servant that was set over the reapers, Rut 2:6. In great families it is requisite there should be one to oversee the rest of the servants, and appoint to each their portion both of work and meat. Ministers are such servants in God's house, and it is requisite that they be both wise and faithful, and show their Lord all things, as he here, Rut 2:6.
2.Yet he came himself to his reapers, to see how the work went forward, if he found any thing amiss to rectify it, and to give further orders what should be done. This was both for his own interest (he that wholly leaves his business to others will have it done by the halves; the master's eye makes a fat horse) and it was also for the encouragement of his servants, who would go on the more cheerfully in their work when their master countenanced them so far as to make them a visit. Masters that live at ease should think with tenderness of those that toil for them and bear the burden and heat of the day.
3.Kind and pious salutations were interchanged between Boaz and his reapers.
(1.)He said to them, The Lord be with you; and they replied, The Lord bless thee, Rut 2:4. Hereby they expressed, [1.] Their mutual respect to each other; he to them as good servants, and they to him as a good master. When he came to them he did not fall a chiding them, as if he came only to find fault and exercise his authority, but he prayed for them: "The Lord be with you, prosper you, and give you health and strength, and preserve you from any disaster." Nor did they, as soon as ever he was out of hearing, fall a cursing him, as some ill-natured servants that hate their master's eye, but they returned his courtesy: "The Lord bless thee, and make our labours serviceable to thy prosperity." Things are likely to go on well in a house where there is such good-will as this between master and servants. [2.] Their joint-dependence upon the divine providence. They express their kindness to each other by praying one for another. They show not only their courtesy, but their piety, and acknowledgement that all good comes from the presence and blessing of God, which therefore we should value and desire above any thing else both for ourselves and others.
(2.)Let us hence learn to use, [1.] Courteous salutations, as expressions of a sincere good-will to our friends. [2.] Pious ejaculations, lifting up our hearts to God for his favour, in such short prayers as these. Only we must take heed that they do not degenerate into formality, lest in them we take the name of the Lord our God in vain; but, if we be serious in them, we may in them keep up our communion with God, and fetch in mercy and grace from him. It appears to have been the usual custom thus to wish reapers good speed, Psa 129:7, Psa 129:8.
4.He took an account from his reapers concerning a stranger he met with in the field, and gave necessary orders concerning her, that they should not touch her (Rut 2:9) nor reproach her, Rut 2:15. Masters must take care, not only that they do no hurt themselves, but that they suffer not their servants and those under them to do hurt. He also ordered them to be kind to her, and let fall some of the handfuls on purpose for her. Though it is fit that masters should restrain and rebuke their servants' wastefulness, yet they should not tie them up from being charitable, but give them allowance for that, with prudent directions.
II. Boaz was very kind to Ruth, and showed her a great deal of favour, induced to it by the account he had of her, and what he observed concerning her, God also inclining his heart to countenance her. Coming among his reapers, he observed this stranger among them, and got intelligence from his steward who she was, and here is a very particular account of what passed concerning her.
1.The steward gave to Boaz a very fair account of her, proper to recommend her to his favour, Rut 2:6, Rut 2:7. (1.) That she was a stranger, and therefore one of those that by the law of God were to gather the gleanings of the harvest, Lev 19:9, Lev 19:10. She is the Moabitish damsel. (2.) That she was allied to his family; she came back with Naomi, the wife of Elimelech, a kinsman of Boaz. (3.) That she was a proselyte, for she came out of the country of Moab to settle in the land of Israel. (4.) That she was very modest, and had not gleaned till she had asked leave. (5.) That she was very industrious, and had continued close to her work from morning even until now. And the poor that are industrious and willing to take pains are fit to be encouraged. Now, in the heat of the day, she tarried a little in the house or booth that was set up in the field for shelter from the weather to repose herself, and some suggest that it is probably she retired for her devotion. But she soon came back to her work, and, except that little intermission, kept close to it all day, though it was not what she had been used to. Servants should be just in the character and reports they give to their masters, and take heed they do not misrepresent any person, nor without cause discourage their master's charity.
