Ruth 2

Ruth 2:1

Ch. 2. 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 11:1; in Rth 3:11 the word for wealth has a moral sense. Boaz] Cf. 1 Kings 7:21. The derivation of the name is uncertain: possibly, ‘in him is strength’ (for Ruth). More probably the name is traditional, and a contraction of Ba‘al-‘az i.e. ‘B. is strong’; cf. in Phoenician Bomilcar for Ba‘al-melḳ ?arth, Salambo for Ṣ ?alm-ba‘al etc.

Ruth 2:2

2. 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.

Ruth 2:3

3. 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. Rth 2:12; Rth 2:19 f.), and rewarding those who trust it (Rth 3:4; Rth 3:9; Rth 3:11, Rth 4:6; Rth 4:14). ‘The cosmos is a fighter for the righteous,’ says the Jewish sage, Wis 16:17

Ruth 2:4

4. 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.

Ruth 2:7

7. 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 bear this sense; the text is probably corrupt. The LXX. reads ‘and she hath not rested in the field (even) a little time’; the Vulg., ‘and not even for a moment hath she returned to the house.’ Something can be said for each of these emendations, but neither is quite satisfactory.

Ruth 2:9

9. after them] i.e. the maidens Rth 2:8, who followed the reapers and did the binding.

Ruth 2:10

10. take knowledge of me] with kindly purpose, Rth 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.

Ruth 2:11

11. 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.

Ruth 2:12

12. the Lord recompense] Cf. Rth 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 through the agency of him who uttered it—a fine touch, as Bertholet points out.

Ruth 2:13

13. 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.

Ruth 2:14

14. 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.

Ruth 2:16

16. the bundles] Only here; in Assyr. the root (ṣ ?abâtu) means ‘to grasp’; in the Mishnah and Jewish Aram., ‘to bind.’

Ruth 2:17

17. she beat out] Cf. Judges 6:11. an ephah] Approximately equivalent to our bushel.

Ruth 2:18

18. her mother in law saw] A slight change of pronunciation gives a more expressive sense: she shewed her mother in law.

Ruth 2:19

19. blessed be he] Naomi invokes a blessing on the benefactor before she knows who he is; the author delights in such dramatic fitness, cf. Rth 2:12, Rth 3:11.

Ruth 2:20

20. one of our near kinsmen] See marg. and note on Rth 3:9. Here the word go’el occurs for the first time in the story.

Ruth 2:22

22. in any other field] In the field of a less pious man than Boaz a poor maiden might come to mischief; cf. Rth 2:9.

Ruth 2:23

23. wheat harvest] followed two or three weeks later. she dwelt with] Or, with a slight change, she returned unto; so Vulg.