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Ruth Chapter
Three
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO RUTH 3
In
this chapter we have a proposal of Naomi to Ruth, with advice and directions to
get Boaz for her husband, 2:1. Ruth's obedience to
the instructions she gave her, 2:5, the notice
Boaz took of her, and the conversation that passed between them, 2:8 the dismission of her in the morning to her
mother-in-law with a gift, to whom she returned, and acquainted her with what
had passed, 2:14.
Ruth
3:1 Then Naomi her
mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you,
that it may be well with you?
YLT 1And Naomi her mother-in-law saith to her, `My
daughter, do not I seek for thee rest, that it may be well with thee?
Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her,.... After the
harvests were over, and so gleaning likewise; when Naomi and Ruth were together
alone in their apartment, the mother addressed the daughter after this manner:
my daughter, shall I not seek for thee, that it may be well with
thee? that is, in the house of an husband, as in 1:9 her meaning is, to seek out for an husband for her,
that she might have an house of her own to rest in, and an husband to provide
her; that so she might be free from such toil and labour she had been lately
exercised in, and enjoy much ease and comfort, and all outward happiness and
prosperity in a marriage state with a good husband. This interrogation carries
in it the force of a strong affirmation, may suggest that she judged it to be
her duty, and that she was determined to seek out such a rest for her; and the
Targum makes her way of speaking stronger still, for that is,"by an oath I
will not rest, until the time that I have sought a rest for thee.'
Ruth
3:2 2 Now Boaz, whose young
women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing
barley tonight at the threshing floor.
YLT 2and now, is not Boaz of our acquaintance,
with whose young women thou hast been? lo, he is winnowing the threshing-floor
of barley to-night,
And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast?.... He was,
and her question supposes and concludes it, and which she observes, that Ruth
might take notice of it, and encouragement from it; and the rather, since she
had been admitted into the company and conversation of his maidens; and which
was more, though not mentioned, into the company and conversation of himself,
and whom Ruth knew full well; and who being, Naomi thought, the next nearest
kinsman, and obliged by the law in Deuteronomy 25:5 to
marry Ruth, with which view his relation is mentioned:
behold, he winnoweth barley tonight in the threshingfloor; which
afforded a fit opportunity of meeting with him, being at night, and out of the
city, from his own house, and alone, and after a feast for his reapers and
threshers of corn, seems, from 2:7 as it was usual
to have threshingfloors in an open place without the city, so to winnow at
them, whereby the chaff was more easily separated from the corn, and that, in
the evening, when in those countries there were the strongest breezes of wind
to carry it off; hence the Targum here has it,"behold, he is winnowing the
barley floor with the wind, which is in the night.'For before the invention and
use of fans in winnowing, it was only done by the wind carrying off the chaff,
as the oxen trod the corn, for it was done in the threshingfloor, as here:
hence HesiodF13Opera & Dies, l. 2. ver. 221. advises that the
threshingfloors should be χωρω εν
ευαει, in a place exposed to wind; and so VarroF14De re
Rustica, l. 1. c. 41. observes, the floor should be in the higher part of the
field, that the wind might blow through it; to this manner of winnowing VirgilF15"Cum
graviter tunsis", &c. Georgic. l. 3. Vid. Homer. Iliad 5. ver. 499.
& Iliad, 13. ver. 588, &c. has respect. Nor was it unusual for great
personages, owners of farms and fields, to attend and overlook such service.
PlinyF16Nat. Hist. l. 22. c. 25. reports, that Sextus Pomponius,
father of the praetor and prince of the hither Spain, presided over the
winnowing of his reapers; so Gideon, another judge Israel, was found threshing
wheat, Judges 6:11.
Ruth
3:3 3 Therefore wash yourself
and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the
threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has
finished eating and drinking.
