Ruth 2:15

2:15 When she got up to gather grain, Boaz told ¹  his male servants, “Let her gather grain even among ²  the bundles! Don’t chase her off! ³ 

Ruth 3:17-18

3:17 She said, “He gave me these sixty pounds of barley, for he said to me, ⁴  ‘Do not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’” ⁵  3:18 Then Naomi ⁶  said, “Stay put, ⁷  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.”

[2:15]  ¹ tn Or “commanded” (so KJV, NASB, NCV).

[2:15]  ² tn Heb “even between”; NCV “even around.”

[2:15]  ³ tn Heb “do not humiliate her”; cf. KJV “reproach her not”; NASB “do not insult her”; NIV “don’t embarrass her.” This probably refers to a verbal rebuke which would single her out and embarrass her (see v. 16). See R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth (NICOT), 176-77, and F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 126.

[3:17]  ⁴ tc The MT (Kethib) lacks the preposition אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”) which is attested in the marginal reading (Qere).

[3:17]  ⁵ sn ‘Do not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’ In addition to being a further gesture of kindness on Boaz’s part, the gift of barley served as a token of his intention to fulfill his responsibility as family guardian. See R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth (NICOT), 225-26, and F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 187.

[3:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Naomi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “sit”; KJV “Sit still”; NAB “Wait here”; NLT “Just be patient.”