Ruth finds Boaz who treats her well

Old Testament Commentary - Ruth 2

by Don R. Hender

Chapter Contents

Ruth goes to glean grain; Boaz meets her 1
Boaz is kind to Ruth 8
Ruth gleans till evening and reports to Naomi 17
Naomi counsels Ruth 20

Scriptural Text [& Editorial] Commentary & Explanation Footnotes ~ References ~ JST

             CHAPTER 2
Ruth gleans in fields of Boaz, a near kinsman of Naomi--He treats Ruth kindly.
A mighty man of wealth who is a kinsman of Naomi through the family of her husband, Elimelech, was named Boaz. Ruth gleans in the fields of Boaz and Boaz treats her kindly. Though Boaz was kinsman through the family of Elimelech, it would seem to have been by a 'maternal' marriage by which Boaz and Elimelech where kinsmen. This would be similar to how Laban and Jacob where 'kinsmen' and said to be 'brothers' through the marriage of Rebekah, Laban's sister and Jacob's mother.

1 ś And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's^a, a mighty man of wealth^b, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was ^aBoaz^c.
2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go^a to the field, and ^aglean ears of ^bcorn after him in whose sight I shall find grace^b. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her ^ahap^a was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
1^a kinsman of her husband's Boaz was Elimelech's kinsman and of his side of the family. But this cannot be construded to be any more of a relationship than was between Mary and Elisabeth who where cousins or kinswomen (see Luke 1:36 and bible dictionary under Elisabeth) and of diferent tribes as Elisabeth the mother of John was a Levite and Mary was of the house of David.
1^b mighty man of wealth It is important to understand that Boaz was 'wealthy' and could afford to be generous in acting as a 'redeeming kinsman'.
1^c Boaz The name may mean "in him [is] strength." (See 1 Kings 7:21). Some would make him the son of Rahab the 'prostitute' who sheltered the two Hebrew spies in the city of Jericho, but this is so removed in time and generations that it does seem questionable that this is the same women from Joshua's time (See: Matthew 1:5, Joshua 2:1). This would mean she was an ancestor of Jesus.
2^a Let me go now Ruth knew of the Hebrew custom of allowing the poor to glean in the fields for their food. Naomi was old, thus Ruth took it upon herself to be the source of food for her and her mother-in-law. le1909, de2419.
2^b in whose sight I shall find grace" It may be well argued that this was that 'redeeming grace' of a surrogate brother and redeemer (Lev. 25:25 & Deut. 25:5-10) which was designedly being sought and not just the letter of the law matter of being able to glean in one's field. This would mean that from the start it was hoped that Boaz would eventually act as the redeeming kinsman and surrogate parent unto the dead. Though this might have been a designed 'hope', it was by no means a guaranteed out come, but Naomi and Ruth would have been foolish to not attempt to achieve this end for the House of Elimelech and themselves.
3^a hap to light This is to say she by chance just 'happened' to come to Boaz's field to glean. 1^a HEB In him is strength,
      swiftness, quickness
2^a Lev. 19:9-10; Deut. 24:19-21
   ^b OR grain
3^a OR chance, good fortune

4 ś And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.
5 Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
6 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 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.

8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter^a? Go not to ^aglean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here ^bfast by my maidens:
9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them^a: 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 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 ^aknowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?
11 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. 8^a my daughter Boaz was older than Ruth, but not so old that he was still an active middle aged man who took active part in the harvest process dispite his great wealth. (See: Ruth 3:10)
9^a they do reap and go after them "They" (the young male reapers) of Boaz had been instructed to leave the poor gleaning maidens alone. It would seem a common practice by unscruplous workers of the harvest to take advantage of the poor. Boaz was a good man and saw to it that those who gleaned in his fields received no such treatment. So he instructs Ruth to 'go after the maidens' who glean in his field.    1^a Lev. 19:9
     ^b OR close
10^a OR notice