YLT 3and thou hast bathed, and anointed thyself,
and put thy garments upon thee, and gone down to the threshing-floor; let not
thyself be known to the man till he complete to eat and to drink;
Wash thyself, therefore,.... Thy flesh, as Ben
Melech, that she might appear clean and neat, and free from all spots, and
every thing that might occasion a disagreeable aspect, or an ill scent, and so
be acceptable to the man proposed:
and anoint thee; not with aromatic ointments, as great
personages, both men and women, used as Aben Ezra notes, but with common oil,
Ruth being a poor widow that she might look sleek and smooth:
and put thy raiment upon thee; that is, her best
raiment; for it cannot be supposed that she was now without clothes; or else
her ornaments as the Targum; her mother-in-law advises her to put off her
widow's weed, the time of mourning for her husband being perhaps at an end, and
put on her ornamental dress she used to wear in her own country, and in her
husband's lifetime. Jarchi interprets it of her sabbath day clothes:
and get thee down to the floor; to the threshingfloor
where Boaz was winnowing, and which it seems lay lower than the city of
Bethlehem:
but make not thyself known unto the man; some
understand it, that she should not make herself known to any man, not to any of
the servants of Boaz; who, though they knew her before, when in the habit of a
gleaner, would not know her now in her best and finest clothes, unless she made
herself known to them; but rather Boaz is meant, to whom it was not advisable
to make herself known; and who also, for the same reason, though he might see
her at supper time, might not know her because of her different dress: and the
rather he is particularly intended, since it follows:
until he shall have done eating and drinking; when Naomi
thought it would be the fittest time to make herself known unto him in order to
gain the point in view, marriage with him.
Ruth
3:4 4 Then it shall be, when he
lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in,
uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.”
YLT 4and it cometh to pass when he lieth down,
that thou hast known the place where he lieth down, and hast gone in, and
uncovered his feet, and lain down, -- and he doth declare to thee that which
thou dost do.'
And it shall be, when he lieth down,.... On the
threshingfloor, under the open air, in order to sleep, and take rest:
that thou shall mark the place where he shall lie; the spot he
shall lie on, and the direction in which he shall lie, whether east, west,
&c. that when the light shall be taken away, and the darkness of the night
come on, she might pretty easily find the place where he lay:
and thou shall go in and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; go into the
threshingfloor, or to the place where he lay down and gently lay aside the
covering upon his feet, whether a blanket, or rug, or his own long clothes,
with which his feet were wrapped, and then lay herself down at his feet; this
seems to be advised to, in order to give him a hint that there was somebody at
his feet. This may seem to us to be strange advice, and not consistent with the
character of pious and virtuous women, which they both bore, and with that
modesty they otherwise seem to be possessed of; to clear this, let it be
observed, that this man was, as Naomi thought, the next kinsman, and so in
right of the law in Deuteronomy 25:5,
was the husband of Ruth, and therefore might take such a freedom with him as
she did; and it seems by the same law as if the woman was to make the demand of
marriage, which may serve to reconcile the carriage of Ruth to her character:
besides, what things in one age, and in one nation, are reckoned immodest, are
not so accounted in another age, and in another nation; add to this the age and
gravity of Boaz, and the well known virtue of Ruth to Naomi, she might think
herself quite safe in the advice she gave: and yet after all, it must be owned,
it is somewhat difficult to account for her simplicity and wisdom in it; since
she could not be sure that sin and folly would not be committed, considering
the infirmity of human nature; or that such a behaviour in Ruth would not
alienate the affection of Boaz from her, and cause him to consider her as a
light and loose woman, and unfit to be his wife:
and he will tell thee what thou shall do; being a judge
of Israel, and expert in the law, he would inform her whether he was the next
kinsman, and had the right of redemption or not, and what methods must be
taken, and what rites used, in order to her marriage with him, or another
person.
Ruth
3:5 5 And she said to her, “All
that you say to me I will do.”
YLT 5And she saith unto her, `All that thou sayest
-- I do.'
And she said unto her,.... Having the highest
opinion of her piety and prudence, and being confident she would never advise
her to what was contrary to true religion and virtue:
all that thou sayest unto me I will do; observe every
instruction and direction she gave her, and attend strictly to every
circumstance pointed out to her, as she did; the word for "unto me"
is one of those instances, the Masora observes, is not written but read; the
letters of the word are not in the text, only the vowel points, the reason of
which cannot well be said; what the MidrashF17Midrash Ruth, ut
supra. (fol. 33. 3.) gives can never satisfy.
Ruth
3:6 6 So she went down to the
threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her.
