Ruth 2:16

2:16 Make sure you pull out ¹  ears of grain for her and drop them so she can gather them up. Don’t tell her not to!” ² 

Ruth 3:1

Naomi Instructs Ruth

3:1 At that time, ³  Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, “My daughter, I must find a home for you so you will be secure. ⁴ 

Ruth 2:8

2:8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully, ⁵  my dear! ⁶  Do not leave to gather grain in another field. You need not ⁷  go beyond the limits of this field. You may go along beside ⁸  my female workers. ⁹ 

Ruth 4:6

4:6 The guardian said, “Then I am unable to redeem it, for I would ruin my own inheritance ¹⁰  in that case. You may exercise my redemption option, for I am unable to redeem it.” ¹¹ 

Ruth 2:13

2:13 She said, “You really are being kind to me, ¹²  sir, ¹³  for you have reassured ¹⁴  and encouraged ¹⁵  me, your servant, ¹⁶  even though I am ¹⁷  not one of your servants!” ¹⁸ 

Ruth 2:15

2:15 When she got up to gather grain, Boaz told ¹⁹  his male servants, “Let her gather grain even among ²⁰  the bundles! Don’t chase her off! ²¹ 

Ruth 2:22

2:22 Naomi then said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “It is good, my daughter, that you should go out to work with his female servants. ²²  That way you will not be harmed, which could happen in another field.” ²³ 

Ruth 3:2

3:2 Now Boaz, with whose female servants you worked, is our close relative. ²⁴  Look, tonight he is winnowing barley at the threshing floor. ²⁵ 

Ruth 3:18

3:18 Then Naomi ²⁶  said, “Stay put, ²⁷  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.”

Ruth 4:14

4:14 The village women said to Naomi, “May the Lord be praised because he has not left you without a guardian ²⁸  today! May he ²⁹  become famous in Israel! ³⁰ 

Ruth 2:9

2:9 Take note of ³¹  the field where the men ³²  are harvesting and follow behind with the female workers. ³³  I will tell the men ³⁴  to leave you alone. ³⁵  When you are thirsty, you may go to ³⁶  the water jars ³⁷  and drink some of the water ³⁸  the servants draw.” ³⁹ 

Ruth 2:11

2:11 Boaz replied to her, ⁴⁰  “I have been given a full report of ⁴¹  all that you have done for your mother-in-law following the death of your husband – how you left ⁴²  your father and your mother, as well as your homeland, and came to live among people you did not know previously. ⁴³ 

Ruth 2:20

2:20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be rewarded by the Lord because he ⁴⁴  has shown loyalty to the living on behalf of the dead!” ⁴⁵  Then Naomi said to her, “This man is a close relative of ours; he is our guardian.” ⁴⁶ 

Ruth 3:13

3:13 Remain here tonight. Then in the morning, if he agrees to marry you, ⁴⁷  fine, ⁴⁸  let him do so. ⁴⁹  But if he does not want to do so, I promise, as surely as the Lord lives, to marry you. ⁵⁰  Sleep here until morning.” ⁵¹ 

Ruth 4:4

4:4 So I am legally informing you: ⁵²  Acquire it before those sitting here and before the leaders of my people! ⁵³  If you want to exercise your right to redeem it, then do so. ⁵⁴  But if not, then tell me ⁵⁵  so I will know. ⁵⁶  For you possess the first option to redeem it; I am next in line after you.” ⁵⁷  He replied, “I will redeem it.”

Ruth 4:10

4:10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, as my wife to raise up a descendant who will inherit his property ⁵⁸  so the name of the deceased might not disappear ⁵⁹  from among his relatives and from his village. ⁶⁰  You are witnesses today.”

[2:16]  ¹ tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis. Here שָׁלַל (shalal, “pull out”) is a homonym of the more common Hebrew verb meaning “to plunder.” An Arabic cognate is used of drawing a sword out of a scabbard (see BDB 1021 s.v.).