12 The LORD recompense thy work, and a full ^areward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose ^bwings^a thou art come to trust.
13 Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken ^afriendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.
14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar^a. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched ^acorn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and ^bleft^b.
15 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 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not. 12^a under whose wings This has direct reference to being under the care of the LORD and is somewhat remeniesent of the picture of a hen with chicks, the metaphor used by the Savior in the New Testament. (See: Psalms 17:8, Psalms 63:7, Matthew 23:37) Boaz confirms Ruth's choice to accept the God of Israel Ruth 1:16.
14^a vinegar This refers to a type of 'sop' mixture used to 'soften' the hard dry crusts of bread to make them more eatable. This was not like the bitter vinegar provided to Christ on the cross but more like that which was used to dip the bread in at the last supper. (See: Psalms 69:21, John 13:26, Matthew 27:34)
14^b left She conserved what she ate and "there was food left over" which she did take home to Naomi (See verse 18). 12^a D&C 70:15
     ^b Ps. 57:1
13^a TG Friendship
14^a OR grain
     ^b IE left some food

17 ś So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.
18 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 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 ^ashewed her mother in law with whom she had ^bwrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz. - 19^a OR told
     ^b OR worked

20 And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not ^aleft 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 ^bnext ^ckinsmen^a.
21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep ^afast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.
22 And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they ^ameet thee not in any other field.
23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest^a; and dwelt with her mother in law. 20^a next kinsmen Boaz a near kinsmen who could properly 'redeem' Ruth in a 'kinsmen brother' marriage. But as will be later stipulated, Boaz was not the 'nearer' kinsmen, who was of the same clan or tribal affiliation. Only 'Peloni Almoni', could rightful 'redeem' the property and keep it in the proper tribal affliation. Boaz will later point this out when he tells Peloni Almoni that there is no other beside Peloni Almoni who can redeem the property of Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilion and keep it in the same tribal family (See: Ruth 4:4). Thus it was more than just Ruth's choice as to whom she would marry, it was a matter of property as well. Only Peloni Almoni could release the tribal land to another of a differing tribe, as Boaz was of Judah and Peloni Almoni and Elimelech were Ephrathites, meaning of the tribe of Ephraim. ru0102, le2524. Boaz was "next of kin" – but not the closest relative. We find the redemption concept in God's great plan to save repentant sinners. is4301, is4421, ho1314.
23^a harvest We could compare the time of Ruth's reward with ours, that is at the time of the harvest. mt1339. 20^a OR ceased
     ^b OR redeemers; one of those
        having the right to redeem
     ^c Ruth 3:9 (9, 12-13);
        Ruth 4:1 (1, 3, 6, 8);
        TG Redemption
21^a OR close
22^a OR find