YLT 6And she goeth down [to] the threshing-floor,
and doth according to all that her mother-in-law commanded her
And she went down unto the floor,.... From the city of
Bethlehem, from her mother-in-law's house there, to the threshingfloor of Boaz,
which was at some distance from it, and lower:
and did according to all that her mother in law bade her; both before
she went, and after: she washed and anointed herself, and put on her best
clothes before she went down, and when she was there took care not to make
herself known to any, especially to Boaz, and marked the place where he lay
down after he had supped.
Ruth
3:7 7 And after Boaz had eaten
and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the
heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.
YLT 7And 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.
And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry,.... Having
ate and drank freely, though not to excess; and innocent mirth was always
allowed in the time of harvest, and of the vintage, and of gathering the fruits
of the earth, see Judges 9:27 or
"his heart was good"; he was in a good frame and disposition of mind,
praising God for his goodness to him, and to his people; so the
Targum,"and his heart was good, and he blessed the name of the Lord who
had received his prayer, and removed the famine from the land of Israel:'he
went to lie down at the heap of corn; in the threshingfloor, which had either
been threshed out, or lay in sheaves to be threshed out: however, it seems
probable that he had laid himself down on some of the straw of the corn
threshed out, with his clothes on, covering his feet with the lower part of his
garment; it being usual in those countries to wear long garments, which served
to sleep in by nights, as well as to cover them by day; nor was it thought mean
and unworthy of persons of note to sleep in such a place, and in such a manner
as thisF18"Nec pudor in stipula", &c. Ovid. Fast. l.
1. . And it might be chosen for coolness in those hot countries. Jarchi thinks
it was to preserve his corn from thieves; though it might be because it was
late ere the festival was over, and too late to go home, and besides he was
ready for his business the next morning:
and she came softly; with stillness and
quietness, as Jarchi, making as little noise as possible; or secretly, as the
Targum, that no one might see her, and have knowledge of what she did:
and uncovered his feet; turned up the skirt of
the garment that was upon his feet, or removed whatever covering was laid on
them:
and laid her down; not on the side of him, which would have
seemed immodest, but at his feet, perhaps across them.
Ruth
3:8 8 Now it happened at
midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was
lying at his feet.
YLT 8And 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.
And it came to pass at midnight,.... So long Boaz slept
without knowledge of any person being at his feet, and so long Ruth had lain
there; but awaking, and perceiving something at his feet, which pressed them,
it made him look about and feel, and so affected him:
that the man was afraid; though a man, and a man
of spirit, he was afraid, a panic seized him, not knowing but it might be a
spectre, a spirit, or a demon, as Jarchi; and such an instance we have in
historyF19Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 2. c. 9. of an apparition,
which seemed to put off clothes, and place itself in a bed where a man lay,
&c.
and turned himself; to see who it was:
and, behold, a woman lay at his feet; which he knew
by putting his hand upon her head, as Jarchi thinks, and so knew her by her
headdress, or vail; or rather by her voice, as Aben Ezra, and who supposes the
moon might shine, and he might be able to discern she had no beard, as well as
also discover her by her clothes.
Ruth
3:9 9 And he said, “Who are
you?” So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your
maidservant under your wing,[a] for you
are a close relative.”
YLT 9And 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.'
And he said, who art thou?.... He spoke quick and
short, as one displeased, or however surprised and frightened, just coming out
of sleep, and in the night:
and she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid; that had
gleaned in his fields with his maidens, and with whom he had conversed there,
and knew her by name:
spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid; which seems
to account for the reason of her uncovering his feet, or turning up the skirt
of his garment that was upon them; not through wantonness and immodesty, but to
direct him, when opportunity offered, to spread it over her as a token of his
taking her in marriage, and of her being under his care and protection, and of
her subjection to him; so the Targum,"let thy name be called upon me to
take me for a wife,'Whether the custom now used with the Jews at marriage, for
a man to cast the skirt of his "talith", or outward garment, over the
head of his spouse, and cover it, was in use so early, is questionable; and yet
something like it seems to have been done, as this phrase intimates, and to
which there is an allusion in Ezekiel 16:8. So
Jarchi,"spread the skirt of thy garments to cover me with thy talith, and
this is expressive of marriage;'and Aben Ezra says, it intimates taking her to
him for wife; though as the word signifies a wing, the allusion may be to the
wings of birds spread over their young, to cherish and protect them, which are
acts to be done by a man to his wife:
for thou art a near kinsman; as she had been informed
by Naomi, to whom the right of redemption of her husband's estate belonged, and
in whom it lay to marry her, and raise up seed to his kinsman, her former
husband.
