Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? Ver. 1. _Shall I not seek rest for thee?_] There is in most a propension to the nuptial conjunction. _Requirit vir costam suam, requirit faemina sedem suam,_ say the Rabbis. The m... [ Continue Reading ]
And now [is] not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor. Ver. 2. _Behold, he winnoweth barley tonight._] By night they winnowed, _ad auram nocturnam,_ as the Chaldee here hath it: (1.) Because more cool, as Genesis 3:8; (2.) Bec... [ Continue Reading ]
Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: [but] make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. Ver. 3. _Wash thyself therefore._] _A sudore et sordibus, ne male oleres,_ from wet and filth, that thou s... [ Continue Reading ]
_And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do._ Ver. 4. _And it shall be, when he lieth down._] He lay on the floor, as best liked himself, without bed... [ Continue Reading ]
And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do. Ver. 5. _All that thou sayest unto me I will do._] The respect Ruth bare to her mother-in-law, and the hope of a good husband, made her thus submissive. Lyra and Carthusian seem to blame the counsel of Naomi, though they excuse the fact... [ Continue Reading ]
And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her. Ver. 6. _And she went down unto the floor._] Though a woman, and a stranger, yet she ventureth hard: where desire is, there nothing can hinder or abate the spirit, or daunt the heart. _a_ a Bernard.... [ Continue Reading ]
And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. Ver. 7. _And when Boaz had eaten and drunk._] More freely than ordinary; as at such a feast he might. God alloweth his peop... [ Continue Reading ]
_And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet._ Ver. 8. _That the man was afraid._] _Timor est constrictio cordis ex sensu mali instantis._ Fear is a passion of the soul, shrinking in itself from some imminent evil. The Greeks ca... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said, Who [art] thou? And she answered, I [am] Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou [art] a near kinsman. Ver. 9. _Spread therefore thy skirt._] Tostatus thinketh that by this speech she desired him to lie with her; which is gross. Rather, hereby she... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said, Blessed [be] thou of the LORD, my daughter: [for] thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. Ver. 10. _And he said, Blessed be thou, &c._] He did not reproach her, for coming in that manner, a... [ Continue Reading ]
And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou [art] a virtuous woman. Ver. 11. _And now, my daughter, fear not._] That I will either reproach thee, or reject thee; mine affection is no whit alienated from thee by thy pre... [ Continue Reading ]
_And now it is true that I [am thy] near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I._ Ver. 12. _And now it is true._] He easily yieldeth to the truth of her allegation, as being φιλαληθης, a lover of truth - a title given to Arrian the historian - and a promoter of it, as it is said of Vespa... [ Continue Reading ]
Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, [that] if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, [as] the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning. Ver.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor._ Ver. 14. _And she lay at his feet until the morning._] A rare example of chaste and continent behaviour! _O quam hoc non est omnium!_ Joseph... [ Continue Reading ]
Also he said, Bring the vail that [thou hast] upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six [measures] of barley, and laid [it] on her: and she went into the city. Ver. 15. _Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast._] _Pallium, peplum:_ some render it the mantle, others the apron... [ Continue Reading ]
And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who [art] thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her. Ver. 16. _And when she came to her mother-in-law._] To whom she now made haste for three reasons, as is well observed: _a_ (1.) For the danger of the way, being so early... [ Continue Reading ]
And she said, These six [measures] of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law. Ver. 17. _These six measures._] Love is liberal, it will not be hid: … _quis enim celaverit ignem?_ For he said to me.] “ _Dat bene, dat multum, qui dat cure munere vulture._ ” _Go no... [ Continue Reading ]
Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day. Ver. 18. _Sit still, my daughter._] Stir not abroad, divulge not the business, - some women cannot but be tattling, - but wait upon God, and b... [ Continue Reading ]