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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.
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SUMMARY
Ruth 2:6 serves as a crucial inflection point in the narrative, as Boaz's foreman precisely identifies Ruth to his master. This concise yet loaded response not only names the young woman but also immediately highlights her unique identity: her foreign origin as a Moabitess and her extraordinary loyalty, evidenced by her return with Naomi from the country of Moab. This identification is pivotal, setting the immediate stage for Boaz's compassionate intervention and initiating the unfolding of God's providential plan to integrate an outsider into the covenant community and, ultimately, into the lineage of Israel's greatest king.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse provides the direct answer to Boaz's inquiry in Ruth 2:5, where he asks his foreman about the identity of the young woman gleaning in his field. It immediately precedes Boaz's personal address to Ruth, which commences in Ruth 2:8, and his subsequent acts of profound kindness and protection toward her. The foreman's description of Ruth as "the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab" is critically informative, providing Boaz with essential background about her character and circumstances. This detail builds upon the earlier narrative of Ruth's unwavering devotion to Naomi, powerfully articulated in Ruth 1:16-18. The foreman's detailed knowledge of Ruth suggests that her remarkable loyalty and commitment were already a known and perhaps admired fact within the Bethlehem community, thus laying a firm foundation for Boaz's exceptionally favorable disposition toward her.
Historical & Cultural Context: The practice of gleaning, prominently featured in this chapter, was a divinely mandated and compassionate provision for the vulnerable in ancient Israelite society, specifically for the poor, widows, and resident foreigners. This practice was enshrined in the Mosaic Law, as detailed in passages such as Leviticus 19:9-10 and Deuteronomy 24:19-22. Ruth's designation as a "Moabitish damsel" carries immense historical and cultural weight. Moabites were historically viewed with deep suspicion and even hostility by Israelites, with explicit prohibitions against their full inclusion in the assembly of the Lord, as stipulated in Deuteronomy 23:3-6. Therefore, Ruth's presence in an Israelite field, and her eventual integration into the community and the Davidic lineage, represents a profound subversion of prevailing cultural and legal norms, powerfully highlighting God's inclusive and redemptive grace.
Key Themes: This verse significantly contributes to several overarching theological and narrative themes within the book of Ruth. Firstly, Divine Providence is strikingly evident; Ruth's "happening" to glean in Boaz's field (Ruth 2:3) is presented not as mere coincidence but as a direct outworking of God's sovereign orchestration. The foreman's precise identification of her by name and background facilitates the next crucial step in this divine plan. Secondly, the theme of Loyalty and Hesed (Covenant Love) is powerfully reinforced. The foreman's specific mention of Ruth having "came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab" underscores her exceptional and self-sacrificial devotion, echoing her famous pledge of allegiance in Ruth 1:16. This hesed is what earns her a commendable reputation and sets her apart. Thirdly, the theme of Inclusion of the Outsider is central. Despite the formidable cultural and legal barriers against Moabites, Ruth's exemplary character and God's favor transcend these limitations, paving the way for her acceptance and integration into Israelite society and, ultimately, into the lineage of the Messiah, a theme that resonates throughout the biblical narrative of God's expansive redemptive work.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ruth 2:6 employs several significant literary devices that enrich its meaning and advance the narrative. Identification is paramount, as the foreman's direct naming and precise description of Ruth serve to formally introduce her to Boaz, and by extension, to the reader in a more specific and contextualized manner. This act of identification is not merely descriptive but also a powerful form of Characterization; the foreman's words skillfully portray Ruth as both a vulnerable outsider ("Moabitish damsel") and a woman of profound loyalty and self-sacrifice ("came back with Naomi"). This dual characterization immediately establishes her unique and compelling position in the narrative. Furthermore, the foreman's response functions as Foreshadowing, subtly preparing the reader for Boaz's subsequent acts of kindness and the unfolding of the divine plan. The explicit mention of her Moabitish origin, in particular, subtly foreshadows the remarkable way in which God will use this "outsider" to fulfill His redemptive purposes, ultimately leading to her inclusion in the lineage of David and Christ. There is also a subtle Irony at play: the very identifier that would typically lead to exclusion and marginalization (her Moabitish heritage) is presented in a context that will paradoxically lead to ultimate inclusion, blessing, and a pivotal role in salvation history.