Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Ruth Chapter 2 mean?

Ten years prior, an Israelite family fled a famine in Judah and settled in Moab. The father died, and the mother, Naomi, found local wives for her sons. Not long later, the sons died. When Naomi heard that the famine had ended, she resolved to return to Bethlehem. Her daughters-in-law insisted on accompanying her. When Naomi explained how much easier their lives would be if they stayed, Orpah agreed. Ruth didn’t. Naomi’s friends were glad to see her again, but her bitterness dragged her into despair (Ruth 1). In this chapter, Naomi finds hope again.

Ruth 2 begins with an introduction that sets the stage. The narrator reveals the presence of a man named Boaz who is of the same clan as Naomi’s husband. Back at home, Ruth requests Naomi’s permission to glean barley behind the harvesters. As Ruth seeks an owner who will show her favor in her work, she happens upon a field owned by Boaz (Ruth 2:1–3).

Sometime during the day, Boaz appears to check on the harvest. He sees Ruth and asks his foreman who she is. Word has gotten around the small town, and when the servant mentions that Ruth came with Naomi, Boaz realizes she is the Moabite woman who abandoned her country, people, and gods for an Israelite widow (Ruth 2:4–7).

Boaz determines that such a sacrifice deserves a response. He insists that Ruth glean only from his fields, so she will be safe. He orders his harvesters to intentionally leave out stalks from the bundles so she can gather more. And he invites her to lunch as if she were one of his servants. Ruth is overwhelmed by his kindness (Ruth 2:8–16).

At day’s end, Ruth has harvested and threshed nearly six gallons—about twenty-four liters—of barley grain. Naomi is shocked at the amount and realizes Ruth must have had a benefactor. When Ruth mentions the man’s name, Naomi reveals that Boaz is one of her husband’s kinsman-redeemers. Beyond the provision of food, Naomi is even more grateful that Boaz has taken precautions to protect Ruth. Foreign widows working in the field face more dangers than just starvation (Ruth 2:17–22).

The last verse provides a summary statement of the following weeks. Ruth not only gleans for barley, but she also stays for the wheat harvest, as well. At night, she returns to Naomi in Bethlehem. Meanwhile, her continued lovingkindness toward Naomi is not going unnoticed (Ruth 2:23).

By the end of the harvest, the women likely have enough to live on for a year. Even so, they realize that Boaz can provide more than grain, if he’s willing. Naomi is thinking about Ruth’s future. She suggests that Ruth go to Boaz in a way that essentially asks him to care for her (Ruth 3:1–5). Naomi has also told Ruth that Boaz is a kinsman-redeemer. That means he can buy Naomi’s husband’s land and give Naomi the money to live for the rest of her life. He could also provide a son to carry on her husband’s name. Ruth asks Boaz to fulfill this role (Ruth 3:9).

Commentors such as those at The Bible Project point out that chapters 2 and 3 have the same organization. They start with Ruth and Naomi planning, progress to an interaction with Ruth and Boaz, and finish with Ruth and Naomi waiting to see what will happen next. Chapter 2 sets the stage. In chapter 3, Ruth will invite Boaz to provide more than just grain. In chapter 4, Boaz will accept his role as the vessel through which God has chosen to bless the women. In the process, he becomes the great-grandfather of King David.

Chapter Context
In Ruth 2, Ruth settles into life in Israel. Naomi, an Israelite, has returned home to Bethlehem after losing her husband and sons in Moab. Her Moabitess daughter-in-law has accompanied her. Naomi has fallen into bitterness and despair, but Ruth is ready to work. While seeking a place to gather loose grain, she wins the attention and respect of Boaz, a man who can provide the two widows with more than barley. Ruth’s sacrifice and lovingkindness toward Naomi lead Boaz to act on their behalf.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. Now Naomi had a relative of her husband ‘s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.

Having settled Naomi and Ruth in Bethlehem, the narrator introduces the hero of the story.

“Relative” is a vague term that leans more towards the idea of an “acquaintance,” but placing him within the clan of Elimelech establishes the family connection (Ruth 2:20). We aren’t given Elimelech’s genealogy, but Boaz is descended from Nahshon (Ruth 4:20–21), the leader of the tribe of Judah during the exodus. His sister married Aaron, and Nahshon, himself, was the Israelites’ third highest-ranking leader after Moses and Aaron (Exodus 6:23; Numbers 2:3).

Boaz is described as a “worthy man,” or gibbor hayil.Gibbor means “powerful” and describes warriors, chiefs, giants, and tyrants. When referring to a man, hayil, sometimes spelled chayil, indicates great strength, wealth, and/or honor. Gibbor hayil can refer to a war hero (Joshua 6:2; 2 Samuel 17:8; Nehemiah 11:14) or a man of wealth (1 Samuel 9:1; 2 Kings 15:20). “Boaz” isn’t a Hebrew name; it is Arabic for “liveliness” and is probably a nickname. Considering the volatile times of the judges, it’s reasonable to conclude that Boaz is a military hero.

Despite Boaz’s noble reputation, Ruth, a widowed foreigner, is his match. Later, Boaz will note that all the men in town recognize her as a “worthy woman” (Ruth 3:11). The term is eseth hayil or “noble woman” and is found in the heading of the passage on the Proverbs 31 woman. In fact, in the scrolls used at Jewish festivals Ruth follows Proverbs, most likely to provide the living example of a noble wife.

Later, Naomi will identify Boaz as “a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers” (Ruth 2:20). One of the responsibilities of a kinsman redeemer is to buy the land of a poor relative so that it stays within the clan (Leviticus 25:25). Ruth additionally challenges Boaz to a Levirate marriage, meaning he will provide an heir for Elimelech. He is not Elimelech’s brother, so he is not obligated in the same way. Yet his honorable nature extends far beyond military prowess (Deuteronomy 25:5–6; Ruth 3:9–11; 4:13).

