_The generosity of Boaz: his first meeting with Ruth_ 1 _.a kinsman_ Strictly the word does not mean more than _familiar friend_2 Kings 10:11; Proverbs 7:4. _a mighty man of wealth_ A WEALTHY MAN, 1 Samuel 9:1; 2 Kings 15:20; sometimes the phrase means _a valiant man_(marg.) Judges 6:12; Judges 11:... [ Continue Reading ]
Permission to glean in the harvest field was allowed to the poor, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow; naturally it depended on the goodwill of the owner; see Deuteronomy 24:19; Leviticus 19:9 f., Leviticus 23:22.... [ Continue Reading ]
_her hap … Boaz_ The word for _hap_occurs in 1 Samuel 6:9 (-a chance"), 1 Samuel 20:26. Throughout the story the writer intends us to share his strong belief in Providence, over-ruling unpremeditated actions and words (cf. Ruth 2:12_; Ruth 2:19_f.), and rewarding those who trust it (Ruth 3:4; Ruth 3... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord be with you_ Cf. Judges 6:12; Psalms 129:8. A religious spirit governs the relations between employer and employed on this estate.... [ Continue Reading ]
_save that she tarried a little in the house_ lit. -her dwelling in the house is (but) short": not _the house_of Boaz, which is out of the question; possibly _her own house_, in which case the meaning will be -she has but recently come to live here." It is doubtful, however, whether the words can be... [ Continue Reading ]
_after them_ i.e. the maidens Ruth 2:8, who followed the reapers and did the binding.... [ Continue Reading ]
_take knowledge of me_ with kindly purpose, Ruth 2:19; Psalms 142:4. A stranger had no right or claims on protection in a foreign land. The Hebr. has a subtle play on the two words _take knowledge of me_and _stranger_; the roots are distinct, but they sound alike.... [ Continue Reading ]
Ruth's uncommon devotion, which induced her to leave her native land and the natural guardians of her widowhood, is one of the main features of the story.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the Lord recompense_ Cf. Ruth 1:8. _under whose wings … refuge_ This beautiful idea is repeated in Psalms 36:7; Psalms 57:2; Psalms 91:4; the figure is that of an eagle, Deuteronomy 32:11. May the God of Israel take care of the homeless stranger from a heathen country! The prayer was answered thro... [ Continue Reading ]
_comforted … spoken kindly unto_ The same words in Isaiah 40:1-2. See on Judges 19:3. _though I be not_ As a stranger Ruth is not like one of his handmaidens; she has no right to expect such friendly treatment.... [ Continue Reading ]
_in the vinegar_ i.e. sour wine. It is said to be still used in Palestine by the harvesters as relish with bread. _parched corn_ i.e. grain taken from the newly reaped corn and roasted in a pan, and eaten with bread or as a substitute for bread.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the bundles_ Only here; in Assyr. the root (_ṣabâtu_) means -to grasp"; in the Mishnah and Jewish Aram., -to bind.... [ Continue Reading ]
_she beat out_ Cf. Judges 6:11. _an ephah_ Approximately equivalent to our bushel.... [ Continue Reading ]
_her mother in law saw_ A slight change of pronunciation gives a more expressive sense: _she shewed her mother in law_.... [ Continue Reading ]
_blessed be he_ Naomi invokes a blessing on the benefactor before she knows who he is; the author delights in such dramatic fitness, cf. Ruth 2:12; Ruth 3:11.... [ Continue Reading ]
_one of our near kinsmen_ See marg. and note on Ruth 3:9. Here the word _go'el_occurs for the first time in the story.... [ Continue Reading ]
_in any other field_ In the field of a less pious man than Boaz a poor maiden might come to mischief; cf. Ruth 2:9.... [ Continue Reading ]
_wheat harvest_ followed two or three weeks later. _she dwelt with_ Or, with a slight change, _she returned unto_; so Vulg.... [ Continue Reading ]