Ruth 2

Ruth 2
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A handwritten scroll of Book of Ruth by the scribe Elihu Shannon of Kibbutz Saad, Israel (c. 2005).
Book	Book of Ruth
Bible part	Old Testament
Order in the Bible part	8
Category	Ketuvim

Ruth 2 is the second chapter of the Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.^[1][2] This chapter contains the story of Ruth gleaning in the fields of Boaz, her deceased husband's near kinsman, and he taketh knowledge of her, Ruth 2:1-7; Boaz showeth her great kindness, and blesseth her, Ruth 2:8-16; that which she got she brings to Naomi; and telleth her what had befallen her; she giveth God thanks, and exhorteth Ruth to continue in the field, Ruth 2:17-23.^[3] It is a part of the Ketuvim ("Writings").^[4][5]

Text

• The original text is written in Hebrew language.
• This chapter is divided into 23 verses.

Textual versions

Some most ancient manuscripts containing this chapter in Hebrew language:

• Masoretic Text (10th century)
• Dead Sea Scrolls: (2nd century BC)^[6][7]
  • 2Q16 (2QRuth^a): extant: verses 13‑23^[6]

Ancient translations in Koine Greek:

• Septuagint (3rd century BC)
• Theodotion version (~AD 180)

Structure

NKJV groups this chapter into:

• Ruth 2:1-23 = Ruth Meets Boaz

Verse 1

And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth,

of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.^[8]

• "And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's": The C'tib reading מְיֻדַּע (mō-w-ḏa'; absolute מְיֻדָע) is much to be preferred to the K'ri מודַע. But מְיֻדָּע is ambiguous in import. It primarily means "known, well-known, acquainted", an "acquaintance" (see Job 19:14; Psalm 55:13; Psalm 88:8, 18). But as "intimate acquaintances", especially in a primitive and comparatively unwelded state of society, are generally found within the circle of kinsfolk, the word may be used, and is here used, in reference to a "kinsman". The Vulgate translates it consanguineus. The translation is interpretatively correct; but the original term is less definite, and hence, in virtue of the ambiguity, there is not absolute redundancy in the appended clause, "of the family or clan of Elimelech."^[9] The "next kinsman" of Ruth 2:20, etc. גאל gā'al, is a wholly different word.^[10] Some say that his father was Elimelech's brother.^[11]
• "A mighty man of wealth": a man of great wealth and riches, and of great power and authority, which riches give and raise a man to, and also of great virtue and honour, all which the word "wealth" signifies; to which may be added the paraphrase the Targumist gives, that "he was mighty in the law"; in the Scriptures, in the word of God, a truly religious man, which completes his character.^[11]
• "Boaz": Commonly taken to mean, "strength is in him" (compare 1 Kings 7:21).^[10] It is the name of one of the pillars in Solomon's temple, so called from its "strength".^[11] Boaz was the grandson of Nahshon, prince of the tribe of Judah, who first offered at the dedication of the altar, Numbers 7:12, his father's name was Salmon, and his mother was Rahab, the harlot of Jericho, Matthew 1:5.^[11] A particular account is given of this man, because he, with Ruth, makes the principal part of the following history.^[11] This man is commonly said by the Jews to be the same with Ibzan, a judge of Israel, Judges 12:8.^[11]

Verse 2

And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.^[12]