Context Summary
Ruth 2:1–3 serves as a summary transition to the chapter. Naomi and Ruth are settled in Bethlehem and the next task is to find food. They arrived during the barley harvest, so Ruth sets out to glean after the harvesters. As a vulnerable foreign widow, she will only work where the manager or owner gives her favor. Before long, Ruth finds herself at the field of Boaz, one of Naomi’s late husband’s kinsmen. When Boaz discovers who she is, he tells his harvesters to leave her in peace and to make sure she finds plenty to take home.

Verse 2. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

Ruth and Naomi are in Bethlehem. They have no man to protect or provide for them, and no source of income. If a widow doesn’t have a family, her options are to beg, become a prostitute, sell herself as a slave, or glean. Fortunately, the two women arrive at the beginning of the barley harvest (Ruth 1:22).

God gave the poor and sojourners in Israel the right to glean from others’ fields (Leviticus 19:9–10; Deuteronomy 24:19–22). Harvesting consisted of several steps. First, men walked through the fields and gathered stalks in their hands or the crooks of their elbows. Their opposite hands cut the stalks with a sickle. They then laid the stalks on the ground. Women followed, gathering the stalks, and tying them into bundles. Finally, men came later in the day and gathered the bundles and took them to the threshing floor.

Gleaners followed behind the women and gathered the stray stalks that were not in bundles. Although harvesters were not allowed to go through their field a second time, they were very adept at gathering everything they could. While gleaners were allowed to take the loose stalks, there wouldn’t be much left.

Sojourners were allowed to glean, but it’s unclear if Ruth qualifies. By law, a sojourner was a Gentile who lived in Israel and followed the ceremonial parts of the Mosaic law, like the Sabbath and the feasts (Exodus 12:43–49; 20:10; Numbers 9:14). Because of their vile inhospitality toward the Israelites (Numbers 25:1–9), Moabites were not allowed “in the congregation” unless they were the eleventh generation to live in the land (Deuteronomy 23:3). Ruth has only been at most a few days.

In addition, Ruth is a young foreign widow with no family status working in a situation known for assault (Ruth 2:22). The law protecting engaged women from rape in the fields suggests the crime isn’t uncommon (Deuteronomy 22:25); without a fiancé or a father, Ruth is even more vulnerable.

The book of Ruth is the last of three Bethlehem stories in the time of the judges. The first two are not pleasant. In the second, men from the tribe of Benjamin gang-raped a woman from Bethlehem so violently she died (Judges 19:22–30). In response, fighting men from throughout Israel attacked Benjamin, decimating the tribe’s army (Judges 20). To rebuild the errant tribe, the Israelites told the remaining Benjamite men to kidnap women who were worshiping God at the vineyards near Shiloh (Judges 21:17–24).

There is nothing safe about Ruth going to glean in an Israelite’s field. She is wise to request permission from the harvest manager.

In chapters 2 and 4, when Ruth is interacting with new people who have power over her future, she is often identified as a Moabitess. In chapter 3, when she challenges Boaz to provide more than food, he affectionately calls her “daughter.” Ruth’s foreignness, which may slip our minds, constantly reminds her how vulnerable she is.

Verse 3. So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.

Ruth and Naomi are in Bethlehem. Without a source of income, Ruth has decided to glean barley after the harvesters (Ruth 2:2). Early in the morning, she happens upon a field owned by Boaz, a relative of her late father-in-law. The field is a section of open land not separated from other owners by a fence.

This is a summary statement; it doesn’t describe Ruth’s actions to this point. There’s no indication she visited other fields before she came to Boaz’s. She came to Boaz’s field without knowing who he was or that he was related to her father-in-law (Ruth 2:19–20). Nor did Naomi send her; Naomi is so deeply depressed, shaken by the trauma of losing her husband and sons, that she doesn’t even seem to remember that her husband has a kinsman-redeemer who could help. God sends Ruth to Boaz’s field.

Once she arrives, she asks permission of the harvest foreman to glean (Ruth 2:2, 7). She’s smart to do so; women aren’t safe in fields (Judges 21:17–24).

When Boaz comes to the field, he asks his servant about her and is impressed by her devotion to an Israelite widow. Ruth has revoked her heritage and her gods and declared her allegiance to Naomi’s people and the God of Israel (Ruth 1:16–17). Boaz not only invites her to continue gleaning in his field, but he also protects her and makes sure she can gather enough for the women to live on (Ruth 2:4–23).

Verse 4. And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.”

If this book were a scripted film or television show, this would be the dramatic moment in which the hero enters the scene. Boaz is a well-respected and powerful man in Bethlehem. It’s likely that he is a hero of the wars between the Israelites and their enemies. He is descended from the chief of the tribe of Judah during the time of the exodus (Numbers 2:3; Ruth 4:20–21). He is at least middle-aged, if not older (Ruth 3:10), but his nickname means “lively.”

The land around Bethlehem had been in famine for ten years, but now it is the barley harvest (Ruth 1:1, 4, 6, 22). It was this famine that led Boaz’s kinsman Elimelech to take his wife and two sons into Moab to find food. Boaz has heard that Elimelech and his sons have died but his wife, Naomi, has returned. He’s also heard that Naomi’s Moabite daughter-in-law has come with her, abandoning her family, people, and gods to make sure Naomi is cared for (Ruth 2:11).

What Boaz doesn’t know is that Ruth is gleaning in his field.

Before they entered the Promised Land, God told the Israelites that if they obeyed Him, He would bless their crops so much they would have to move the previous year’s harvest to make room for the new (Leviticus 26:9–10). If they rebelled and worshiped foreign idols, He would harden the land and banish the rain, sending famine on the people (Leviticus 26:18–20). Apparently, after a time of rebellion, the people have repented and cried out for mercy. God has responded.

“The LORD be with you!” is a kind of prayer that God will fulfill His covenant promise of good harvest. In the book of Ruth, the narrator doesn’t mention God much; God is recorded as acting directly only twice: when He brings Bethlehem food and Ruth a son (Ruth 1:6; 4:13). The characters, however, often ask God to bless each other (Ruth 1:8–9; 2:12, 19–20; 3:10).

