6 And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her.
7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.
8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
9 And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.
10 And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.
12 And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.
13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.
6 And she went down H3381 unto the floor, H1637 and did H6213 according to all that her mother in law H2545 bade H6680 her.
7 And when Boaz H1162 had eaten H398 and drunk, H8354 and his heart H3820 was merry, H3190 he went H935 to lie down H7901 at the end H7097 of the heap of corn: H6194 and she came H935 softly, H3909 and uncovered H1540 his feet, H4772 and laid her down. H7901
8 And it came to pass at midnight, H2677 H3915 that the man H376 was afraid, H2729 and turned H3943 himself: and, behold, a woman H802 lay H7901 at his feet. H4772
9 And he said, H559 Who art thou? And she answered, H559 I am Ruth H7327 thine handmaid: H519 spread H6566 therefore thy skirt H3671 over thine handmaid; H519 for thou art a near kinsman. H1350
10 And he said, H559 Blessed H1288 be thou of the LORD, H3068 my daughter: H1323 for thou hast shewed H3190 more kindness H2617 in the latter end H314 than at the beginning, H7223 inasmuch as thou followedst H3212 H310 not H1115 young men, H970 whether poor H1800 or rich. H6223
11 And now, my daughter, H1323 fear H3372 not; I will do H6213 to thee all that thou requirest: H559 for all the city H8179 of my people H5971 doth know H3045 that thou art a virtuous H2428 woman. H802
12 And now it is true H551 that I am thy near kinsman: H1350 howbeit there is H3426 a kinsman H1350 nearer H7138 than I.
13 Tarry H3885 this night, H3915 and it shall be in the morning, H1242 that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, H1350 well; H2896 let him do the kinsman's part: H1350 but if he will H2654 not do the part of a kinsman H1350 to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman H1350 to thee, as the LORD H3068 liveth: H2416 lie down H7901 until the morning. H1242
6 And she went down unto the threshing-floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her.
7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.
8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself; and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
9 And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thy handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.
10 And he said, Blessed be thou of Jehovah, my daughter: thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou sayest; for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a worthy woman.
12 And now it is true that I am a near kinsman; howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.
13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as Jehovah liveth: lie down until the morning.
6 And she goeth down `to' the threshing-floor, and doth according to all that her mother-in-law commanded her
7 And Boaz eateth and drinketh, and his heart is glad; and he goeth in to lie down at the end of the heap; and she cometh in gently, and uncovereth his feet, and lieth down.
8 And it cometh to pass, at the middle of the night, that the man trembleth, and turneth himself, and lo, a woman is lying at his feet.
9 And he saith, `Who `art' thou?' and she saith, `I `am' Ruth thy handmaid, and thou hast spread thy skirt over thy handmaid, for thou `art' a redeemer.'
10 And he saith, `Blessed `art' thou of Jehovah, my daughter; thou hast dealt more kindly at the latter end than at the beginning -- not to go after the young men, either poor or rich.
11 And now, my daughter, fear not, all that thou sayest I do to thee, for all the gate of my people doth know that thou `art' a virtuous woman.
12 And now, surely, true, that I `am' a redeemer, but also there is a redeemer nearer than I.
13 Lodge to night, and it hath been in the morning, if he doth redeem thee, well: he redeemeth; and if he delight not to redeem thee, then I have redeemed thee -- I; Jehovah liveth! lie down till the morning.'
6 And she went down to the floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law had bidden her.
7 And Boaz ate and drank, and his heart was merry, and he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn. Then she went softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid herself down.
8 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was startled, and turned himself; and behold, a woman lay at his feet.
9 And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth, thy handmaid: spread thy skirt over thy handmaid; for thou hast the right of redemption.
10 And he said, Blessed be thou of Jehovah, my daughter! Thou hast shewn more kindness at the end than at the first, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
11 And now, my daughter, fear not: all that thou sayest will I do to thee; for all the gate of my people knows that thou art a woman of worth.
12 And now, truly I am one that has the right of redemption, yet there is one that has the right of redemption who is nearer than I.
13 Stay over to-night, and it shall be in the morning, if he will redeem thee, well -- let him redeem; but if he like not to redeem thee, then will I redeem thee, [as] Jehovah liveth. Lie down until the morning.
6 She went down to the threshing floor, and did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her.
7 When Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.
8 It happened at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself; and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
9 He said, Who are you? She answered, I am Ruth your handmaid: spread therefore your skirt over your handmaid; for you are a near kinsman.
10 He said, Blessed are you by Yahweh, my daughter: you have shown more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as you didn't follow young men, whether poor or rich.
11 Now, my daughter, don't be afraid; I will do to you all that you say; for all the city of my people does know that you are a worthy woman.
12 Now it is true that I am a near kinsman; however there is a kinsman nearer than I.
13 Stay this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform to you the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to you, then will I do the part of a kinsman to you, as Yahweh lives: lie down until the morning.