[2:16]  ² tn Heb “do not rebuke her” (so NASB, NRSV); CEV “don’t speak harshly to her”; NLT “don’t give her a hard time.”

[3:1]  ³ tn The phrase “sometime later” does not appear in Hebrew but is supplied to mark the implicit shift in time from the events in chapter 2.

[3:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “My daughter, should I not seek for you a resting place so that it may go well for you [or which will be good for you]?” The idiomatic, negated rhetorical question is equivalent to an affirmation (see 2:8-9) and has thus been translated in the affirmative (so also NAB, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

[2:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “Have you not heard?” The idiomatic, negated rhetorical question is equivalent to an affirmation (see F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 119, and GKC 474 §150.e).

[2:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “my daughter.” This form of address is a mild form of endearment, perhaps merely rhetorical. It might suggest that Boaz is older than Ruth, but not necessarily significantly so. A few English versions omit it entirely (e.g., TEV, CEV).

[2:8]  ⁷ tn The switch from the negative particle אַל (’al, see the preceding statement, “do not leave”) to לֹא (lo’) may make this statement more emphatic. It may indicate that the statement is a policy applicable for the rest of the harvest (see v. 21).

[2:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “and thus you may stay close with.” The imperfect has a permissive nuance here.

[2:8]  ⁹ sn The female workers would come along behind those who cut the grain and bundle it up. Staying close to the female workers allowed Ruth to collect more grain than would normally be the case (see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 61, and F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 121).

[4:6]  ⁷ sn I would ruin my own inheritance. It is not entirely clear how acquiring Ruth and raising up an heir for the deceased Elimelech would ruin this individual’s inheritance. Perhaps this means that the inheritance of his other children would be diminished. See R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth (NICOT), 245-46.

[4:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “redeem for yourself, you, my right of redemption for I am unable to redeem.”

[2:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “I am finding favor in your eyes.” In v. 10, where Ruth uses the perfect, she simply states the fact that Boaz is kind. Here the Hebrew text switches to the imperfect, thus emphasizing the ongoing attitude of kindness displayed by Boaz. Many English versions treat this as a request: KJV “Let me find favour in thy sight”; NAB “May I prove worthy of your kindness”; NIV “May I continue to find favor in your eyes.”

[2:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “my master”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “my lord.”

[2:13]  ¹¹ tn Or “comforted” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).

[2:13]  ¹² tn Heb “spoken to the heart of.” As F. W. Bush points out, the idiom here means “to reassure, encourage” (Ruth, Esther [WBC], 124).

[2:13]  ¹³ tn Ruth here uses a word (שִׁפְחָה, shifkhah) that describes the lowest level of female servant (see 1 Sam 25:41). Note Ruth 3:9 where she uses the word אָמָה (’amah), which refers to a higher class of servant.

[2:13]  ¹⁴ tn The imperfect verbal form of הָיָה (hayah) is used here. F. W. Bush shows from usage elsewhere that the form should be taken as future (Ruth, Esther [WBC], 124-25).

[2:13]  ¹⁵ tn The disjunctive clause (note the pattern vav [ו] + subject + verb) is circumstantial (or concessive) here (“even though”).

[2:15]  ¹¹ tn Or “commanded” (so KJV, NASB, NCV).

[2:15]  ¹² tn Heb “even between”; NCV “even around.”

[2:15]  ¹³ 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.

[2:22]  ¹³ tn Naomi uses the feminine form of the word “servant” (as Boaz did earlier, see v. 8), in contrast to Ruth’s use of the masculine form in the preceding verse. Since she is concerned for Ruth’s safety, she may be subtly reminding Ruth to stay with the female workers and not get too close to the men.

[2:22]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and they will not harm you in another field”; NRSV “otherwise you might be bothered in another field.”

[3:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Is not Boaz our close relative, with whose female servants you were?” The idiomatic, negated rhetorical question is equivalent to an affirmation (see Ruth 2:8-9; 3:1) and has thus been translated in the affirmative (so also NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

[3:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “look, he is winnowing the barley threshing floor tonight.”