Context Summary
Ruth 2:4–7 records Boaz’s introduction to Ruth. The land has had a famine for about ten years (Ruth 1:1, 4), but God has again provided food (Ruth 1:6). It is the beginning of the barley harvest (Ruth 1:22) and Boaz comes to check on the reapers in his field. When he does, he notices a young woman and asks who she is. The manager says she is the Moabite who returned with Naomi. Boaz has apparently heard of her; he knows about Ruth’s care for Naomi and that has already endeared her to him. Boaz makes sure Ruth can safely glean enough to provide for herself and her mother-in-law.

Verse 5. Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”

Boaz has come out of Bethlehem to check on the harvest of his barley fields. He has hired young men to cut the stalks and lay them in piles, and young women to gather the stalks and tie them into bundles. As he approaches his supervisor, he notices a young woman nearby whom he does not know.

In this extremely patriarchal country, a woman’s identity is based on her father, husband, or son. The Proverbs 31 woman who can buy and tend her own land is rare. When Boaz asks, “Whose young woman is this?” he means who is her father or husband. The answer will place her on the appropriate rung of the social ladder.

As a landed and “worthy man” (Ruth 2:1) in a small town, it’s likely that Boaz knows all the local families and their daughters. He may have even hired the female bundlers himself. He has heard of the young Moabite woman who accompanied Naomi into town, forsaking her family, culture, religion—everything familiar to her (Ruth 1:19). But he has apparently never seen Ruth. All he knows is that a young woman is waiting to the side next to his harvest supervisor.

The supervisor explains. She is the Moabite woman who came back with Naomi. It is uncertain whether it would have technically been required to permit Ruth to glean as she may not have fit the requirements of a “sojourner” (Leviticus 23:22; Deuteronomy 23:3–6), but she was certainly poor and Boaz understands the spirit of the law. Ruth’s reputation has preceded her, and Boaz honors her sacrifice by making extraordinary concessions (Ruth 2:6–16).

Verse 6. And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab.

Boaz is an influential man in the town of Bethlehem. He is descended from the most prominent clan of the greatest tribe (Ruth 4:20–21; Numbers 2:3). He has weathered a ten-year famine and probably several battles with Canaanites and Philistines who do not wish to give their land up so easily (Ruth 1:1, 4; 2:2). He has come from town to look over his barley field which his hired hands are harvesting (Ruth 2:4).

As he approaches his manager, he notices a young woman whom he does not recognize. His manager is a free Israelite Boaz hired to supervise the harvesters. He has a similar job as Ziba, King Saul’s estate manager (2 Samuel 9:2). Like Ziba, he knows what’s going on.

Boaz asks his manager, “Whose young woman is this?” (Ruth 2:5). He wants to know what man she belongs to, whether as a daughter or servant. But Ruth doesn’t belong to a man; her father-in-law and husband are dead, and she left her father in her home country (Ruth 1:1–5, 16–18). The manager identifies her as a Moabitess.

Moabites did not have a good reputation among the Israelites. Although they are related to Israelites through Abraham’s nephew Lot, their forefather was born after Lot drunkenly impregnated his daughter (Genesis 19:30–38). After wandering in the wilderness, as the Israelites marched toward the river ford east of Jericho, the Moabites hired Balaam to curse them. When that didn’t work, the Moabites took Balaam’s advice and sent their women to seduce the Israelite men, taking them from their wives and their God (Numbers 22:1—25:9; 31:16).

In response to their lack of hospitality to their kinsmen, God established harsh repercussions. No Israelite was to show a Moabite favor (Deuteronomy 23:3–6). In addition, even though an Edomite or an Egyptian could become the equivalent of a naturalized citizen after three generations, Moabites must wait until the eleventh (Deuteronomy 23:3–8).

Despite the bad reputation of Moab, all of Bethlehem knows of the young woman who accompanied their Naomi home from her exile in Moab. The harvest manager is quick to point out Ruth’s integrity that morning. Even more importantly, Boaz has heard of her. He is so grateful for her lovingkindness to Naomi that he quickly arranges to make sure her time gleaning will be safe and very profitable (Ruth 2:7–16).

Verse 7. She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”

The poor and sojourners in Israel had the right to glean (Leviticus 23:22), but Ruth asked the supervisor, first. She was bold but also smart; if the supervisor knew her, he would be more likely to protect her. Harvesting involved two groups. Men would go through and grab stalks with their hands or their elbows, then use a sickle to cut off stalks with the other hand. They would place those stalks in piles as they worked. Women would come behind them and tie the stalks into bundles. Gleaners were allowed to come through after the women and pick the stray stalks left behind, but good reapers and bundlers were very efficient and didn’t leave much behind. One Bible scholar, Hubbard, compares gleaning to “trying to eke out survival today by recycling aluminum cans.”

“Please let me glean and gather…” in Hebrew means that Ruth asked to glean behind the harvesters, set her takings aside, and gather up the piles when she is finished. At the end of the day, she will take the stalks to the threshing floor and take the grain back into town. Thanks to Boaz’s generosity and her own diligence, she takes home almost six gallons of barley that night (Ruth 2:17).

The meaning of the foreman’s comment flummoxes biblical scholars. The ESV reads, “So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.” The Septuagint is more specific: “And so she arrived and remained from morning until evening and did not stop in the field even a little.” The NASB more literally translates the Hebrew: “So she came and has remained from the morning until now; she has been sitting in the house for a little while.”

The NET Bible explains that the original Hebrew has two possible translations. The more traditional is “She came and has kept at [gleaning] from this morning until now, except for this: She has been sitting in the hut only a little while.” The alternative translation considers that “continued” is more typically translated as “stand” or “remained”: “She came and has stood here from this morning until now. She’s been sitting in the house for a brief time.”

In 318 other verses, the Hebrew word is translated “stand,” and “continue” only six. The implication is that Ruth, indeed, sought “favor” (Ruth 2:2). In fact, she would not work without it. The foreman didn’t give her permission, choosing to wait until Boaz arrived.

