Ruth 2
2
Ruth Gathers Grain in the Field of Boaz
1Naomi’s deceased husband, Elimelech, had a very wealthy relative, an honorable and prominent man # 2:1 The description “honorable and prominent” comes from the Hebrew word chayil. Chayil can also mean “victorious,” “powerful,” “like an army,” or “full of substance.” Thus Boaz was a “mighty man of valor” or “valiant warrior.” (We might say, “a knight in shining armor.”) in Bethlehem named Boaz. # 2:1 Boaz means “strength.” He is a prophetic figure of Jesus Christ, our older Brother (see Rom. 8:29; Heb. 2:6–13) and Kinsman-Redeemer (see 1 Pet. 1:18–19). “Boaz” was also the name of the left pillar of Solomon’s Temple (2 Chron. 3:17). Boaz was a wealthy nobleman. Similarly, Jesus Christ is indeed the One who has made us “rich beyond measure” (2 Cor. 8:9; see Eph. 1:3). 2One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain. Maybe someone will be kind enough # 2:2 Or “Maybe I will find grace with someone.” See Gen. 6:8. to let me gather the grain he leaves behind.”
Naomi said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3So Ruth went to the fields to gather the grain the reapers left behind. # 2:3 That there was grain left behind for the poor to pick up speaks to the covenant faithfulness of Boaz, who had instructed his workers to keep the commandment to care for the poor according to Deut. 24:19–22. God commanded this also to remind Israel that they were once slaves in Egypt who depended upon the generosity of Yahweh to feed them. It just so happened # 2:3 The Hebrew reads “her chance” or “chanced.” that she found herself working at the edges of a field belonging to Boaz # 2:3 The fields of Boaz may have included the shepherd’s field where the angels of glory announced Jesus’ birth. See Luke 2:8–14. of the family of Elimelech. 4At that moment, Boaz came from Bethlehem to survey his harvest. He greeted the harvesters, “May Yahweh be with you.” # 2:4 Jesus, too, came from Bethlehem to bless his harvesters. Today’s “harvesters” are the evangelists who go to the nations of the earth to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. May Yahweh’s blessing indeed be upon them as they seek a global harvest of souls. They replied, “May Yahweh bless you.” 5Noticing Ruth, Boaz asked his foreman in charge of the harvesters, # 2:5 The Holy Spirit is the Lord of the Harvest who equips and places each believer in the harvest fields where we will be the most effective. See Matt. 9:38. “Who is that young woman over there?” # 2:5 Or “To whom does that young woman belong?” Ruth could have been between twenty-four and twenty-nine years old at this time. Boaz may have been in his forties.
6The foreman answered, “She’s a Moabite girl who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7She asked for permission to gather the grain left behind by the reapers. Except for one short break, she’s been on her feet working in the field since early this morning.”
8Boaz walked over to Ruth and said, “Listen, my daughter, don’t leave this field to glean somewhere else. Stay here in my field and follow the young women who work for me. 9Watch my harvesters to see into which fields they go to cut grain, and follow them. When you’re thirsty, go and drink from the water jugs that the young men have filled. I’ve warned the young men not to bother you.”
10Astounded, Ruth bowed low with her face to the ground, and said to him, “I’m a foreigner. Why have you been so kind and taken notice of me?”
11Boaz answered, “I’ve heard all about what you’ve done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I know your story—how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people and a culture that must seem strange to you. 12May Yahweh reward you for your sacrifices, and because of what you’ve done, may you have a full and rich reward from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to find shelter!”
13Ruth replied, “May I continue to find favor in your sight, kind sir. You have spoken to my heart kind and reassuring words that comfort me, even though I am not as worthy as one of your servant girls.”
14At mealtime, Boaz said to her, “Come here # 2:14 Or “draw near.” and eat with us. Here is bread, and wine to dip it in.” # 2:14 Read this sentence again and picture Jesus, your heavenly Boaz, inviting you to have communion (bread and wine) with him. Ruth immediately sat down with the workers. Boaz handed her some roasted grain, and she ate all she wanted until she was satisfied—she even had some left over.
