Ruth Goes to Glean in the Fields
Study note
God's law in Israel told farmers not to harvest every last bit of grain from their fields. They were to leave some behind for the poor, widows, and foreigners to pick up. This was called gleaning. It was hard, humble work, but it was the only way Ruth could provide food. Without knowing it, Ruth ended up in the field of Boaz, who was a relative of Elimelech, Naomi's dead husband.
1 Now it happened that Naomi had a relative through her husband's side of the family -- a wealthy and well-respected man from Elimelech's clan. His name was Boaz. And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.
2 One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, "Please let me go out to the fields and pick up leftover grain behind the harvesters." Gleaning was the practice of gathering grain that workers left behind -- the law protected this right for poor people. Naomi replied, "Go ahead, my daughter." And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
3 So Ruth went out and started gathering grain in the fields behind the workers. By what seemed like pure coincidence, she working in a field owned by Boaz, who was from Elimelech's clan. And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
Boaz Notices Ruth
Study note
Boaz arrived at the harvest field and greeted his workers with a blessing. He quickly noticed Ruth and asked his foreman about her. The foreman explained that she was the Moabite woman who came back with Naomi. He noted that Ruth had been working hard since early morning, barely taking a break.
4 Then, Boaz himself arrived from Bethlehem. He called out to his workers, "The Lord be with you!" They answered back, "The Lord bless you!" And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.
5 Boaz noticed Ruth and asked his field supervisor, "Who is that young woman over there?" Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
6 The manager said, "She is the Moabite woman who came back from Moab with Naomi." And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab:
7 "She asked permission to pick up leftover grain behind the harvesters. She has been out here working hard since early morning, barely taking a break." And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.
Boaz Shows Kindness to Ruth
Study note
Boaz spoke directly to Ruth and told her to stay in his fields where she would be safe. He had heard about her loyalty to Naomi and how she left her own homeland. He ordered his workers not to bother her and let her drink from their water jars. Ruth was amazed that a foreigner like her would receive such kindness.
8 Boaz went over to Ruth and said, "Listen to me, my daughter. Do not go to any other field to gather grain. Stay right here with my servant women. You will be safe." Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:
9 "Watch which part of the field my crew is harvesting and follow behind them. I have told the young men not to bother you. And whenever you get thirsty, feel free to drink from the water jars my servants have filled." Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.
10 Ruth dropped to the ground and bowed deeply, overwhelmed. She asked Boaz, "Why are you being so generous to me? I am just a foreigner -- why would you even notice someone like me?" Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?
11 Boaz replied, "I have heard all about what you did for your mother-in-law after your husband died. You walked away from your own parents and the country where you grew up, and you came to live among people you had never known before." And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
12 "May the Lord repay you richly for everything you have done. May you receive a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose protective wings you have come to find shelter." The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
13 Ruth answered, "You are so kind to me, sir. You have comforted me and spoken warmly to me, even though I am not worth as much as one of your own servant women." Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.
Boaz Provides for Ruth at Mealtime
Study note
Boaz invited Ruth to eat with his workers. The vinegar mentioned here was a sour wine used as a refreshing drink during hot harvest days. Boaz also secretly told his workers to pull out extra stalks of grain from the bundles and leave them for Ruth to find. By the end of the day, Ruth had gathered about an ephah of barley, which is roughly 22 liters or 5 gallons. That was an extraordinary amount for one day of gleaning.
14 At mealtime, Boaz invited her over. "Come eat with us. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar." Ruth sat down with the harvesters, and Boaz handed her a generous serving of roasted grain. She ate until she was full and still had food left over. And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
15 When Ruth stood up to get back to work, Boaz quietly pulled his workers aside and told them, "Let her gather freely, even right among the bundled sheaves. Do not say anything to embarrass her." And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:
16 "In fact, pull out some extra stalks from the bundles on purpose and leave them for her to pick up. And do not give her a hard time about it." And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
17 Ruth gathered grain in the field until the sun went down. Then she beat the husks off the grain she had collected. She gained about five gallons of barley -- a great amount for one day's gleaning. So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.
Naomi Recognizes God's Hand
Study note
When Ruth returned home with all the grain, Naomi was astonished. When she learned it came from Boaz's field, she praised God. Naomi revealed that Boaz was one of their closest relatives, a kinsman-redeemer. In Israelite law, a kinsman-redeemer was a close male relative who had the right and duty to buy back family property and marry a widow to keep the family name alive. Ruth continued gleaning in Boaz's fields through both the barley harvest and the wheat harvest, a period of about two months.
18 She carried it all back to town and showed her mother-in-law the impressive haul. She also pulled out the leftover food she had saved from lunch and shared it with Naomi. And she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed.
19 Naomi's eyes went wide. "Where on earth did you gather all this today? Where did you work? May the Lord bless whoever took such good care of you!" Ruth told her everything and said, "The man whose field I worked in today is named Boaz." And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz.
20 Naomi exclaimed, "May the Lord bless that man! He has continued showing kindness to the living and to those who have died." Then Naomi explained, "Boaz is a close relative of ours -- he is one of our family redeemers." A family redeemer was a close relative who had the right to buy back lost family property and care for widows. And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.
21 Ruth added, "He even told me to keep coming back. He said to stay close to his workers until his whole harvest is done." And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.
22 Naomi told Ruth, "That is wonderful, my daughter. Stay with his servant women where you will be safe. In someone else's field, you might run into trouble." And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field.
23 So Ruth stayed close to Boaz's servant women, gathering grain through both the barley harvest and the wheat harvest. She continued living with her mother-in-law the whole time. So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.