Dr. Brian Webster explains why. Ruth is a foreign widow who has been in Israel only a short while. Sojourners are authorized to glean from fields (Leviticus 23:22); we’d call them “naturalized citizens.” But the manager isn’t sure if Ruth qualifies. Sojourners are non-Israelites who live in Israel. They are fully responsible for obeying the rituals of the Mosaic law, like observing the Sabbath and feasts (Exodus 20:10; Numbers 9:14) and are protected by the Mosaic law. But there are standards for earning the title of sojourner. Edomites and Egyptians qualify if their family has lived in Israel for four generations (Deuteronomy 23:7–8). Because of the Moabites’ deception of the Israelites (Numbers 25:1–9; 31:16), they must wait until the eleventh generation (Deuteronomy 23:3). Ruth has only been in Israel for a few days. Does the manager consider her a widow? A poor person? Or a Moabite? Better to let the owner decide.

Verse 8. Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women.

Ruth loves Naomi. Naomi provided her with a family, a loving mother, and introduced her to the true God. Those gifts inspired Ruth to leave her home and birth-family behind and follow Naomi to Israel. Even if she must be homeless and glean loose barley after the harvesters, Ruth knows her place is with Naomi (Ruth 1).

Boaz has heard of Ruth’s devotion to her mother-in-law. He feels led to provide Ruth with even more. She has come to his field to ask permission to scavenge leftover grain (Ruth 1:222:2–7). He readily agrees but adds more instructions: she is not to glean in any other fields. This is not meant as a restriction, but as a safeguard. Boaz does not want her to go to a field where he cannot command the harvesters to leave her in peace (Ruth 2:9).

She is to keep close or “join” his female servants. After the men cut the stalks of barley and lay them on the ground, the women come along and bind them into bundles. Ruth is to follow close behind the women and pick up what they leave loose.

When the team moves to another field, Ruth is to follow. When they stop to drink, she is to join them (Ruth 2:9). Boaz gives Ruth every benefit of being an employee, yet everything she gathers she gets to keep. In this way, he ensures she can gather more than any gleaner could hope for (Ruth 2:15–17).

Here, Boaz tells Ruth to “listen.” Next, he will “charge” his young men. Boaz is an important man and expects to be obeyed for the good of others.

Context Summary
Ruth 2:8–13 depicts Boaz meeting Ruth and giving her instructions. Ruth has come to his field to glean barley for herself and her mother-in-law Naomi. Boaz has heard how Ruth left behind her home and family to care for Naomi; he wants to do what he can to help. He tells Ruth to stay in his fields with his female servants and drink the water his male servants provide. Ruth is overwhelmed by Boaz’s considerations, but Boaz knows it’s the least he can do.

Verse 9. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.”

In her search for someone to give permission to glean—to scavenge edible grain— Ruth has happened upon Boaz’s field (Ruth 2:2–3). Boaz has heard of Ruth and how she left everything to make sure her mother-in-law returns home safely and is cared for (Ruth 2:11–12).

He immediately tells Ruth that not only may she glean from his fields, but he also expects her to glean only from his fields. This is for her protection and benefit. She must stay close behind his female servants who bundle the grain the men have cut (Ruth 2:8), even when they move to the next field. Boaz will instruct the men to leave her alone; she will not fear from harassment—or worse. And she will drink and eat with his servants, even though she will take home everything she gathers. In fact, Boaz will arrange things so that she will harvest about twenty times more than what the harvesters take home (Ruth 2:15–17).

Besides the protection and the extra grain, Ruth understands the honor Boaz is giving her. Drawing water is typically the job of foreigners and women (Joshua 9:21; Genesis 24:11, 13; 1 Samuel 9:11). That she will drink water drawn by Israelite men is incredible.

It’s apparent that Boaz hasn’t spoken directly to his laborers yet, but he will (Ruth 2:15–16). Either he has told his manager, expecting him to pass on the word, or he is so used to being obeyed that he speaks as if the matter is settled. “Touch you” can have any number of connotations. Especially in that era, women were not safe in fields. Left alone, unscrupulous men can harass them so much they can’t work. At worst, the men can rape the women (Deuteronomy 22:25) or kidnap them and take them as their wives (Judges 21:20–21). Ruth is a widowed foreigner under the care of an older Israelite woman. She has no man to protect her—until now.

Some passages in Ruth have been unnecessarily sexualized. The most common is the scene which takes place at the threshing floor (Ruth 3:7–9). Scholars point out that the comment about drinking in this verse can also be interpreted salaciously. Proverbs 5:15–20 compares a man who is faithful to his wife with one who drinks from his own cistern. Nothing in the context of this story fits such an idea, however. Boaz is literally talking about water. He is not telling Ruth to have sex with him or his servants.

Verse 10. Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”

Ruth left that morning determined to find a field manager who would allow her to glean after his barley harvesters (Ruth 2:2). Her idea of “favor” is undefined; considering she is a foreign widow from a country often at war with Israel, her expectations are probably low.

She happens upon the field of Boaz, a well-respected man in Bethlehem. When Boaz realizes who she is—the same young woman he had heard brought Naomi home from Moab—he gives her more than she could have hoped. He promises her every advantage of being his employee, including access, safety, and even water, but she can keep everything she collects (Ruth 2:5–9).

Ruth is overwhelmed. By bowing, she acknowledges that her social position is far below that of Boaz. In western fairy tales, this is the equivalent of a scullery maid to the lord of the manor. From her perspective, she has done nothing to deserve such kind treatment.

“In your eyes” has two implications. The first is that Boaz doesn’t glance over her, unseeing; he stops and personally addresses her presence and her concerns. The second is that the term infers that Boaz treated Ruth as if he knows her. He does, in a way; he had heard what she had done, but he hadn’t seen her before.

