Ruth 1:19

1:19 So the two of them ¹  journeyed together until they arrived in Bethlehem. ² 

Naomi and Ruth Arrive in Bethlehem

When they entered ³  Bethlehem, ⁴  the whole village was excited about their arrival. ⁵  The women of the village said, ⁶  “Can this be Naomi?” ⁷ 

Ruth 2:23

2:23 So Ruth ⁸  worked beside ⁹  Boaz’s female servants, gathering grain until the end of the barley harvest as well as the wheat harvest. ¹⁰  After that she stayed home with her mother-in-law. ¹¹ 

Ruth 3:3

3:3 So bathe yourself, ¹²  rub on some perfumed oil, ¹³  and get dressed up. ¹⁴  Then go down ¹⁵  to the threshing floor. But don’t let the man know you’re there until he finishes his meal. ¹⁶ 

Ruth 3:14

3:14 So she slept beside him ¹⁷  until morning. She woke up while it was still dark. ¹⁸  Boaz thought, ¹⁹  “No one must know that a woman visited the threshing floor.” ²⁰ 

Ruth 3:18

3:18 Then Naomi ²¹  said, “Stay put, ²²  my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out. For the man will not rest until he has taken care of the matter today.”

¹ tn The suffix “them” appears to be masculine, but it is probably an archaic dual form (E. F. Campbell, Ruth [AB], 65; F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 75-76).

² map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.

³ tn The temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi, “and it was”) here introduces a new scene.

⁴ map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.

⁵ tn Heb “because of them” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “excited to see them.”

⁶ tn Heb “they said,” but the verb form is third person feminine plural, indicating that the women of the village are the subject.

⁷ tn Heb “Is this Naomi?” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). The question here expresses surprise and delight because of the way Naomi reacts to it (F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 92).

⁸ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Ruth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁹ tn Heb “and she stayed close with”; NIV, NRSV, CEV “stayed close to”; NCV “continued working closely with.”

¹⁰ sn Barley was harvested from late March through late April, wheat from late April to late May (O. Borowski, Agriculture in Ancient Israel, 88, 91).

¹¹ tn Heb “and she lived with her mother-in-law” (so NASB). Some interpret this to mean that she lived with her mother-in-law while working in the harvest. In other words, she worked by day and then came home to Naomi each evening. Others understand this to mean that following the harvest she stayed at home each day with Naomi and no longer went out looking for work (see F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 140). Others even propose that she lived away from home during this period, but this seems unlikely. A few Hebrew mss (so also Latin Vulgate) support this view by reading, “and she returned to her mother-in-law.”

¹⁵ tn The perfect with prefixed vav (ו) consecutive here introduces a series of instructions. See GKC 335 §112.aa for other examples of this construction.

¹⁶ tn For the meaning of the verb סוּךְ (sukh), see HALOT 745-46 s.v. II סוך, and F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 150. Cf. NAB, NRSV “anoint yourself”; NIV “perfume yourself”; NLT “put on perfume.”

¹⁷ tc The consonantal text (Kethib) has the singular שִׂמְלֹתֵךְ (simlotekh, “your outer garment”), while the marginal reading (Qere) has the plural שִׂמְלֹתַיִךְ (simlotayikh) which might function as a plural of number (“your outer garments”) or a plural of composition (“your outer garment [composed of several parts]).”

¹⁸ tc The consonantal text (Kethib) has וְיָרַדְתִּי (vÿyaradtiy, “then I will go down”; Qal perfect 1st person common singular), while the marginal reading (Qere) is וְיָרַדְתְּ (vÿyaradt, “then you go down”; Qal perfect 2nd person feminine singular) which makes more much sense in context. It is possible that the Kethib preserves an archaic spelling of the 2nd person feminine singular form (see F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 144-45).

¹⁹ tn Heb “until he finishes eating and drinking”; NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV, CEV “until he has finished.”

²² tc The consonantal text (Kethib) has the singular מַרְגְּלָתַו (margÿlatav, “his leg”), while the marginal reading (Qere) has the plural מַרְגְּלוֹתָיו (margÿlotayv, “his legs”).

²³ tn Heb “and she arose before a man could recognize his companion”; NRSV “before one person could recognize another”; CEV “before daylight.”

²⁴ tn Heb “and he said” (so KJV, NASB, NIV). Some translate “he thought [to himself]” (cf. NCV).

²⁵ tn Heb “let it not be known that the woman came [to] the threshing floor” (NASB similar). The article on הָאִשָּׁה (ha’ishah, “the woman”) is probably dittographic (note the final he on the preceding verb בָאָה [va’ah, “she came”]).

²⁹ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Naomi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³⁰ tn Heb “sit”; KJV “Sit still”; NAB “Wait here”; NLT “Just be patient.”