RUTH COMES INTO CONTACT WITH NAOMI'S KINSMAN BOAZ, AND FINDS FAVOUR WITH HIM. This chapter focuses on the fact that Ruth came across Boaz's field by chance, as a consequence of which a relationship built up between herself and Boaz, something which resulted in his showing great generosity towards R... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, an important man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.' Introductory to what is about to unfold we are provided with information about Boaz, the man who will feature prominently in the story. He was ‘an important man of wealth', and... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favour.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” Israel, thanks to God's Law, had its own social welfare system designed to ensure that no one living in the la... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and her chance was to light on the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.' Leaving the town to glean in the fields Ruth found a field where, having made enquiries of those working in the field,... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said to the reapers, “YHWH be with you.” And they answered him, “YHWH bless you.” Being a good man Boaz came to see how the reaping was going, and greeted his reapers with the words, ‘YHWH be with you' (compare our ‘goodbye' which means ‘God be with you... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ Then Boaz said to his servant who was set over the reapers, “Whose damsel is this?” As he looked out over his land he saw Ruth following his reapers, and he turned to his overseer and asked who the woman was who was gleaning, and to what family she belonged. He possibly wanted to ensure that she... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And the servant who was set over the reapers answered and said, “It is the Moabitish damsel who came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab.” The overseer demonstrated that he was fulfilling his duties, and informed Boaz that it was the Moabitish young woman who had come back from Moab with N... [ Continue Reading ]
“ And she said, ‘Let me glean, I pray you, and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.' So she came, and has continued even from the morning until now, except that she tarried a little in the house.” He explained that Ruth had in fact asked permission to glean, following the reapers as they gat... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Do you not hear, my daughter? Do not go to glean in another field, nor pass from here, but remain here fast by my maidens. Let your eyes be on the field that they reap, and you go after them. Have I not charged the young men that they must not touch you? And when you are t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favour in your sight, that you should take notice of me, seeing I am a foreigner?” Ruth was filled with gratitude, and humbled herself, bowing deeply before him. Humbly she asked him why such an importa... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has fully been shown me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother, and the land of your nativity, and are come to a people whom you knew not up until now.” We are not give... [ Continue Reading ]
“ YHWH recompense your work, and a full reward be given you by YHWH, the God of Israel, under whose wings you are come to take refuge.” Boaz's godliness comes out in his wish for Ruth, that she be recompensed by YHWH, the God of Israel, and given the full reward that she deserved. In view of his ag... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ Then she said, “Let me find favour in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me, and because you have spoken kindly to your handmaid, although I am as one of your handmaidens.” Ruth responds to the words of the great man with true humility. Basically she is saying, ‘let me continue to find fa... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar.” And she sat beside the reapers, and they passed her parched grain, and she ate, and was satisfied, and left some of it.' When mealtime came around for the shearers Boaz invited Ruth to join the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.” Then once the meal was over and she arose in order to start gleaning again, Boaz commanded his young men to allow her to glean even in the very place where they we... [ Continue Reading ]
“ And also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and do not rebuke her.” He also commanded them, not only to allow her to glean among them, but also to ensure that she had plenty of gleanings by taking some of the barley stems out of their sheaves and dropping the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ So she gleaned in the field until evening, and she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.' So Ruth continued to glean diligently until nightfall, after which she beat out what she had gleaned, and it came to about an ephah of barley. Due to the generosity and kindness... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ 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 what she had left after she had had sufficient.' Ruth then returned home and showed Naomi what she had gleaned, and she also gave her what remained of the parched grai... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? And where have you wrought? Blessed be he who took notice of you.” And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought, and said, “The man's name with whom I wrought today is Boaz.” Naomi seemingly gathered from the quantity... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of YHWH, who has not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead.” And Naomi said to her, “The man is near of kin to us, one of our near kinsmen.” At this Naomi's heart rejoiced, for she saw in it the hand of YHWH, recognising by it th... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And Ruth the Moabitess said, “Yes, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close to my young people (the masculine noun covering both men and women), until they have completed all my harvest.” Ruth then explained what Boaz had said to her, that she keep close to his young people for the remainder of the h... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maidens, and that they do not meet you in any other field.” Naomi the expressed her approval of what Boaz had said. As she had remained at home, a fact which suggested that she was old and infirm enough... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ So she stuck close to the maidens of Boaz, to glean to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest, and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.' So Ruth did what Naomi had asked, and ensured that she stuck close to Boaz's young women, who would have regard for her because she was a protégé of Boaz,... [ Continue Reading ]