2.Boaz was hereupon extremely civil to her in divers instances. (1.) He ordered her to attend his reapers in every field they gathered in and not to glean in the field of another, for she should not need to go any where else to better herself (Rut 2:8): Abide here fast by my maidens; for those of her own sex were the fittest company for her. (2.) He charged all his servants to be very tender of her and respectful to her, and no doubt they would be so to one to whom they saw their master kind. She was a stranger, and it is probably her language, dress, and mien differed much from theirs; but he charged them that they should not in any thing affront her, or be abusive to her, as rude servants are too apt to be to strangers. (3.) He bade her welcome to the entertainment he had provided for his own servants. He ordered her, not only to drink of the water which was drawn for them (for that seems to be the liquor he means, Rut 2:9, drawn from the famous well of Beth-lehem which was by the gate, the water of which David longed for, Sa2 23:15), but at meal-time to come and eat of their bread (Rut 2:14), yea, and she should be welcome to their sauce too: Come, dip thy morsel in the vinegar, to make it savoury; for God allows us not only nourishing but relishing food, not for necessity only, but for delight. And for encouragement o her, and direction to the servants, he himself, happening to be present when the reapers sat down to meat, reached her parched corn to eat. It is no disparagement to the finest hand to be reached forth to the needy (Pro 31:20), and to be employed in serving the poor. Observe, Boaz was not scanty in his provision for his reapers, but sent them so much more than enough for themselves as would be entertainment for a stranger. Thus there is that scattereth and yet increaseth. (4.) He commended her for her dutiful respect to her mother-in-law, which, though he did not know her by sight, yet he had heard of (Rut 2:11): It has been fully shown me all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law. Note, Those that do well ought to have the praise of it. But that which especially he commended her for was that she had left her own country, and had become a proselyte to the Jewish religion; for so the Chaldee expounds it: "Thou hast come to be proselyted, and to dwell among a people whom thou knowest not." Those that leave all, to embrace the true religion, are worthy of double honour. (5.) He prayed for her (Rut 2:12): The Lord recompense thy work. Her strong affection to the commonwealth of Israel, to which she was by birth an alien, was such a work of the divine grace in her as would certainly be crowned with a full reward by him under whose wings she had come to trust. Note, Those that by faith come under the wings of the divine grace, and have a full complacency and confidence in that grace, may be sure of a full recompence of reward for their so doing. From this expression, the Jews describe a proselyte to be one that is gathered under the wings of the divine majesty. (6.) He encouraged her to go on in her gleaning, and did not offer to take her off from that; for the greatest kindness we can do our poor relations is to assist and encourage their industry. Boaz ordered his servants to let her glean among the sheaves, where other gleaners were not allowed to come, and not to reproach her, that is, not to call her thief, or to suspect her of taking more than was allowed her, Rut 2:15. All this shows Boaz to have been a man of a generous spirit, and one that, according to the law, considered the heart of a stranger.
3.Ruth received his favours with a great deal of humility and gratitude, and conducted herself with as much propriety in her place as he did himself in his, but little thinking that she should shortly be the mistress of that field she was now gleaning in. (1.) She paid all possible respect to him, and gave him honour, according to the usage of the country (Rut 2:10): She fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground. Note, Good breeding is a great ornament to religion; and we must render honour to whom honour is due. (2.) She humbly owned herself unworthy of his favours: "I am a stranger (Rut 2:10) and not like one of thy handmaids (Rut 2:13), not so well dressed nor so well taught, not so neat nor so handy." Note, It well becomes us all to think meanly of ourselves, and to take notice of that in ourselves which is diminishing, esteeming others better than ourselves. (3.) She gratefully acknowledged his kindness to her; though it was no great expense to him, nor much more than what he was obliged to by the divine law, yet she magnifies and admires it: Why have I found grace in thy eyes? Rut 2:10. (4.) She begs the continuance of his good-will: Let me find favour in they sight (Rut 2:13), and owns that what he had said had been a cordial to her: Thou hast comforted me, for that thou hast spoken friendly to me. Those that are great, and in high places, know not how much good they may do to their inferiors with a kind look or by speaking friendly to them; and so small an expense, one would think, they should not grudge, when it shall be put upon the score of their charity. (5.) When Boaz gave her her dinner with his reapers she only ate so much as would suffice her, and left the rest, and immediately rose up to glean, Rut 2:14, Rut 2:15. She did not, under pretence either of her want or of her labour, eat more than was convenient for her, nor so much as to unfit her for work in the afternoon. Temperance is a friend to industry; and we must eat and drink to strengthen us for business, not to indispose us to it.
The story of Boaz also teaches us about virtue. For he not only liberally shares his grain with Ruth but also consoles her with words. Not only does he share food with her but also was himself the minister of his kindness; so that whoever does not order another person to be his minister, but prepares the flour and bread himself, will have given very liberally indeed.
The blessing followed as Boaz said it would. For Ruth received the full reward from God, so that she was the progenitor of the blessing of the nations.