Ruth
3:10 10 Then he said, “Blessed are
you of the Lord,
my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning,
in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich.
YLT 10And 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.
And he said, blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter,.... Instead
of calling her an immodest woman for laying herself down at his feet, and a
bold impudent woman, she being poor, to ask marriage of him; and instead of
being angry with her, and chiding and reproving her for disturbing and
frightening him in the night, he blesses her, and pray's to God to bless her,
and prosper her in what she had engaged, and in a kind and loving manner calls
her his daughter:
for thou hast showed more kindness in the latter end than at the
beginning; that is, to her husband's family; she had shown much love to her
husband living and dying, and to her mother-in-law, in leaving her country and
kindred to come with her into a strange country, and in labour to support her,
as she had done, all which was great kindness; to which the Targum adds, her
being proselyted; but the kindness she now showed exceeded all the former, in
that she was desirous, according to the law of God, to build up her husband's
family, to marry the next near kinsman, even though an old man, to raise up
seed to the name and memory of her husband:
inasmuch as thou followedst not the young men, whether poor or
rich; the phrase of following young men is not to be understood of
committing fornication with them, as the Targum explains it, but of marriage to
them: she shunned their company and conversation, and did not put herself in
the way of being caressed and addressed by them, and refused everything of that
sort; and did not choose to follow any young man, rich or poor, as a bride
follows her husband when married to him. Now Boaz mentions this as an instance
of her virtue, and of her great respect to her husband's family, that a woman of
such amiable qualities, virtuous, young, and beautiful, who doubtless might
have been married to a young man in her own country, or in Israel, but chose to
marry the nearest of kin in her husband's family, to perpetuate his name and
memory; the Jews sayF20Midrash Ruth, fol. 31. 4. & 34. 2. Boaz
was now eighty years of age, and Ruth forty.
Ruth
3:11 11 And
now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all
the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.
YLT 11And 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.
And now, my daughter, fear not,.... Either of being
forced and defiled, to which he had exposed herself by lying down at a man's
feet, or of being reproached as an immodest woman for so doing, or of being
despised as a poor woman, and of not succeeding in her suit and enterprise:
and I will do to thee all that thou requirest; which could
be done according to the law of God, and without injury to another person after
mentioned:
for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous
woman; or righteous, as the Targum; a good woman, possessed of grace
and virtue, having every agreeable qualification to recommend to the marriage
state; and therefore, should they come to the knowledge of the step taken to
obtain it, will never reproach thee for it, nor blame me for marrying a person,
though poor, of such an excellent character, which, by her conduct and
behaviour, was universally established. It is in the original text, "all
the gate of my people"F21כל־שער עמי "tota porta populi mei", Montanus; so
Vatablus, Tigurine version. ; meaning either all the people that pass through
the gate of the city, that is, all the inhabitants of it, or the whole court of
judicature, the elders of the city, that sit in judgment there, as was usual in
gates of cities, see 4:1. So the Targum,"it
is manifest before all that sit in the gate of the great sanhedrim of my people
that thou art a righteous woman'
Ruth
3:12 12 Now it is true that I am
a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I.
YLT 12And now, surely, true, that I [am] a
redeemer, but also there is a redeemer nearer than I.
And now it is true, that I am thy near kinsman,.... Her
husband and he being brothers' sons, so own cousins:
howbeit, there is a kinsman nearer than I, who was, the
Jews sayF23Midrash Ruth, ut supra. (31. 4. & 34. 2) Jarchi in
loc. , the brother of her husband's father, and so his uncle, which was a
nearer relation than an own cousin.
Ruth
3:13 13 Stay this night, and in
the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative
for you—good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for
you, then I will perform the duty for you, as the Lord lives! Lie
down until morning.”
YLT 13Lodge 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.'