6 So she went down to the grain-floor and did all her mother-in-law had said to her.
7 Now when Boaz had taken meat and drink, and his heart was glad, he went to take his rest at the end of the mass of grain; then she came softly and, uncovering his feet, went to rest.
8 Now in the middle of the night, the man awaking from his sleep in fear, and lifting himself up, saw a woman stretched at his feet.
9 And he said, Who are you? And she answering said, I am your servant Ruth: take your servant as wife, for you are a near relation.
10 And he said, May the Lord give you his blessing, my daughter: even better than what you did at the first is this last kind act you have done, in not going after young men, with or without wealth.
11 And now, my daughter, have no fear; I will do for you whatever you say: for it is clear to all my townspeople that you are a woman of virtue.
12 Now it is true that I am a near relation: but there is a relation nearer than I.
13 Take your rest here tonight; and in the morning, if he will do for you what it is right for a relation to do, very well, let him do so: but if he will not, then by the living Lord I myself will do so.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Ruth 3
Commentary on Ruth 3 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Ruth Seeks for Marriage with Boaz - Ruth 3
After the harvest Naomi advised Ruth to visit Boaz on a certain night, and ask him to marry her as redeemer (Ruth 3:1-5). Ruth followed this advice, and Boaz promised to fulfil her request, provided the nearer redeemer who was still living would not perform this duty (Ruth 3:6-13), and sent her away in the morning with a present of wheat, that she might not return empty to her mother-in-law (Ruth 3:14-18). To understand the advice which Naomi gave to Ruth, and which Ruth carried out, and in fact to form a correct idea of the further course of the history generally, we must bear in mind the legal relations which came into consideration here. According to the theocratical rights, Jehovah was the actual owner of the land which He had given to His people for an inheritance; and the Israelites themselves had merely the usufruct of the land which they received by lot for their inheritance, so that the existing possessor could not part with the family portion or sell it at his will, but it was to remain for ever in his family. When any one therefore was obliged to sell his inheritance on account of poverty, and actually did sell it, it was the duty of the nearest relation to redeem it as go
Ruth 3:1-2
As Naomi conjectured, from the favour which Boaz had shown to Ruth, that he might not be disinclined to marry her as goël , she said to her daughter-in-law, “ My daughter, I must seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee .” In the question אבקּשׁ הלא , the word הלא is here, as usual, an expression of general admission or of undoubted certainty, in the sense of “Is it not true, I seek for thee? it is my duty to seek for thee.” מנוח = מנוּחה (Ruth 1:9) signifies the condition of a peaceful life, a peaceful and well-secured condition, “a secure life under the guardian care of a husband” ( Rosenmüller ). “ And now is not Boaz our relation, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he is winnowing the barley floor (barley on the threshing-floor) to-night, ” i.e., till late in the night, to avail himself of the cool wind, which rises towards evening (Genesis 3:8), for the purpose of cleansing the corn. The threshing-floors of the Israelites were, and are still in Palestine, made under the open heaven, and were nothing more than level places in the field stamped quite hard.
(Note: “A level spot is selected for the threshing-floors, which are then constructed near each other, of a circular form, perhaps fifty feet in diameter, merely by beating down the earth hard.” - Robinson , Pal. ii. p. 277.)
Ruth 3:3-4
“ Wash and anoint thyself ( סכתּ , from סוּך = נסך ), and put on thy clothes (thy best clothes), and go down (from Bethlehem, which stood upon the ridge of a hill) to the threshing-floor; let not thyself be noticed by the man (Boaz) till he has finished eating and drinking. And when he lies down, mark the place where he will sleep, and go (when he has fallen asleep) and uncover the place of his feet, and lay thyself down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do. ”
Ruth 3:5
Ruth promised to do this. The אלי , which the Masorites have added to the text as Keri non scriptum , is quite unnecessary. From the account which follows of the carrying out of the advice given to her, we learn that Naomi had instructed Ruth to ask Boaz to marry her as her redeemer (cf. Ruth 3:9).
Ruth went accordingly to the threshing-floor and did as her mother-in-law had commanded; i.e., she noticed where Boaz went to lie down to sleep, and then, when he had eaten and drunken, and lay down cheerfully, at the end of the heap of sheaves or corn, and, as we may supply from the context, had fallen asleep, came to him quietly, uncovered the place of his feet, i.e., lifted up the covering over his feet, and lay down.
About midnight the man was startled, namely, because on awaking he observed that there was some one lying at his feet; and he “bent himself” forward, or on one side, to feel who was lying there, “ and behold a woman was lying at his feet. ” מרגּלתיו is accus . loci .
In answer to his inquiry, “ Who art thou? ” she said, “ I am Ruth, thine handmaid; spread thy wing over thine handmaid, for thou art a redeemer. ” כּנפך is a dual according to the Masoretic pointing, as we cannot look upon it as a pausal form on account of the position of the word, but it is most probably to be regarded as a singular; and the figurative expression is not taken from birds, which spread their wings over their young, i.e., to protect them, but refers, according to Deuteronomy 23:1; Deuteronomy 27:20, and Ezekiel 16:8, to the wing, i.e., the corner of the counterpane, referring to the fact that a man spreads this over his wife as well as himself. Thus Ruth entreated Boaz to marry her because he was a redeemer. On this reason for the request, see the remarks in the introduction to the chapter.