• "Ruth the Moabitess": In modern style one would not, in referring, at this stage of the narrative, to Ruth, deem it in the least degree necessary or advantageous to repeat the designation "the Moabitess." The repetition is antique, and calls to mind the redundant particularization of legal phraseology - "the aforesaid Ruth, the Moabitess." She was willing and wishful to avail herself of an Israelitish privilege accorded to the poor, the privilege of gleaning after the reapers in the harvest-fields (see Leviticus 19:9; Leviticus 23:22: Deuteronomy 24:19). Such gleaning was a humiliation to those who had been accustomed to give rather than to get. But Ruth saw, in the pinched features of her mother-in-law, that there was now a serious difficulty in keeping the wolf outside the door. And hence, although there would be temptation in the step, as well as humiliation, she resolved to avail herself of the harvest season to gather as large a store as possible of those nutritious cereals which form the staff of life, and which they would grind for themselves in their little handmill or quern. She said, with beautiful courtesy. "Let me go I, pray, thee;" or, "I wish to go, if you will please to allow me." Such is the force of the peculiar Hebrew idiom.^[9]
• "Let me now go to the field": After they had been some little time at Bethlehem, and not long; for they came at the beginning of barley harvest, and as yet it was not over, nor perhaps for some time after this; and knowing and considering the circumstances they were in, and unwilling to live an idle life, and ready to do any thing for the support of her life, and of her ancient mother-in-law; which was very commendable, and showed her to be an industrious virtuous woman: she addressed her, and said: "let me now go to the field"; she did not choose to go any where, nor do anything, without her advice and consent; so dutiful and obedient was she to her, and so high an opinion had she of her wisdom and goodness; she desired to go to the field which belonged to Bethlehem, which seems to have been an open field, not enclosed, where each inhabitant had his part, as Boaz, (Ruth 2:3) though Jarchi interprets it of one of the fields of the men of the city; hither she asked leave to go, not with any ill intent, nor was she in any danger of being exposed, since it being harvest time the field was full of people.^[11]
• "Glean": The right of gleaning was conferred by a positive law on the widow, the poor, and the stranger (Leviticus 19:9 and Deuteronomy 24:19). But liberty to glean behind the reapers [Ruth 2:3] was not a right that could be claimed; it was a privilege granted or refused according to the good will or favor of the owner.^[3]

Verse 3

And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers:

and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz,

who was of the kindred of Elimelech.^[13]

• "And she went, and came": That is, she went out of the house where she was, and out of the city, and came into the field; though, according to the Midrash,^[14] she marked the ways as she went, before she entered into the field, and then came back to the city to observe the marks and signs she made, that she might not mistake the way, and might know how to come back again.^[11]
• "Her hap": "And it so happened."^[9] The providence of God so ordering and directing it; for though it was hap and chance to her, and what some people call good luck, it was according to the purpose, and by the providence and direction of God that she came to the reapers in that part of the field Boaz.^[11]
• "A part of the field belonging unto Boaz": Fields in Palestine being unenclosed, the phrase signifies that portion of the open ground which lay within the landmarks of Boaz.^[3]

Verse 4

And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers,

The Lord be with you.

And they answered him,

The Lord bless thee.^[15]

Verse 23

So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean

unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest;

and dwelt with her mother in law.^[16]

• "So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean": or "And she kept close by Boaz's young women to glean". Wright translates thus: "And she kept gleaning along with the maidens of Boaz." But the maidens of Boaz are not represented as gleaning. The historical statement of the verse is to be explained from the hortatory statement of verse 8: "Keep close to my young women."^[9]
• "Till the end of the barley-harvest and the wheat-harvest": Ruth's gleaning labors extended to the close of the wheat-harvest. "The harvest upon the mountains," says Dr. Robinson, "ripens of course later than in the plains of the Jordan and the sea-coast. The barley-harvest precedes the wheat-harvest by a week or fortnight. On the 4th and 5th of June the people of Hebron were just beginning to gather their wheat; on the 11th and 12th the threshing-floors on the Mount of Olives were in full operation. We had already seen the harvest in the same stage of progress on the plains of Gaza on the 19th of May; while at Jericho, on the 12th of May, the threshing-floors had nearly completed their work" ('Biblical Researches,' vol. 2. p. 99).^[9] According to the Midrash,^[17] from the beginning of the one, to the end of the other, were three months; though it may be, they were gathered in sooner: indeed from the passover to Pentecost were seven weeks, which was the difference between the beginning of one harvest, and the beginning of the other.^[11]
• "Dwelt with her mother-in-law": the reference is not to be restricted to the time that succeeded the period of harvesting. The Vulgate indeed connects the clause with the following verse, and renders it, "After she returned to her mother-in-law," pointing the verb thus וַתָּשָׁב instead of וַתֵּשֶׁב. The same translation is given to the verb by Luther and Coverdale. But there is no evidence whatever that Ruth slept anywhere else than under her mother-in-law's roof. The clause was written, apparently, for the very purpose of bringing out clearly before the mind of the reader her stainless innocence, and sweet simplicity, and never-tiring devotion to her noble mother-in-law.^[9]

See also

• Related Bible parts: Leviticus 19, Deuteronomy 24, Ruth 1

Notes and references

Bibliography

External links