[3:18]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Naomi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

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

[4:14]  ¹⁹ tn Or “redeemer.” See the note on the phrase “guardian of the family interests” in 3:9. As the following context indicates, the child is referred to here.

[4:14]  ²⁰ tn The “guardian” is the subject of the verb, as the next verse makes clear.

[4:14]  ²¹ tn Heb “may his name be called [i.e., “perpetuated”; see Gen 48:16] in Israel.”

[2:9]  ²¹ tn Heb “let your eyes be upon” (KJV, NASB similar).

[2:9]  ²² tn Heb “they.” The verb is masculine plural, indicating that the male workers are the subject here.

[2:9]  ²³ tn Heb “and go after them.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, indicating that the female workers are referred to here.

[2:9]  ²⁴ tn Male servants are in view here, as the masculine plural form of the noun indicates (cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV “the young men”).

[2:9]  ²⁵ tn Heb “Have I not commanded the servants not to touch [i.e., “harm”] you?” The idiomatic, negated rhetorical question is equivalent to an affirmation (see v. 8). The perfect is either instantaneous, indicating completion of the action concurrent with the statement (see F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 107, 121-22, who translates, “I am herewith ordering”) or emphatic/rhetorical, indicating the action is as good as done.

[2:9]  ²⁶ tn The juxtaposition of two perfects, each with vav consecutive, here indicates a conditional sentence (see GKC 337 §112.kk).

[2:9]  ²⁷ tn Heb “vessels (so KJV, NAB, NRSV), receptacles”; NCV “water jugs.”

[2:9]  ²⁸ tn Heb “drink [some] of that which” (KJV similar); in the context “water” is implied.

[2:9]  ²⁹ tn The imperfect here either indicates characteristic or typical activity, or anterior future, referring to a future action (drawing water) which logically precedes another future action (drinking).

[2:11]  ²³ tn Heb “answered and said to her” (so NASB). For stylistic reasons this has been translated as “replied to her.”

[2:11]  ²⁴ tn Heb “it has been fully reported to me.” The infinitive absolute here emphasizes the following finite verb from the same root. Here it emphasizes either the clarity of the report or its completeness. See R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth (NICOT), 153, n. 6. Most English versions tend toward the nuance of completeness (e.g., KJV “fully been shewed”; NAB “a complete account”; NASB, NRSV “All that you have done”).

[2:11]  ²⁵ tn The vav (ו) consecutive construction here has a specifying function. This and the following clause elaborate on the preceding general statement and explain more specifically what she did for her mother-in-law.

[2:11]  ²⁶ tn Heb “yesterday and the third day.” This Hebrew idiom means “previously, in the past” (Exod 5:7,8,14; Exod 21:29,36; Deut 4:42; 19:4,6; Josh 3:4; 1 Sam 21:5; 2 Sam 3:17; 1 Chr 11:2).

