The Book of Ruth
Ruth 2
Chapter II · Vol. II, pp. 625–626
1 Ruth gleaneth in the fields of Boaz. 4 Boaz taking notice of her, 8 showeth her great favour. 18 That which she got, she carrieth to her mother-in-law.
1 And Naomi had a akinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.
a ch.3.9,12,13; ver.3. 1 Ch.2.11,12. Mat.1.5. Job 19.25. Pr.7.4.
2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and bglean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace.1 And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
b Le.19.9,10; 23.22. De.24.19,20. Ep.4.28.
1 Industry, humility, filial deference, and dependence on favour rather than any sense of her own merit, beautifully characterize the conduct of Ruth.—C.
3 And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her chap was to light on a part of the field2 belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
c Heb. hap happened, Mat.10.29. 1 Sa.23.27. Es.6.1,2. 2 Ki.8.5,6,29. Pr.16.9.
2 The eastern fields being generally uninclosed, Boaz, though a mighty man of wealth, has but a part of one—but that one was a cultivated district. C.——The word 'field' must not be understood here in its usual English acceptation. The Hebrew term sadeh means 'a level tract of cultivated land' of any extent. For example, the fertile plain of Mesopotamia is called Sadeh Aram. The whole cultivated territory of Bethlehem was called sadeh.—P.
4 And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the reapers, dThe LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.3
5 Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers,4 Whose damsel is this?
A.M. cir. 2694. B.C. cir. 1310.
4 An office still common in all countries where cultivation of grain is extensive.—C.
6 And the servant that was eset over the reapers answered and said, It is fthe Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab.
7 And she said, gI pray you,5 let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath hcontinued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.6
g Pr.15.33. Ps.138.6. 1 Pe.5.5,6. Ja.4.6,7,10.
5 The polished manners of Ruth do not forsake her in her poverty.—Note, Plainness of speech is to be commended, but rudeness and bluntness are far from plainness—they are, in fact, most conventional modes of speaking, and far from consistent with the gentle wisdom of Christianity.—C.
h Pr.27.23; 28.19. Ec.9.10. Ro.12.11. Ga.6.9.
6 The temporary or perhaps permanent shed raised over the thrashing-floor, in which a retreat from the sun would be a luxury, and necessary at noon.—C.
8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, imy daughter? kGo not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens.7
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 lnot touch thee? and when thou art athirst, mgo unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.
10 Then nshe fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?
n Ge.17.3. 1 Sa.25.23. Lu.1.48. 2 Sa.9.8; 19.28.
11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, oIt hath fully been showed me all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thine husband; and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother,8 and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
o Ps.37.5,6; 45.10. Pr.31.31. He.11.8,9.
8 There appears a difference between this verse and ch. 1. 8, where only the mother is mentioned, who therefore seems to have been a widow. But Naomi spoke of what she knew, Boaz of what he had heard; and the discrepancy is very natural. Their mother might have been married again, which would render both statements correct.—C.
12 The LORD precompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose qwings thou art come to trust.9
13 Then she said, Let me rfind favour1 in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken 2friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be snot like unto one of thine handmaidens.
r Ge.33.8,10; 43.14. Pr.11.27; 13.15; 22.1.
1 Or, I find favour.
2 Heb. to the heart.
s 1 Sa.25.41. Pr.15.33.
14 And Boaz said unto her, tAt meal-time come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her uparched corn,3 and she xdid eat, and was sufficed, and left.
A.M. cir. 2694. B.C. cir. 1310.
t Pr.11.27. Lu.14.12-14; 1.52. Is.32.8.
u 1 Sa.17.17; 25.18. 2 Sa.17.28.
3 Corn parched by having had the straw burned to near the ears, or dried on heated stones or iron plates, still forms no inconsiderable part of every day's food in Arabia and the surrounding countries.—C.
x Pr.11.25. De.11.15; 8.10. Jn.6.12,13.
15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her4 not:5
4 Heb. shame her not.
5 From ver. 7 we learn that the gleaning was not by right, but by permission. For though gleaning was amply provided for by the Mosaic law, it would appear to have commenced, not during the reaping time but after. Gleaning was long practised in England, and was held to be an inherent right of the poor, till a decision of the Court of Common Pleas decided against it. In Ireland it was not relinquished until two acts of parliament were successively brought against it in the reign of Henry VIII. c. 25 and 28.—C.