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ruth 2:6, though brief, is profoundly significant in its theological implications. It powerfully illustrates God's sovereign hand in directing seemingly ordinary events for extraordinary, redemptive purposes. Ruth's "chance" arrival in Boaz's field, followed by the foreman's precise and detailed identification of her, demonstrates divine providence at work, orchestrating encounters that lead directly to the fulfillment of His grand plan. More deeply, this verse underscores God's radical inclusivity, challenging the narrow ethnic and social boundaries prevalent in the ancient world. The "Moabitish damsel," a descendant of a people traditionally excluded from Israel's assembly, is not only welcomed but is set on a path to become an ancestor of King David and, ultimately, the Messiah. This narrative arc powerfully prefigures the New Testament revelation of God's universal grace, extending salvation and covenant blessings to all peoples, irrespective of their background, based on faith and loyal love.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ruth 2:6 offers a profound reminder that God sees and values faithfulness, even in the most humble, unexpected, and seemingly unseen circumstances. Ruth, a foreign widow with no inherent claim to favor in Israel, had cultivated a reputation for unwavering loyalty and hesed toward Naomi, a reputation that preceded her and was recognized by Boaz's foreman. This teaches us a vital spiritual lesson: our character, meticulously cultivated through consistent acts of integrity, devotion, and kindness, does not go unnoticed by God, and often, by those around us who are discerning. Our faithfulness, even when seemingly small or unheralded by the world, can become the very pathway through which God brings forth divine blessing and provision, as it so clearly did for Ruth. This verse also challenges us to cultivate an attentiveness akin to Boaz's—to notice those who are marginalized, vulnerable, or in need, and to be open to how God might be working through them, even if they come from unexpected or traditionally excluded backgrounds. We are called to embody a welcoming, inclusive spirit that profoundly reflects God's own boundless nature, extending grace and compassion beyond societal, cultural, or ethnic boundaries.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why is Ruth's "Moabitish" identity so important in this verse?
Answer: Ruth's "Moabitish" identity is of paramount importance because it immediately highlights her status as an outsider in Israelite society. According to Deuteronomy 23:3, Moabites were explicitly excluded from the assembly of the Lord due to their historical antagonism towards Israel. Therefore, the foreman's immediate identification of Ruth as a Moabitess emphasizes the significant cultural, legal, and theological barrier she faced. Her subsequent acceptance and integration into the community, and ultimately into the lineage of King David and Jesus, powerfully underscore God's expansive redemptive plan, which transcends ethnic and national boundaries, demonstrating His radical and inclusive grace.
What does this verse tell us about Boaz's management of his fields and his relationship with his workers?
Answer: This verse, though brief, provides valuable insight into Boaz's effective management practices and his commendable relationship with his employees. By asking his foreman about Ruth, Boaz demonstrates that he is not only attentive to who is working in his fields but also that he relies on his trusted overseers for detailed information. The foreman's immediate, comprehensive, and respectful response indicates a well-managed estate where the overseer is knowledgeable about the workers and activities under his charge. This suggests a respectful, efficient, and perhaps even familial working relationship between Boaz and his foreman, which contributes to Boaz's reputation as a righteous, responsible, and caring landowner, further setting the stage for his compassionate interaction with Ruth.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ruth 2:6, with its emphasis on the "Moabitish damsel" being identified, welcomed, and brought into the household and lineage of Boaz, powerfully prefigures the expansive and inclusive nature of God's redemptive plan in Jesus Christ. Ruth, an outsider from a lineage traditionally deemed cursed and excluded, is not merely tolerated but is embraced and becomes a vital link in the genealogical line of David (Ruth 4:21-22) and, ultimately, Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5). This narrative foreshadows the profound New Covenant reality where, in Christ, the dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile is utterly broken down (Ephesians 2:14). Jesus, the ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer, extends His boundless grace and salvation to all who believe, regardless of their background, ethnicity, or previous exclusion. His earthly ministry consistently welcomed the marginalized, the Samaritan, the Gentile, and the outcast, fulfilling the prophetic vision that all nations would come to Him (John 10:16). Just as Ruth found refuge, provision, and redemption in Boaz's field, so all humanity finds ultimate refuge, new life, and full inclusion in the boundless grace of Christ, where there is "neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).