Ruth’s words are also clever. “Take notice” and “foreigner” sound similar in Hebrew. We might say, “You have noticed the unnoticed” or “recognized the unrecognized.” Ruth assumes she is such a low status she is beneath Boaz’s notice. He disagrees. Her sacrifice deserves not only his attention and aid, but it also deserves God’s blessings (Ruth 2:11–12).

Verse 11. But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before.

Boaz doesn’t say who told him about Ruth. It’s possible it was his harvest manager (Ruth 2:5–7), but more likely he heard the fuller story in town (Ruth 1:19). He may be a “worthy man” (Ruth 2:1), but he is in awe of Ruth’s self-sacrifice and lovingkindness toward her mother-in-law. He proceeds to explain exactly how much notice he has taken of her. As he recounts her deeds, he’s not condescending to tell her things she already knows. He is showing her that he understands the magnitude of what she’s done.

The phrase “left your father and mother” calls back to Genesis where it is used as a description of what is expected of men when they marry (Genesis 2:24). If Ruth’s husband had returned to Israel, the culture would have expected Ruth to follow him. But her husband is dead, and she still followed her mother-in-law.

Boaz’s reference to her “native land” is also poignant. The Moabites are descended from Lot’s son (Genesis 19:30–38). They have lived in the land for nearly a thousand years. Meanwhile, the Israelites wandered around Canaan under Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, moved to Egypt where they were enslaved for four hundred years, wandered around the wilderness for another forty years, and have spent the last few hundred years trying to drive out the Canaanites. Ruth’s people are settled in their place; the Israelites still haven’t fully taken possession of the land God promised them.

The “people” are the real danger. When the Israelites moved north toward the Jordan crossing, the Moabites feared for their lives and tried to stop them with curses and destroy them with idolatry (Numbers 22:1—31:54). In response, God ordered that Moabites were banned from “the assembly of the LORD forever” (Deuteronomy 23:3) and told the Israelites, “You shall not seek their peace or their prosperity all your days forever” (Deuteronomy 23:6).

Boaz and the people of Bethlehem recognize Ruth is not meant to be held under that ban, since she is no longer living with or identifying as one of the people of Moab. She disavowed her land, her people, and her god, Chemosh (Ruth 1:16). Most importantly, after all the care she has given Naomi, they know God will want to bless her.

Verse 12. The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”

Boaz has heard of Ruth’s selfless love for her mother-in-law Naomi. In a partial repayment, he has provided a safe environment where Ruth can glean barley for their food (Ruth 2:8–9). Soon, he will feed her a lunch too big for her to eat and tell his workers that they are to intentionally leave behind stalks for her to gather (Ruth 2:14–16). By the end of the day, Ruth will take home between fifteen and thirty times more than Boaz’s employees (Ruth 2:17).

Boaz has just met Ruth, and he is thinking about what he can do for Ruth as a landowner. He leaves the rest to God, knowing God will do far more than he could. Boaz addresses God as Yahweh, using the name God gave to His covenant people. Naomi had used both “Almighty” and “Yahweh” when describing how God had made her bitter, illustrating God’s power and inferring He had broken His covenant with her (Ruth 1:20–21). Boaz recognizes that Ruth has forsaken the gods of her people and fully converted to Yahweh-worship (Ruth 1:16). God promises to care for sojourners, orphans, and widows—which certainly includes Ruth (Deuteronomy 10:17–19). Adding her loving treatment of Naomi, Boaz judges that Yahweh intends to repay Ruth.

Boaz uses the traditional metaphor of God’s protective wings. When describing God’s rescue of Israel from slavery in Egypt, Moses said, “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the LORD alone guided him, no foreign god was with him” (Deuteronomy 32:11).

But Ruth has a sense of humor. When the harvest is over and the threshing is finished, Ruth will challenge Boaz to be the agent by which God provides His blessing. She will meet him at the threshing floor and, while he is sleeping, pull aside the edges or “wings” of his cloak to wake him. She will then say, “Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer” (Ruth 3:7–9). As a relative of Ruth’s father-in-law Elimelech, Boaz has the responsibility to buy his land and provide a living for Naomi. Ruth wants more. Even though Boaz is not Elimelech’s brother and is not strictly responsible, Ruth wants him to provide an heir for Naomi.

Boaz will tell her that Ruth coming with Naomi to Bethlehem is only the first kindness. The second is her proposal to him. Not that her kindness is to him, but that instead of marrying someone younger who could provide Ruth with a big family, Ruth instead chooses a man who can provide a family for Naomi and her late husband and sons (Ruth 3:10).

Verse 13. Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”

Early in the morning, Ruth set out to find a landowner who would treat her kindly as she scavenged grain from the fields (Ruth 2:2). When she met Boaz, she received far more than she hoped. He made sure she had a safe place to work by insisting she harvest only on his land. He even said that when his male servants drew water, she was to help herself, even though drawing water should have been her job, as a female foreigner (Ruth 2:8–9).

Ruth never could have expected such treatment from such a “worthy man” in Israel (Ruth 2:1). He has explained that he is only responding to the love and self-sacrifice she has shown her Israelite mother-in-law (Ruth 2:11–12). Ruth still doesn’t believe she deserves it.

The tense of “I have found favor” might also be translated, “May I continue to find favor,” as in the NIV. Ruth’s use of the word “lord” is equivalent to our use of “sir;” she is not calling Boaz Yahweh. “Kindly” is not related to hesed, one of the themes of Ruth. In other places, the Hebrew word is translated “encouragingly” (2 Chronicles 30:22) or “tenderly” (Isaiah 40:2).

Ruth’s use of “servant” is specific. The term is from the Hebrew word sip̱ha. If she had used ʾāma, she would be identifying herself as a slave woman available to be a wife or concubine of a free man. The word sip̱ḥa, however, denotes the lowest servant who is not even worth the master’s notice. Parallels to this would be the western fairy tale’s “scullery maid” or the untouchable Dalits of the Indian caste system.

Verse 14. And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over.

