Ruth 2:4

Boaz and Ruth Meet

2:4 Now at that very moment, ¹  Boaz arrived from Bethlehem ²  and greeted ³  the harvesters, “May the Lord be with you!” They replied, ⁴  “May the Lord bless you!”

Ruth 4:13

A Grandson is Born to Naomi

4:13 So Boaz married Ruth and had sexual relations with her. ⁵  The Lord enabled her to conceive ⁶  and she gave birth to a son.

Ruth 4:17

4:17 The neighbor women named him, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. ⁷  Now he became the father of Jesse – David’s father!

[2:4]  ¹ tn Heb “and look”; NIV, NRSV “Just then.” The narrator invites the audience into the story, describing Boaz’s arrival as if it were witnessed by the audience.

[2:4]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[2:4]  ³ tn Heb “said to.” Context indicates that the following expression is a greeting, the first thing Boaz says to his workers.

[2:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “said to him.” For stylistic reasons “replied” is used in the present translation.

[4:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “and Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife and he went in to her.” Here the phrase “went in to her” (so NASB) is a euphemism for having sexual relations (cf. NCV); NLT “When he slept with her.”

[4:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “gave her conception” (so KJV); NRSV “made her conceive”; NLT “enabled her to become pregnant.”

[4:17]  ⁹ tn The name “Obed” means “one who serves,” perhaps anticipating how he would help Naomi (see v. 15).