Ruth 3:16-18

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

Ruth Returns to Naomi

When Ruth returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi ¹  asked, ²  “How did things turn out for you, ³  my daughter?” Ruth ⁴  told her about all the man had done for her. ⁵  3:17 She said, “He gave me these sixty pounds of barley, for he said to me, ⁶  ‘Do not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’” ⁷  3:18 Then Naomi ⁸  said, “Stay put, ⁹  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.”

[3:16]  ¹ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Naomi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ² tn Heb “said.” Since what follows is a question, the present translation uses “asked” here.

[3:16]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Ruth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ⁵ sn All that the man had done. This would have included his promise to marry her and his gift of barley.

[3:17]  ⁶ tc The MT (Kethib) lacks the preposition אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”) which is attested in the marginal reading (Qere).

[3:17]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Naomi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “sit”; KJV “Sit still”; NAB “Wait here”; NLT “Just be patient.”