Boaz has promised Ruth she can glean after his harvesters with no threat of harm or harassment (Ruth 2:8–13). Now, he invites her to lunch.

The reapers include men who cut the stalks of barley and women who follow behind, tying the stalks into sheaves. They will work all day for Boaz and be paid a modest amount. By telling Ruth to follow the young women, take water from the young men (Ruth 2:8–9), and join them for lunch, Boaz is exhibiting great kindness. This is somewhat like a restaurant owner finding a homeless person digging through his dumpster and treating her like a hired employee. In truth, he is treating her much better.

Boaz has no obligation to feed Ruth. He is following the law by letting her “glean”—allowing her to scavenge dropped grain— from his field (Leviticus 23:22). By feeding her, he is ensuring she has the energy to collect even more of the loose stalks. The roasted grain and sour wine dipping sauce, a typical meal for field workers even today, is more than she can eat; she takes some home to Naomi (Ruth 2:18).

To top it all off, after lunch Boaz pulls aside his male reapers. He tells them to intentionally pull some of the stalks from the bundles of grain for Ruth to collect (Ruth 2:16). By the end of the day, she will have gathered and threshed fifteen to thirty times more barley than Boaz’s workers will take home.

Context Summary
Ruth 2:14–16 continues to detail Boaz’s excessively kind treatment of Ruth. He has already treated her like an employee by promising to keep her safe. Now, he invites her to lunch. Sharing a meal is a sign of comradeship; for an Israelite nobleman to invite a Moabite widow is extraordinary. After lunch, Boaz tells his workers to leave stalks of grain out so that Ruth can gather more. By the end of the day, she will take home more than Boaz’s hired workers. Naomi is shocked, but Boaz’s favor continues throughout the barley and wheat harvests.

Verse 15. When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.

Boaz has been exceedingly kind to Ruth. He has told her she may glean from his field without fear of harassment and drink from the water provided by his servants, and he even fed her lunch (Ruth 2:8–14). Now that she has eaten, she wants to get to work.

Boaz holds back his male reapers from following her. Reaping is done in three stages. First a group of men walk through the field in rows, gathering stalks in their hands or the crooks of their elbows and cutting them free with a sickle in the opposite hand. Then women gather the bundles and tie them into sheaves. Later, workers will return and carry the bundles to the threshing floor.

After the women tie the bundles, gleaners are allowed to scour the field for stray stalks. God specifically ordered the Israelites that they were not to go over their fields a second time; the missed grain is reserved for the poor and the sojourners (Leviticus 23:22). Not much would be left, however. Scholars like Robert L. Hubbard compare this to collecting aluminum cans and living off the scrap return.

“Reproach” can have several different meanings. The parallel usage is when David points out to Nabal that his men guarded Nabal’s shepherds and did not harm them (1 Samuel 25:7). Scholars interpret the word to mean shame, injure, or rob. Considering the protection God gives engaged women in Deuteronomy 22:25, the meaning is much more serious. As an unengaged foreign widow without a father, Ruth has almost no legal rights; one of the gleaners could rape her and then assume her as his wife or discard her in disgrace. With hired workers keeping track, she’s under some level of protection. As with his gleaning accommodations, Boaz will follow the spirit of the law, not just the letter.

Verse 16. And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”

Ruth’s story is known to Boaz. He’s aware that she is from Moab, one of Israel’s enemies. After her husband and father-in-law died, she accompanied her mother-in-law back to Bethlehem, abandoning her god for Yahweh. He is grateful that when she came to glean, she found his field. He is going to use every power he has as a landowner to make sure she can support herself and Naomi (Ruth 2:5–12).

The law states that when reapers harvest a field, they may not go over it a second time and they may not harvest all the way to the edges; they are to leave the loose stalks to “the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow” (Deuteronomy 24:19; Leviticus 23:22). Carolyn Custis James, a Bible commentator, says, “The letter of the law says, ‘Let them glean.’ The spirit of the law says, ‘Feed them.’” Boaz knows that the few bits his team of harvesters miss will not feed Ruth and Naomi. They need more.

“Pull out” is related to the Hebrew for “plunder, pillage” (Isaiah 10:6; Ezekiel 26:12). Boaz is telling his reapers to pillage their own harvest and leave the spoils for Ruth. They will obey so well that by the time Ruth is finished she will bring home almost six gallons of grain, fifteen to thirty times more than the reapers themselves! Boaz has already told his men they are not to harass or attack Ruth in any way (Ruth 2:15). Now he tells them not to “rebuke” her. They are not to insult her or discourage her from her work (Genesis 37:10; Jeremiah 29:27).

As a landowner, Boaz has provided materially for Naomi and Ruth and asked God to bless Ruth (Ruth 2:12). By the end of the harvest, he will realize God has a much bigger role planned for him.

Verse 17. So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.

When Ruth had gone out that morning, she hoped to find a man who would be kind to her while she tried to scavenge barley for herself and her mother-in-law, Naomi. She happened upon a field owned by Boaz. He had heard of her sacrifice and lovingkindness toward Naomi. Boaz provided much more than permission (Ruth 2:1–16).

First, he told her to glean only from his fields where he and his female servants could protect her and his male servants could provide her with water. Then he fed her a lunch so big she couldn’t finish it. Finally, he told his male servants to honor her and to even pull stalks of grain out of their bundles so she would be able to collect more (Ruth 2:8–16).

It is possible that Ruth has waited to glean until Boaz gave her permission (Ruth 2:7), meaning she hasn’t worked a complete day. She collects her own bundles and sets them aside. At the end of the day, she takes them to the threshing floor and “beats” them—a technical term for threshing a smaller amount of grain—with a curved stick or wooden hammer. By the time she is finished, she has removed the grain from the stalks and the husk from the kernels. She probably gathers the kernels in her scarf or shawl to carry them home (Ruth 3:15).

Ruth finishes the day with nearly thirty pounds, or thirteen kilograms, of grain. A male Babylonian worker would bring home payment of one or two pounds, or about a kilogram, of grain a day. If Ruth can keep up this rate through the barley and wheat harvests, she will have enough to provide for herself and Naomi for a year.