[2:20]  ²⁵ tn Many English versions translate this statement, “May he [Boaz] be blessed by the Lord, who has not abandoned his loyalty to the living and dead.” In this case the antecedent of אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “who”) would be the immediately preceding “the Lord.” However, this understanding of the construction is not accurate. The antecedent of אֲשֶׁר is Boaz, not the Lord. Elsewhere when אֲשֶׁר follows the blessing formula בָּרוּךְ (barukh, Qal passive participle) + proper name/pronoun, it always introduces the reason the recipient of the blessing deserves a reward. (For this reason one could analyze אֲשֶׁר as a causal conjunction in this construction.) If אֲשֶׁר refers to the Lord here, then this verse, unlike others using the construction, gives no such reason for the recipient being blessed. 2 Sam 2:5, which provides the closest structural parallel to Ruth 2:20, supports this interpretation: בְּרֻכִים אַתֶּם לַיהוָה אֲשֶׁר עֲשִׂיתֶם הַחֶסֶד הַזֶּה עִם־אֲדֹנֵיכֶם עִם־שָׁאוּל, “May you [plural] be blessed by the Lord, you who [plural]/because you [plural] have extended such kindness to your master Saul.” Here אֲשֶׁר refers back to the second plural pronoun אַתֶּם (’atem, “you”) in the formula, as the second plural verb עֲשִׂיתֶם(’asitem) after אֲשֶׁר indicates. Though יְהוָה (yÿhvah) is in closer proximity to אֲשֶׁר, it is not the antecedent. The evidence suggests that Ruth 2:20 should be translated and interpreted as follows: “May he [Boaz] be blessed by the Lord, he who [i.e., Boaz]/because he [i.e., Boaz] has not abandoned his loyalty to the living and dead.” Cf. NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT. See B. A. Rebera, “Yahweh or Boaz? Ruth 2.20 Reconsidered,” BT 36 (1985): 317-27, and F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 134-36. By caring for the impoverished widows’ physical needs, Boaz had demonstrated loyalty to both the living (the impoverished widows) and the dead (their late husbands). See R. B. Chisholm, From Exegesis to Exposition, 72.

[2:20]  ²⁶ tn Heb “to the living and the dead” (so KJV, NASB).

[2:20]  ²⁷ tn The Hebrew term גָּאַל (ga’al) is sometimes translated “redeemer” here (NIV “one of our kinsman-redeemers”; NLT “one of our family redeemers”). In this context Boaz, as a “redeemer,” functions as a guardian of the family interests who has responsibility for caring for the widows of his deceased kinsmen.

[3:13]  ²⁷ tn Heb “if he redeems you”; NIV “if he wants to redeem”; NRSV “if he will act as next-of-kin for you.” The verb גֹּאֵל (go’el) here refers generally to fulfilling his responsibilities as a guardian of the family interests. In this case it specifically entails marrying Ruth.

[3:13]  ²⁸ tn Or “good” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “well and good.”

[3:13]  ²⁹ tn Heb “let him redeem” (so NIV); NLT “then let him marry you.”

[3:13]  ³⁰ tn Heb “but if he does not want to redeem you, then I will redeem you, I, [as] the Lord lives” (NASB similar).

[3:13]  ³¹ sn Sleep here. Perhaps Boaz tells her to remain at the threshing floor because he is afraid she might be hurt wandering back home in the dark. See Song 5:7 and R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth (NICOT), 218.

[4:4]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and I said [or perhaps, “thought to myself”], ‘I will [or “must”] uncover your ear, saying’”; NAB “So I thought I would inform you”; NIV “I thought I should bring the matter to your attention.”

[4:4]  ³⁰ tn The phrase “before those sitting here and before the leaders of my people” appears to refer to the leaders who were specially chosen as witnesses (v. 2) and the larger group of community leaders standing by. It is possible, however, that the phrases “before those sitting here” and “before the leaders of my people” are appositional and that both refer to the ten leaders mentioned in v. 2 (cf. NLT “in the presence of these witnesses”).

[4:4]  ³¹ tn Heb “if you will redeem, redeem” (KJV, NASB, NRSV all similar); NCV “If you want to buy back the land, then buy it.”

[4:4]  ³² tn Heb “but if he will not redeem, tell me.” Most English versions emend the third person verb form (“he”) to the second person form because Boaz is addressing the closer relative. But it is possible that he briefly addresses the witnesses and refers to the closer relative in the third person. See J. M. Sasson, Ruth, 118.

[4:4]  ³³ tn Following the imperative, the prefixed verb form with vav indicates purpose or result.

[4:4]  ³⁴ tn Heb “for there is no one besides you to redeem, and I am after you” (NASB similar).

[4:10]  ³¹ tn Heb “in order to raise up the name of the deceased over his inheritance” (NASB similar).

[4:10]  ³² tn Heb “be cut off” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB “may not perish.”

[4:10]  ³³ tn Heb “and from the gate of his place” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “from the court of his birth place”; NIV “from the town records.”