Ruth 3:1

Naomi Instructs Ruth

3:1 At that time, ¹  Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, “My daughter, I must find a home for you so you will be secure. ² 

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. ³  That way you will not be harmed, which could happen in another field.” ⁴ 

Ruth 3:10-11

3:10 He said, “May you be rewarded ⁵  by the Lord, my dear! ⁶  This act of devotion ⁷  is greater than what you did before. ⁸  For you have not sought to marry ⁹  one of the young men, whether rich or poor. ¹⁰  3:11 Now, my dear, don’t worry! ¹¹  I intend to do for you everything you propose, ¹²  for everyone in the village ¹³  knows that you are a worthy woman. ¹⁴ 

Ruth 3:16

3:16 and she returned to her mother-in-law.

Ruth Returns to Naomi

When Ruth returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi ¹⁵  asked, ¹⁶  “How did things turn out for you, ¹⁷  my daughter?” Ruth ¹⁸  told her about all the man had done for her. ¹⁹ 

Ruth 3:18

3:18 Then Naomi ²⁰  said, “Stay put, ²¹  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 2:2

2:2 One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go ²²  to the fields so I can gather ²³  grain behind whoever permits me to do so.” ²⁴  Naomi ²⁵  replied, “You may go, my daughter.”

Ruth 2:8

2:8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully, ²⁶  my dear! ²⁷  Do not leave to gather grain in another field. You need not ²⁸  go beyond the limits of this field. You may go along beside ²⁹  my female workers. ³⁰ 

[3:1]  ¹ 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]  ² 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).

[2:22]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “and they will not harm you in another field”; NRSV “otherwise you might be bothered in another field.”

[3:10]  ⁵ tn Or “blessed” (so NASB, NRSV).

[3:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “my daughter.” This form of address is a mild form of endearment, perhaps merely rhetorical. A few English versions omit it entirely (e.g., TEV, CEV). The same expression occurs in v. 11.

[3:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “latter [act of] devotion”; NRSV “this last instance of your loyalty.”

[3:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “you have made the latter act of devotion better than the former”; NIV “than that which you showed earlier.”

[3:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “by not going after the young men” (NASB similar); TEV “You might have gone looking for a young man.”

[3:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “whether poor or rich” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); the more common English idiom reverses the order (“rich or poor”; cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

[3:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “do not fear” (so NASB); NRSV “do not be afraid.”

[3:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “everything which you are saying I will do for you.” The Hebrew word order emphasizes Boaz’s intention to fulfill Ruth’s request. As in v. 5, the Hebrew imperfect is used (note “you are saying”), even though Ruth’s request appears to be concluded. According to GKC 316 §107.h, the imperfect can sometimes “express actions, etc., which although, strictly speaking, they are already finished, are regarded as still lasting on into the present time, or continuing to operate in it.” The imperfect אֶעֱשֶׂה (’e’eseh) could be translated “I will do” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), but since there are legal complications which must first be resolved, it is better to take the form as indicating Boaz’s desire or intention, if the legal matters can be worked out.

[3:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “all the gate of the town,” which by metonymy could refer to everyone in town (NIV “All my fellow townsmen”; NLT “everyone in town”), or only to the leaders and prominent citizens of the community (Boaz’s peers) who transacted business and made legal decisions at the town gate (NRSV “all the assembly of my people”).

[3:11]  ¹⁰ tn Or “woman of strong character” (cf. NIV “woman of noble character”). The same phrase is used in Prov 31:10 to describe the ideal wife. Prov 31 emphasizes the ideal wife’s industry, her devotion to her family, and her concern for others, characteristics which Ruth had demonstrated.

[3:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Naomi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “said.” Since what follows is a question, the present translation uses “asked” here.

[3:16]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Who are you?” In this context Naomi is clearly not asking for Ruth’s identity. Here the question has the semantic force “Are you his wife?” See R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth (NICOT), 223-24, and F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 184-85.

[3:16]  ¹² tn Heb “she”; the referent (Ruth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ¹³ sn All that the man had done. This would have included his promise to marry her and his gift of barley.

[3:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Naomi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:18]  ¹² tn Heb “sit”; KJV “Sit still”; NAB “Wait here”; NLT “Just be patient.”

[2:2]  ¹³ tn The cohortative here (“Let me go”) expresses Ruth’s request. Note Naomi’s response, in which she gives Ruth permission to go to the field.

[2:2]  ¹⁴ tn Following the preceding cohortative, the cohortative with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result.

[2:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “anyone in whose eyes I may find favor” (ASV, NIV similar). The expression אֶמְצָא־חֵן בְּעֵינָיו (’emtsa’-khen bÿ’enayv, “to find favor in the eyes of [someone]”) appears in Ruth 2:2, 10, 13. It is most often used when a subordinate or servant requests permission for something from a superior (BDB 336 s.v. חֵן). Ruth will play the role of the subordinate servant, seeking permission from a landowner, who then could show benevolence by granting her request to glean in his field behind the harvest workers.

[2:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Naomi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:8]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and thus you may stay close with.” The imperfect has a permissive nuance here.

[2:8]  ¹⁹ 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).