Context Summary
Ruth 2:17–23 describes the end of Ruth’s first day of gleaning the remainders of Boaz’s harvesters. Thanks to her arduous work and Boaz’s kindness, she returns to Naomi with the equivalent of half a month’s wages. Even more than the food, Naomi is grateful that Ruth is free to work in safety. They continue in this way through the barley and wheat harvests. By the end, they both realize Boaz’s kindness might possibly extend beyond providing food.

Verse 18. And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied.

Ruth accompanied her mother-in-law from Moab with more determination than planning. Her first morning, she left early to find a barley field and request permission to glean behind the harvesters (Ruth 2:2, 7). As a Moabite, she doesn’t necessarily meet the qualifications of a sojourner who is allowed to glean (Deuteronomy 23:3–6; Leviticus 23:22). She needed to find a harvest manager or owner who would treat her with more than the legally required level of assistance (Ruth 2:2).

Fortunately, she happened upon the field owned by Boaz. Boaz had heard of her kindness toward Naomi and has made such accommodations that Ruth has had a very profitable day. Boaz even invited Ruth to lunch and fed her so much roasted grain she couldn’t finish it all (Ruth 2:3–16).

Naomi knows none of this. She hasn’t seen Ruth since early that morning. She has no idea if Ruth found a place that would let a single Moabite woman glean, or if she did so without being accosted by the hired harvesters. When Ruth arrives home, Naomi is shocked. Not only did Ruth find a place to glean, but she also brings back so much grain it would pay a male harvester for at least two weeks (Ruth 2:17). In addition, Ruth has brought the leftover roasted grain from her lunch.

Naturally, Naomi asks Ruth how this came to be. When Ruth mentions Boaz’s name, Naomi realizes she knows him. He is a relative of her late husband and one of their kinsman-redeemers. If his generosity continues through the barley and wheat harvests, Ruth can glean enough to provide for them for a year. But he can also buy Naomi’s husband’s land from whomever he sold it to when they left for Moab and provide Naomi and Ruth with some kind of inheritance (Ruth 2:19–20). They may be okay after all.

Verse 19. And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man ‘s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.”

Ruth has been “gleaning” in the barley fields: following the harvesters and picking up loose stalks of grain, in hopes of providing food for herself and her mother-in-law.

As Ruth shows Naomi what she has brought back, Naomi realizes something isn’t normal. Ruth has almost thirty pounds, or about thirteen kilograms, of grain. A typical male Babylonian laborer would maybe earn two pounds a day, or roughly a kilogram; a female worker, half that. Ruth has brought back enough to support the two of them for two weeks.

It’s obvious Ruth has had help from a man. Naomi is so shocked she repeats her question, first asking in what location did Ruth work and then in what direction. What she really wants to know is who owns the field where she worked.

Ruth answers that she worked in Boaz’s field and goes on to give the details of his kindness toward her. This includes how he ordered his harvesters to protect her and instructed Ruth to continue throughout the barley and wheat harvests. Naomi blesses him and, almost casually, mentions that he is a kinsman-redeemer. He might have the responsibility to buy Naomi’s husband’s land, which would provide the women with a stable future. But even more, Naomi is grateful that Ruth can work in safety (Ruth 2:20–22).

“Took notice” reflects Ruth’s words to Boaz: “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me…?” (Ruth 2:10). The wording means that Boaz did not glance over Ruth or even casually make decisions in her favor. Naomi is aware that he intentionally singled Ruth out and acted for her welfare. By the end of the harvest, Naomi starts to think this kind man would make Ruth a good husband (Ruth 3:1–2).

Verse 20. And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.”

When Naomi returned to Bethlehem with her Moabite daughter-in-law Ruth, neither of them knew what to expect. When Naomi’s husband took them to Moab, he sold their farmland. Naomi needs a gōʾēl—a kinsman-redeemer—to buy it back to return it to the family. That is a longer-term plan; first they need food.

Having no other option, Ruth left early in the morning to find a landowner who would let her pick up the stray stalks of barley after his harvesters went through. Boaz had heard how Ruth abandoned her whole life to come with Naomi and quickly agreed. He told his hired hands to protect her and leave extra stalks loose so she would have enough to support them. When Ruth came home with more grain than a full worker would make in a day, Naomi knew a man must have shown her great favor (Ruth 2:2–19).

Naomi asks where Ruth has worked and pronounces blessing on the man who took notice of her. Ruth says she has worked with “Boaz” (Ruth 2:19).

When they arrived in Bethlehem, Naomi was so distraught she insisted her old friends call her Mara—”bitterness”—instead of Naomi—”pleasant”—saying, “For the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20). Naomi used “Adonai,” emphasizing God’s power, sovereignty, and authority. Next, she used “Yahweh,” saying, “I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty” (Ruth 1:21), suggesting that the covenant God of Israel had forsaken His responsibility to her. Now, she realizes her “Yahweh” has been faithful all along.

“Kindness” is hesed and serves as a major theme of the book of Ruth. Despite living in a foreign country without their husbands, Naomi and Ruth gradually learn that God has not forsaken them. That power, sovereignty, and authority protects as well as judges.

There is much debate as to whose “kindness” Naomi is referring to. The ESV adds a comma after “LORD,” thus indicating Boaz’s kindness. The NASB has no comma, indicating God’s. The NET footnote claims Boaz’s kindness because of the grammatical similarity to 2 Samuel 2:5, saying that a clearer English translation would be “May he be blessed by the LORD because his kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!”

“The living or the dead” refers to Naomi and Ruth as the living and Naomi’s husband and sons as the dead. The men had a responsibility to protect and provide for their wives; with their deaths, God fulfills His promise to take on that responsibility (Deuteronomy 10:18).