Tarry this day,.... Or lodge here tonight, where she was;
this he said not from any design upon her, but for her own safety and honour,
that she might not be exposed to danger or disgrace, by returning home at such
an unseasonable time of night. The first letter in the word for
"tarry" is larger than usual in the Hebrew text; which may be done to
raise the attention of the reader, to observe it as a thing very singular, that
a widow should lodge with a man without any diminution of her chastity; so
BuxtorfF24Tiberias, c. 14. p. 38. says, that hereby attention is
noted, even the honesty of Boaz ordering Ruth to lodge without a man, and wait
until a nearer kinsman, according to the law, should come, and promising that
on failure thereof he would be the lawful redeemer; but Dr. LightfootF25Works,
vol. 1. p. 48. observes, that as there is a special mark over a word in the
story of Lot's eldest daughter lying with her father, Genesis 19:34 and a
special mark on this word here, in the story of Ruth going to Boaz his bed,
seems to relate one to the other, and both together to point at the great
providence of God in bringing light out of darkness, Ruth, a mother of Christ,
out of the incest of Lot:
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; by marrying
Ruth, and redeeming her husband's estate, which if he did, it would be all very
well, and right according to law; and it would be very well for Ruth, as Aben
Ezra and Abendana interpret it; seeing, as they observe, that kinsman was a
very respectable man, a man of great esteem and worth, a man of wealth and
authority, and she would be well matched to him. Some think, as the same
writers observe, that the word "Tob", translated "well", is
the name of the kinsman, the same with Tobias; so R. Joshuah saysF26In
Midrash Ruth, ut supra. (fol. 31. 4. & 34. 2.) , that Salmon (who was the
father of Boaz), and Elimelech (the father of Ruth's husband), and Tob (this
near kinsman), were brethren:
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: that is, he
swore he would marry her, and redeem the inheritance, if the other would not;
for the phrase, "as the Lord liveth", is the form of an oath, it is
swearing by the living God; so the Targum,"I say with an oath before the
Lord, that as I have spoken unto thee, so will I do:"
lie down until the morning; and take some sleep and
rest, and be at ease in mind, depending upon the performance of what I have
promised.
Ruth
3:14 14 So she lay at his feet
until morning, and she arose before one could recognize another. Then he said,
“Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.”
YLT 14And she lieth down at his feet till the
morning, and riseth before one doth discern another; and he saith, `Let it not
be known that the woman hath come into the floor.'
And she lay at his feet until the morning,.... In the same
place where she first lay herself down:
and she rose up before one could know another, because of
the darkness, as the Targum, it not being yet break of day:
and he said, let it not be known that a woman came into the floor, to whom he
spoke these words is not said, perhaps to Ruth, whom he might call to arise so
early as she did, before one could know another, and distinguish a man from a
woman; and so sent her away, and bid her be cautious, as much as in her lay,
that it might not be known she had been there; for though they were both
conscious of their purity and chastity, yet it became them to be careful of
their good name, and to prevent scandal upon them, or hinder the nearer kinsman
from doing his part, who might refuse upon hearing that Boaz and Ruth had been
together; or this was said to his young men, as the Targum adds, charging them
to let no one know of it; which is not so likely: it is the sense of some
Jewish writersF1Midrash Ruth, fol. 34. 14. so some in Abendana in
Miclol Yophi in loc. , that Boaz said this in his heart, in an ejaculatory
prayer to God, entreating that affair might be a secret, that it might not be
known that a woman had been in the floor that night, lest the name of God
should be blasphemed, and he and Ruth be wrongfully reproached.
Ruth
3:15 15 Also he said, “Bring the
shawl that is on you and hold it.” And when she held it, he measured six
ephahs of barley, and laid it on her. Then she[b] went into
the city.
YLT 15And he saith, `Give the covering which [is]
on thee, and keep hold on it;' and she keepeth hold on it, and he measureth six
[measures] of barley, and layeth [it] on her; and he goeth into the city.