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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 2 Ruth gleans in fields of Boaz, a near kinsman of Naomi--He treats Ruth kindly.	A mighty man of wealth who is a kinsman of Naomi through the family of her husband, Elimelech, was named Boaz. Ruth gleans in the fields of Boaz and Boaz treats her kindly.	Though Boaz was kinsman through the family of Elimelech, it would seem to have been by a 'maternal' marriage by which Boaz and Elimelech where kinsmen. This would be similar to how Laban and Jacob where 'kinsmen' and said to be 'brothers' through the marriage of Rebekah, Laban's sister and Jacob's mother.
1 ś And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's^a, a mighty man of wealth^b, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was ^aBoaz^c. 2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go^a to the field, and ^aglean ears of ^bcorn after him in whose sight I shall find grace^b. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. 3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her ^ahap^a was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.	1^a kinsman of her husband's Boaz was Elimelech's kinsman and of his side of the family. But this cannot be construded to be any more of a relationship than was between Mary and Elisabeth who where cousins or kinswomen (see Luke 1:36 and bible dictionary under Elisabeth) and of diferent tribes as Elisabeth the mother of John was a Levite and Mary was of the house of David. 1^b mighty man of wealth It is important to understand that Boaz was 'wealthy' and could afford to be generous in acting as a 'redeeming kinsman'. 1^c Boaz The name may mean "in him [is] strength." (See 1 Kings 7:21). Some would make him the son of Rahab the 'prostitute' who sheltered the two Hebrew spies in the city of Jericho, but this is so removed in time and generations that it does seem questionable that this is the same women from Joshua's time (See: Matthew 1:5, Joshua 2:1). This would mean she was an ancestor of Jesus. 2^a Let me go now Ruth knew of the Hebrew custom of allowing the poor to glean in the fields for their food. Naomi was old, thus Ruth took it upon herself to be the source of food for her and her mother-in-law. le1909, de2419. 2^b in whose sight I shall find grace" It may be well argued that this was that 'redeeming grace' of a surrogate brother and redeemer (Lev. 25:25 & Deut. 25:5-10) which was designedly being sought and not just the letter of the law matter of being able to glean in one's field. This would mean that from the start it was hoped that Boaz would eventually act as the redeeming kinsman and surrogate parent unto the dead. Though this might have been a designed 'hope', it was by no means a guaranteed out come, but Naomi and Ruth would have been foolish to not attempt to achieve this end for the House of Elimelech and themselves. 3^a hap to light This is to say she by chance just 'happened' to come to Boaz's field to glean.	1^a HEB In him is strength, swiftness, quickness 2^a Lev. 19:9-10; Deut. 24:19-21 ^b OR grain 3^a OR chance, good fortune
4 ś And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee. 5 Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? 6 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 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.
8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter^a? Go not to ^aglean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here ^bfast by my maidens: 9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them^a: 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 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 ^aknowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? 11 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.	8^a my daughter Boaz was older than Ruth, but not so old that he was still an active middle aged man who took active part in the harvest process dispite his great wealth. (See: Ruth 3:10) 9^a they do reap and go after them "They" (the young male reapers) of Boaz had been instructed to leave the poor gleaning maidens alone. It would seem a common practice by unscruplous workers of the harvest to take advantage of the poor. Boaz was a good man and saw to it that those who gleaned in his fields received no such treatment. So he instructs Ruth to 'go after the maidens' who glean in his field.	1^a Lev. 19:9 ^b OR close 10^a OR notice
12 The LORD recompense thy work, and a full ^areward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose ^bwings^a thou art come to trust. 13 Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken ^afriendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens. 14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar^a. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched ^acorn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and ^bleft^b. 15 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 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.	12^a under whose wings This has direct reference to being under the care of the LORD and is somewhat remeniesent of the picture of a hen with chicks, the metaphor used by the Savior in the New Testament. (See: Psalms 17:8, Psalms 63:7, Matthew 23:37) Boaz confirms Ruth's choice to accept the God of Israel Ruth 1:16. 14^a vinegar This refers to a type of 'sop' mixture used to 'soften' the hard dry crusts of bread to make them more eatable. This was not like the bitter vinegar provided to Christ on the cross but more like that which was used to dip the bread in at the last supper. (See: Psalms 69:21, John 13:26, Matthew 27:34) 14^b left She conserved what she ate and "there was food left over" which she did take home to Naomi (See verse 18).	12^a D&C 70:15 ^b Ps. 57:1 13^a TG Friendship 14^a OR grain ^b IE left some food
17 ś So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 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 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 ^ashewed her mother in law with whom she had ^bwrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz.	-	19^a OR told ^b OR worked
20 And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not ^aleft 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 ^bnext ^ckinsmen^a. 21 And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep ^afast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest. 22 And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they ^ameet thee not in any other field. 23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest^a; and dwelt with her mother in law.	20^a next kinsmen Boaz a near kinsmen who could properly 'redeem' Ruth in a 'kinsmen brother' marriage. But as will be later stipulated, Boaz was not the 'nearer' kinsmen, who was of the same clan or tribal affiliation. Only 'Peloni Almoni', could rightful 'redeem' the property and keep it in the proper tribal affliation. Boaz will later point this out when he tells Peloni Almoni that there is no other beside Peloni Almoni who can redeem the property of Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilion and keep it in the same tribal family (See: Ruth 4:4). Thus it was more than just Ruth's choice as to whom she would marry, it was a matter of property as well. Only Peloni Almoni could release the tribal land to another of a differing tribe, as Boaz was of Judah and Peloni Almoni and Elimelech were Ephrathites, meaning of the tribe of Ephraim. ru0102, le2524. Boaz was "next of kin" – but not the closest relative. We find the redemption concept in God's great plan to save repentant sinners. is4301, is4421, ho1314. 23^a harvest We could compare the time of Ruth's reward with ours, that is at the time of the harvest. mt1339.	20^a OR ceased ^b OR redeemers; one of those having the right to redeem ^c Ruth 3:9 (9, 12-13); Ruth 4:1 (1, 3, 6, 8); TG Redemption 21^a OR close 22^a OR find