This verse introduces, in earnest, the role of the kinsman-redeemer. Part of the Abrahamic covenant says that God will give Abraham’s descendants the land within a certain boundary (Genesis 15:18–19). This covenant is not dependent on Abraham’s actions or the actions of his descendants. Israel has never held the entire territory within the specific borders, but they will do so during the millennial kingdom.

Because of the Abrahamic covenant, land is especially important in the Mosaic covenant. Ideally, when the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they were supposed to destroy the evil Canaanites and divide the land by lots to the tribes and the clans within the tribes. If the people obeyed God, God would ensure that the tribes, families, and sons would continue to hold their inheritance. Knowing that the Israelites wouldn’t obey, God established the kinsman-redeemer.

One of the responsibilities of a kinsman-redeemer is to buy the land of a relative if the relative finds himself in great debt. The kinsman-redeemer will only hold the land until the year of jubilee when it will be restored to the owner or his heirs (Leviticus 25:25–28). Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, sold their land when they left for Moab, but it’s unclear who to. Since Naomi is looking for a kinsman redeemer, it apparently went to someone outside the family. Elimelech has no living male heir. In the Law, when a man died with no male heirs, the land went to his daughters (Numbers 27:1–11)—but Ruth is not Elimelech’s daughter; she’s not even an Israelite. The best Naomi can hope for is a kinsman-redeemer to buy it and give her the money to live on.

Some think that because Naomi’s words resemble Genesis 24:27 she is thinking Boaz can marry Ruth. Naomi is set on Ruth remarrying (Ruth 1:9), but whether she is thinking about Boaz at this point, it can be said that Naomi is thinking about Ruth’s welfare, not a Levirate marriage. A Levirate marriage, wherein a man sires a son with his brother’s widow in the name of his deceased brother, does not technically apply to Boaz; he’s not Elimelech’s brother.

Verse 21. And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’”

Ruth is explaining to Naomi what Boaz told her. She asked permission to glean from his fields, but he did much more (Ruth 2:4–16). This is private conversation with her mother-in-law, but the narrator reminds the audience of Ruth’s status as a foreigner. Even though she is Naomi’s daughter-in-law, and Naomi calls Boaz “our” redeemer (Ruth 2:20), Ruth is still a foreigner.

The inclusion of Ruth’s nationality emphasizes Boaz’s kindness toward her. That’s magnified further because she was originally a native of Moab (Deuteronomy 23:3–6). Boaz had his harvesters pull stalks of barley out of their own bundles for Ruth to pick up, told her to drink the water his servants provided, and invited her to eat with him and his servants (Ruth 2:9, 14–16). Boaz has determined that God’s curse on the Moabites obviously doesn’t apply to such a loving, noble, self-sacrificial woman (Ruth 2:11–12).

To top it all off, this isn’t just a one-day provision. Ruth will continue throughout the month-long barley harvest and the following month-long wheat harvest (Ruth 2:23). In less than one day, Ruth manages to bring back grain the equivalent of two weeks’ worth of pay; at this rate, by the end of the wheat harvest, she and Naomi will have what they need for a year and a half.

Except for the duration of the legal proceedings in chapter 4, this is the last time Ruth is referred to as a Moabitess. She transitions to a Bethlehemite in the two months of the harvest.

The wording here is problematic. Boaz told Ruth to stay close to his “young women” (Ruth 2:8) and said he ordered his “young men” to leave her alone (Ruth 2:9). The ESV translates Ruth’s quote of Boaz as “You shall keep close by my young men.” The Hebrew, however, merely means “servants” and includes women, as the NASB says. Either way, Naomi quickly corrects Ruth; Ruth is to stay near the young women, not the men (Ruth 2:22).

Verse 22. And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.”

Naomi and Ruth are discussing how Boaz has blessed them by making sure Ruth can safely glean to provide for them.

Boaz told Ruth to stay near his “young women” (Ruth 2:8). When Ruth repeats Boaz’s words to Naomi, she uses the more generic “servant” (Ruth 2:21) which the ESV translates as “young men.” Naomi emphasizes to Ruth that she needs to stay close to the female servants. Boaz particularly told his male servants to neither reproach nor rebuke Ruth (Ruth 2:15–16). “Reproach” includes the concept of harm.

Naomi is more straightforward, not needing to use the polite, circumspect language of Boaz as a stranger and a man. Ruth needs to stay close to Boaz’s female servants so the men cannot sexually assault her. If a man raped an engaged woman in a place where no one would hear her cries, like a field, the man would be sentenced to death. If a man raped a virgin, he was to arrange with her father to pay her dowry, marry her, and never divorce her—presumably if the woman and the father agreed (Deuteronomy 22:25–29). Although Ruth’s standard of living would greatly improve if she were to marry, experiencing the trauma of rape isn’t worth it. In addition, she is a foreign widow with no man to speak for her. The chance that she would be provided for and not discarded as damaged goods is slim.

As a single, un-engaged, foreign woman working in a field, Ruth likely knows this, but Naomi, as a loving mom, has the right to remind her.

Verse 23. So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

This verse is the ending summary of chapter 2; Ruth 2:1–3 is the prologue. As the prologue states, Ruth gleans—scavenges dropped grain—from the fields of Boaz. Boaz has given her so many advantages that her first day of working resulted in almost thirty pounds, or thirteen kilograms, of barley grain.

Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem as the barley harvest started (Ruth 1:22). The barley harvest begins around Passover in the middle of April. Barley, in that era, was considered food for poor people and horses. After a month, the wheat is ready to harvest, culminating in the Festival of Weeks.

Two months of harvesting under Boaz’s very generous conditions would have given the two women what they need for a year. Yet the end of the wheat harvest presents a problem: Ruth has no more excuses to see Boaz. Naomi’s entire purpose for trying to send Ruth and Orpah home to their families was the hope they would find other husbands to give them “rest” (Ruth 1:9). Naomi thinks Boaz would fit the bill nicely, but she needs to move fast. When the harvest is complete, there’s little chance for a well-respected landowner and a destitute foreign widow to meet (Ruth 3:1–5).

End of Ruth Chapter 2

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