15After she had returned to gather grain, Boaz instructed his young men, “Let her glean even among the standing sheaves, and don’t disgrace her. 16Pull out from the bundles some handfuls of grain and drop them on purpose # 2:16 These “handfuls of grain” dropped “on purpose” can signify the many extra blessings that fall upon us each day. We gather truths from Scripture for our needs each day, like Ruth gathered grain (see Matt. 13:1–23). Jesus, our heavenly Boaz, drops handfuls of revelation on purpose for us to gather an abundant supply. He wants us to know that he will provide all we need to meet the challenges of life. See 1 Kings 8:56; Ps. 103:5; Eph. 1:3; 3:20–21; Phil. 4:19. for her to gather, and don’t bother her.”
17So Ruth gathered grain in Boaz’s field until evening. When she threshed out what she had gathered, it came to more than half a bushel of barley. # 2:17 Or “an ephah of barley.” An ephah would weigh about thirty pounds. 18She carried it back to town and showed her mother-in-law how much she had gleaned. Then Ruth also took out the roasted grain she had saved from mealtime and shared it with Naomi.
19Her mother-in-law asked Ruth, “Where did you gather all this from? In whose field did you work? May Yahweh bless the man who showed you special attention.”
She told her mother-in-law about all that happened that day, and said, “The man in whose field I gathered grain today is Boaz.”
20Naomi said to Ruth, “Yahweh’s loving-kindness has not left us either through life or through death! Boaz is closely related to us. He is a kinsman-redeemer # 2:20 The Hebrew term ga’al means “kinsman-redeemer.” This term is used in various forms ten times throughout chs. 3–4. Ga’al signifies a legal function performed by a near relative. If a widow was childless, a close male relative was empowered to “redeem” her through marriage and buy back her property (see Lev. 25:25). This kinsman-redeemer ensured that the widow would not lose her inheritance rights and provided her with offspring. In the case of Naomi, she had other near relatives living in Bethlehem who would qualify to be her kinsman-redeemers, meaning that Boaz was perhaps one of several candidates. of our family. May Yahweh greatly bless Boaz!” # 2:20 The Hebrew is somewhat ambiguous: “May he [Boaz] be blessed by Yahweh, whose loyal love has not forsaken the living or the dead.”
21Ruth the Moabite responded, “He even said to me, ‘Stay close by my servants until they have finished all my harvest.’ ”
22Naomi replied, “It is best, my daughter, that you stay near his young women, otherwise you’ll be alone and might be bothered in someone else’s field.” 23So Ruth worked alongside the young women who served Boaz. She lived with her mother-in-law and gleaned in Boaz’s fields until the end of the barley and wheat harvests.
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationRuth 2
2
1And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz. 2And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. 3And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on the portion of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. 4And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the reapers, Jehovah be with you. And they answered him, Jehovah bless thee. 5Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? 6And 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: 7and she said, Let me glean, I pray you, and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. So she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, save that she tarried a little in the house.
8Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither pass from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens. 9Let 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. 10Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found favor in thy sight, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a foreigner? 11And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been showed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thy husband; and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people that thou knewest not heretofore. 12Jehovah recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of Jehovah, the God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to take refuge. 13Then she said, Let me find favor in thy sight, my lord, for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken kindly unto thy handmaid, though I be not as one of thy handmaidens.
14And at meal-time Boaz said unto her, Come hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers, and they reached her parched grain, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left thereof. 15And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not. 16And also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and rebuke her not.
17So she gleaned in the field until even; and she beat out that which she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18And 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 which she had left after she was sufficed. 19And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to-day? and where hast thou wrought? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to-day is Boaz. 20And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of Jehovah, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is nigh of kin unto us, one of our near kinsmen. 21And Ruth the Moabitess said, Yea, he said unto me, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest. 22And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, and that they meet thee not in any other field. 23So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz, to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law.
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