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SUMMARY
Boaz's profound benediction upon Ruth, a Moabitess widow, acknowledges her extraordinary loyalty to her mother-in-law Naomi and her faithful decision to seek refuge under the protective care of the God of Israel. This verse serves as a divine promise of recompense and abundant reward for her selfless actions and courageous trust, foreshadowing the comprehensive grace and provision that awaits those who faithfully commit themselves to the Lord, even as outsiders.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse is rich with Imagery, primarily the powerful metaphor of God's "wings." This evokes a sense of maternal protection, security, and warmth, a common and comforting image found throughout ancient Near Eastern literature and especially in the Psalms (e.g., Psalm 17:8 or Psalm 36:7). It functions as a vivid Metaphor for God's intimate, protective, and nurturing care, akin to a bird sheltering its young. The verse also employs Parallelism in its structure, with "The LORD recompense thy work" being echoed and expanded upon by "and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel," reinforcing the idea of divine blessing and comprehensive recompense. Boaz's words are a form of Blessing or Benediction, a pronouncement of divine favor and a prayer for God's active intervention, which carries significant weight in the narrative, given his position and his later role as Ruth's kinsman-redeemer.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Boaz's blessing in Ruth 2:12 is a profound theological statement, asserting God's active and benevolent involvement in the lives of His faithful, particularly those who, like Ruth, demonstrate extraordinary loyalty and trust. It underscores the biblical principle that God sees and rewards acts of selflessness and faith, even when they involve significant personal sacrifice and are performed by those considered outsiders. Ruth, a Moabitess, becomes an exemplar of true faith, abandoning her former gods and people to embrace the God of Israel. Her seeking refuge "under His wings" is a powerful testament to the universal availability of God's protection and provision for all who come to Him in sincere trust, regardless of their background. This verse affirms God's character as a faithful covenant keeper who provides for the vulnerable and honors those who honor Him, demonstrating that His kingdom extends beyond ethnic boundaries to embrace all who seek His shelter and commit to His ways.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ruth 2:12 offers timeless encouragement for every believer, reminding us that our acts of faithfulness, kindness, and self-sacrifice, no matter how small or unnoticed by human eyes, are profoundly seen and valued by God. Like Ruth, we are called to place our ultimate trust not in worldly security or human provision, but "under the wings" of the Almighty. This act of spiritual refuge is not passive but dynamic, involving a deliberate turning away from other allegiances to embrace the Lord as our sole protector and provider. In a world that often measures success by visible achievements and immediate gratification, this verse calls us to a deeper, eternal perspective: that God truly "recompenses" and gives a "full reward" for genuine faith and obedient living. It assures us that our vulnerability, when surrendered to God, becomes the very ground upon which His most profound protection and provision are experienced, transforming our perceived lack into an abundance of divine grace.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "under whose wings thou art come to trust" mean metaphorically?
Answer: This beautiful metaphor primarily refers to the protective, nurturing, and secure care of God. It draws on the vivid imagery of a mother bird sheltering her young chicks under her wings, providing warmth, safety, and refuge from predators or harsh weather. For Ruth, a vulnerable foreign widow who had left everything familiar, seeking refuge "under His wings" meant abandoning her former gods and homeland to place her complete trust and dependence on the God of Israel. It signifies finding ultimate security, protection, and provision in God's sovereign care, a theme echoed in many psalms (e.g., Psalm 17:8, Psalm 36:7, Psalm 91:4). Additionally, the Hebrew word for "wings" (kânâph) can also refer to the "corner" or "hem" of a garment. In ancient Israel, spreading one's cloak over another could symbolize protection, a claim of responsibility, or even a proposal of marriage. This subtle secondary meaning foreshadows Boaz's later act of spreading his "cloak" or "garment" over Ruth in Ruth 3:9, thereby extending his own protective and redemptive care, mirroring God's.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ruth 2:12, with its promise of divine recompense for those who seek refuge "under the wings" of the God of Israel, finds its ultimate and most glorious fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Ruth's courageous decision to leave all to trust in the Lord foreshadows the call of the Gospel: to forsake our former ways and allegiances and find our complete refuge in Christ. He is the ultimate "full reward" for all who come to Him in faith, offering not just temporal blessings but eternal life, reconciliation with God, and a secure inheritance. Just as Ruth, an outsider and Moabitess, was brought into the covenant family of Israel through the kinsman-redeemer Boaz, so too are Gentiles, once alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, brought near by the blood of Christ (see Ephesians 2:12-13). Jesus Himself lamented over Jerusalem, longing to gather its children "as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings" (Matthew 23:37), revealing His own divine, protective heart and His yearning to offer ultimate refuge. In Christ, we find the perfect "wings" of refuge, the ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer who not only protects us from the judgment we deserve but also provides us with an eternal inheritance, making us co-heirs with Him (see Romans 8:17). Our "work" of faith, like Ruth's, is not meritorious in itself but is the Spirit-empowered response to the grace that draws us to seek refuge in the one who fully satisfies the promise of "full reward," granting us adoption into God's family and an everlasting home.