16 And ylet fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
17 So she zgleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an aephah[≈ 22 litres · 4.8 gallons] 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 bthat she had reserved after she was sufficed.6
b That meat, ver.14. Jn.6.12,13. 1 Ti.5.4.
6 'And she (Ruth) brought forth (from her pocket), and gave to her (mother-in-law) that she had reserved (from the parched corn which Boaz gave her) after she was sufficed.' This is the interpretation given by the Chaldee paraphrase, and it appears to be the correct one.—P.
19 And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to-day? and where wroughtest thou? 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 csaid unto her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and7 to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, done of our next kinsmen.
c ch.3.10. Job 29.12,13. 2 Ti.1.16-18. Pr.17.17; 19.17.
7 Us, my husband, and two sons.
d Or, one that hath right to redeem, Le.25.25. De.25.5-7. Job 19.25.
21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, eHe said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men,8 until they have ended all my harvest.
e ver.8,9.
8 This is an evident contradiction of ver. 8, but the fault lies in the translation, not in the original. The Hebrew word rendered here 'young men' signifies servants generally, male and female.—C.
22 And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is fgood, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet9 thee not1 in any other field.
f Tit.2.4. Pr.27.10; 22.6; 3.21-24. Ge.34.1. Ca.1.8. Jn.15.6.
9 Or, fall upon thee.
1 Fall upon thee not, that is, most probably, other gleaners. For, strange to say, few are more tenacious of imaginary or real privileges than the poor; and strangers they are, in all countries, ready to drive away as unauthorized intruders.—C.
Notes
[Ver. 4. In travelling through Palestine at the present day the salutations here recorded are heard on every highway and in every harvest-field. 'The Lord be with you' is the invariable salutation of stranger or native, rich or poor, on approaching a band of reapers, or meeting a company of wayfarers; and the invariable reply is, 'The Lord bless thee.' Gleaning is now as commonly practised as it was in the days of Ruth. P.]
Ver. 9. [In every harvest-field there is a skin or jar of water for the use of the reapers. Sometimes it has to be brought from a great distance; this must have been the case at Bethlehem, where it had to be drawn up besides from deep wells or cisterns. It was a greater favour to poor Ruth than we can well conceive in this country, to permit her to drink of the water in the field. P.]
Ver. 14. [Dip thy morsel in the vinegar. A sauce prepared from vinegar in which bread is dipped is still a common food in the East, and, in conjunction with olives, is highly relished by a people not habituated to luxury. C.——This is a characteristic trait of eastern life. I have myself witnessed similar scenes in various parts of Palestine. The evening meal on the harvest-field is simple. It is spread on the ground. There are piles of thin cakes, and dishes of olives, and various kinds of vegetables steeped in a sour sauce like vinegar. Each one takes a piece of bread, dips it in the sauce, and perhaps takes up on it a portion of the vegetable, and then eats it. It is a very common practice for the master to lift a piece of bread and present it to a guest. I have more than once seen the gleaners invited to take part in the evening meal. P.]
Reflections.—How infinite is the condescension of God in taking notice of a poor Moabitish gleaner! Let me then never be proud, for I know not to what straits I may be reduced in life; and never let me be ashamed of honest industry. If the Lord debase me, it is my honour to concur with his providence, and to be content with the least and coarsest crumbs from his hand. In caring for my poor or aged friends, let me with diligence depend upon his kindness, and thank him for every circumstance thereof. Whether I am master or servant, let a savour of Christ and religion always attend me; and the law of kindness be in both heart and mouth. If I am a stranger, let me be always humble, mannerly, and thankful. If I am not, let me show kindness to strangers, especially to those who are such from a love to Christ. Who knows how they may bless, or even reward me? For the poorest, by their earnest prayers, may return the richest rewards to the most wealthy. The more highly others think of me, let me think the more humbly of myself: and let me always regard my benefactors, and with the utmost care make choice of my companions. A modest, humble, and respectful behaviour, accompanied with a tender regard to parents in age and poverty, is commendable even in the meanest. And when we go out in the way of duty, depending on God, who knows with what rich blessings we may return loaded? Happy is that family where parents and children mutually vie in deep concern for one another's real welfare. And comfortably may even the poorest live together, if they have but godliness with contentment, which is great gain.
Measures in square brackets are modern equivalents added for this edition. They are not in the King James text or in Brown’s notes. They use common scholarly estimates: a cubit is about 45.7 cm (18 in), a shekel about 11.4 g (0.4 oz), an ephah about 22 litres. Money values give the worth of the silver or gold at spot prices on 28 October 2026, not what the sum would buy in the ancient world.