Also he said,.... Which seems to confirm the first sense,
that what he had said before was to Ruth, beside which he also said to her what
follows:
bring the vail which thou hast upon thee, and hold it; by which it
appears that he rose also thus early, since he ordered her to bring her vail to
him, and hold it with both her hands, while he filled it from the heap of corn:
this vail was either what she wore on her head, as women used to do, or a
coverlet she brought with her to cover herself with, when she lay down; the
Septuagint renders it a "girdle", that is, an apron she tied or girt
about her; which is as likely as anything: and when she held it, he measured
six measures of barley; what these measures were is not expressed; the Targum
is six seahs or bushels, as the Vulgate Latin version, but that is too much,
and more than a woman could carry; unless we suppose, with the Targum, that she
had strength from the Lord to carry it, and was extraordinarily assisted by him
in it, which is not very probable; rather six omers, an omer being the tenth
part of an ephah, and so was a quantity she might be able to carry:
and laid it upon her; upon her shoulder, or
put it on her head, it being, no doubt, as much as she could well bear, and
which required some assistance to help her up with it:
and she went into the city; of Bethlehem, with her
burden; or rather he wentF2ויבא "et
ingressus est", Tigurine version. Drusius, Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator. ; for the word is masculine, and to be understood of Boaz, who
accompanied her to the city, lest she should meet with any that should abuse
her; and so the Targum expresses it,"Boaz went into the city.'
Ruth
3:16 16 When she came to her
mother-in-law, she said, “Is that you, my daughter?”
Then she told her all that the man had done for her.
YLT 16And she cometh in unto her mother-in-law, and
she saith, `Who [art] thou, my daughter?' and she declareth to her all that the
man hath done to her.
And when she came to her mother in law,.... To Naomi,
in Bethlehem:
she said, who art thou, my daughter? it being near dusk, she
could not discern her, or perhaps she put the question before she opened the
door and saw her; though one would think, if Ruth had called to her, she would
have known her voice: rather therefore the particle may be rendered,
"what" or "how"F3מי את "quid egisti?" V. L. "quid tibi?"
Tigurine version; so R. Jonah in Aben Ezra, & Abendana in loc.
"quomodo tu filia mea?" Nold. p. 602. No. 1626. , instead of
"who"; and the sense be, what had befallen her? what success had she
had? how had things gone with her? was she married or not? or rather, had she
got a promise of it? or was it likely that she should be married? with which
the answer agrees:
and she told her all that the man had done to her; what kindness
he had shown her, what promises he had made to her, that either he, or a nearer
kinsman, would marry her, and redeem her husband's estate.
Ruth
3:17 17 And she said, “These six ephahs
of barley he gave me; for he said to me, ‘Do not go empty-handed to your
mother-in-law.’”
YLT 17And she saith, `These six [measures] of
barley he hath given to me, for he said, Thou dost not go in empty unto thy
mother-in-law.'
And she said, these six measures of barley gave he me,.... Which she
laid down before her, which was a proof of his kindness to her, that she was
acceptable to him, and had well sped; of these six measures, see 3:15 which by some are allegorically interpreted of six
blessings that should be bestowed upon her, as the spirit of wisdom,
understanding, &c. as Isaiah 11:2 so
Jarchi; or of six persons that should spring from her, as David, Daniel, and
his companions, and the King Messiah, as the Targum:
for he said unto me, go not empty unto thy mother in law; which, as it
expressed a regard to Naomi, and a compassionate concern for her support, so
would give her assurance of the success Ruth met with, she would relate to her.
Ruth
3:18 18 Then she said, “Sit still,
my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not
rest until he has concluded the matter this day.”
YLT 18And she saith, `Sit still, my daughter, till
thou dost know how the matter falleth, for the man doth not rest except he hath
completed the matter to-day.'
Then, said she, sit still, my daughter,.... Keep at
home, say nothing of this affair to any person, be easy about it, take no other
steps in it, wait the issue of it:
until thou know how the matter will fall; not that she
thought it was a chance matter, a fortuitous and contingent event with respect
to God; for all decrees come from heaven, as Aben Ezra on the text says, and
particularly marriages are decreed in heaven, and come about according to such
decrees; so the Targum,"sit, my daughter, with me, in the house, until the
time thou shall know how it is decreed from heaven:"
for the man will not be at rest until he have finished the thing
this day; which she concluded, partly from his known integrity and
faithfulness, diligence and industry, and partly from his affection to Ruth,
and her interest in it; for she perceived, she had got his heart, both by what
he had said to her, and by the present he had sent by her, and she was
satisfied he would not be easy until he knew whether he should have her or not.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)