Boaz praised her conduct: “ Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter (see Ruth 2:20); thou hast made thy later love better than the earlier, that thou hast not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. ” Ruth's earlier or first love was the love she had shown to her deceased husband and her mother-in-law (comp. Ruth 2:11, where Boaz praises this love); the later love she had shown in the fact, that as a young widow she had not sought to win the affections of young men, as young women generally do, that she might have a youthful husband, but had turned trustfully to the older man, that he might find a successor to her deceased husband, through a marriage with him, in accordance with family custom (vid., Ruth 4:10). “ And now, ” added Boaz (Ruth 3:11), “ my daughter, fear not; for all that thou sayest I will do to thee: for the whole gate of my people (i.e., all my city, the whole population of Bethlehem, who go in and out at the gate: see Genesis 34:24; Deuteronomy 17:2) knoweth that thou art a virtuous woman .” Consequently Boaz saw nothing wrong in the fact that Ruth had come to him, but regarded her request that he would marry her as redeemer as perfectly natural and right, and was ready to carry out her wish as soon as the circumstances would legally allow it. He promised her this (vv. 12, 13), saying, “ And now truly I am a redeemer; but there is a nearer redeemer than I. Stay here this night (or as it reads at the end of v. 13, 'lie till the morning'), and in the morning, if he will redeem thee, well, let him redeem; but if it does not please him to redeem thee, I will redeem thee, as truly as Jehovah liveth. ” אם כּי ( Kethibh , v. 12), after a strong assurance, as after the formula used in an oath, “ God do so to me, ” etc., 2 Samuel 3:35; 2 Samuel 15:21 ( Kethibh ), and 2 Kings 5:20, is to be explained from the use of this particle in the sense of nisi , except that, = only: “only I am redeemer,” equivalent to, assuredly I am redeemer (cf. Ewald , §356, b .). Consequently there is no reason whatever for removing the אם from the text, as the Masorites have done (in the Keri ).
(Note: What the ל maju sc . , in ליני signifies, is uncertain. According to the smaller Masora, it was only found among the eastern (i.e., Palestinian) Jews. Consequently Hiller (in his Arcanum Keri et Ctibh, p. 163) conjectures that they used it to point out a various reading, viz., that לנּי should be the reading here. But this is hardly correct.)
Ruth was to lie till morning, because she could not easily return to the city in the dark at midnight; but, as is shown in Ruth 3:14, she did not stay till actual daybreak, but “ before one could know another, she rose up, and he said (i.e., as Boaz had said), It must not be known that the woman came to the threshing-floor. ” For this would have injured the reputation not only of Ruth, but also of Boaz himself.
He then said, “Bring the cloak that thou hast on, and lay hold of it” (to hold it open), and measured for her six measures of barley into it as a present, that she might not to back empty to her mother-in-law (Ruth 3:17). מטפּחת , here and Isaiah 3:22, is a broad upper garment, pallium , possibly only a large shawl. “As the cloaks worn by the ancients were so full, that one part was thrown upon the shoulder, and another gathered up under the arm, Ruth, by holding a certain part, could receive into her bosom the corn which Boaz gave her” ( Schröder , De vestit. mul. p. 264). Six (measures of) barley : the measure is not given. According to the Targum and the Rabbins, it was six seahs = two ephahs. This is certainly incorrect; for Ruth would not have been able to carry that quantity of barley home. When Boaz had given her the barley he measured out, and had sent here away, he also went into the city. This is the correct rendering, as given by the Chaldee , to the words העיר ויּבא ; though Jerome referred the words to Ruth, but certainly without any reason, as יבא cannot stand for תּבא . This reading is no doubt found in some of the MSS, but it merely owes its origin to a mistaken interpretation of the words.
When Ruth returned home, her mother-in-law asked her, “ Who art thou? ” i.e., as what person, in what circumstances dost thou come? The real meaning is, What hast thou accomplished? Whereupon she related all that the man had done (cf. Ruth 3:10-14), and that he had given her six measures of barley for her mother. The Masorites have supplied אלי after אמר , as at Ruth 3:5, but without any necessity. The mother-in-law drew from this the hope that Boaz would now certainly carry out the matter to the desired end. “ Sit still, ” i.e., remain quietly at home (see Genesis 38:11), “ till thou hearest how the affair turn out, ” namely, whether the nearer redeemer mentioned by Boaz, or Boaz himself, would grant her the Levirate marriage. The expression “fall,” in this sense, is founded upon the idea of the falling of the lot to the ground; it is different in Ezra 7:20. “ For the man will not rest unless he has carried the affair to an end this day. ” כּי־אם , except that, as in Leviticus 22:6, etc. (see Ewald , §356, b ).