Ruth 3 Study Notes: Ruth at the Threshing Floor
Naomi sends Ruth by night to the threshing floor, where Ruth asks Boaz to take her under his protection as her kinsman-redeemer. Boaz praises her loyalty, promises to act if a nearer relative declines, and sends her home before dawn with barley for Naomi, who tells her to wait.
General
What did Boaz tell Ruth stood in the way of his acting as her redeemer right away (Ruth 3:12)?
Answer: Another relative was a closer redeemer
Boaz affirms that he is indeed one of the kinsman-redeemers, yet says there is another redeemer more closely related than he is (3:12). That man had the first right, since the right to redeem belonged first to the nearest relative (Leviticus 25:25). So Boaz makes a promise: at daybreak, if the nearer man is willing to redeem her, let him do it; if not, Boaz will do it himself, and he swears this by the living LORD. He tells Ruth to stay until morning (3:13). Boaz respects the order of the family’s rights rather than pushing past it, yet binds himself with an oath, which Scripture treats as binding (Numbers 30:2). That same morning he is at the town gate to settle the matter (4:1).
- Ruth 3:12-13 (BSB)“Yes, it is true that I am a kinsman-redeemer, but there is a redeemer nearer than I. Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, good. Let him redeem you. But if he does not want to redeem you, as surely as the LORD lives, I will. Now lie here until morning.””Boaz explains that another man has the prior right, and promises with an oath to act if that man will not.
- Leviticus 25:25 (BSB)“If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his nearest of kin may come and redeem what his brother has sold.”The right of redemption belonged first to the nearest relative, which is why the nearer man had to be asked first.
- Numbers 30:2 (BSB)“If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do everything he has promised.”A man who swore an oath was bound to do everything he had promised, as Boaz does by the LORD.
- Ruth 4:1 (BSB)“Meanwhile, Boaz went to the gate and sat down there. Soon the kinsman-redeemer of whom he had spoken came along, and Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.”Boaz goes to the gate that same morning and meets the nearer redeemer, keeping his promise.
Theological
What prior claim does Boaz disclose before swearing to act if it goes unused (Ruth 3:12-13)?
Answer: Another relative was a closer redeemer
Boaz confirms his standing as one of the kinsman-redeemers, yet discloses that a nearer kinsman holds the prior right (3:12), in keeping with the precedence of the nearest relative in the law of redemption (Leviticus 25:25). He refuses to bypass that claim, yet he swears by the living LORD that if the nearer redeemer declines, he himself will redeem her (3:13). An oath sworn in the LORD’s name obliged him to perform it (Numbers 30:2), and he acts on it that same morning (4:1).
- Ruth 3:12-13 (BSB)“Yes, it is true that I am a kinsman-redeemer, but there is a redeemer nearer than I. Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, good. Let him redeem you. But if he does not want to redeem you, as surely as the LORD lives, I will. Now lie here until morning.””Boaz explains that another man has the prior right, and promises with an oath to act if that man will not.
- Leviticus 25:25 (BSB)“If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his nearest of kin may come and redeem what his brother has sold.”The right of redemption belonged first to the nearest relative, which is why the nearer man had to be asked first.
- Numbers 30:2 (BSB)“If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do everything he has promised.”A man who swore an oath was bound to do everything he had promised, as Boaz does by the LORD.
- Ruth 4:1 (BSB)“Meanwhile, Boaz went to the gate and sat down there. Soon the kinsman-redeemer of whom he had spoken came along, and Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.”Boaz goes to the gate that same morning and meets the nearer redeemer, keeping his promise.
General
Ruth rose before anyone could recognize her. What concern did Boaz express as she left (Ruth 3:14)?
Answer: That no one learn a woman had been at the floor
Ruth stayed at Boaz’s feet until morning and rose while it was still too dark for one person to recognize another (3:14). Boaz then asked that no one find out a woman had been at the threshing floor. The verse gives his instruction without stating a reason. Only hours earlier he had told Ruth that the whole town knew her to be a woman of strong, honorable character (3:11), and the matter itself he would settle in full view of witnesses at the town gate (4:9). Then he had her hold out her shawl, poured six measures of grain into it and set it on her, and he headed back into town (3:15).
- Ruth 3:14-15 (BSB)“So she lay down at his feet until morning, but she got up before anyone else could recognize her. Then Boaz said, “Do not let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.” And he told her, “Bring the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he poured in six measures of barley and placed it on her. Then he went into the city.”Ruth leaves before dawn; Boaz asks that the visit not be made known and sends her home with barley.
- Ruth 3:11 (BSB)“And now do not be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you request, since all my fellow townspeople know that you are a woman of noble character.”Boaz had just told Ruth that all the townspeople knew her to be a woman of noble character.
- Ruth 4:9 (BSB)“At this, Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon.”Boaz settles the redemption openly at the gate, calling the elders and the people as witnesses.
Theological
What worry does Boaz voice as Ruth leaves before dawn (Ruth 3:14)?
Answer: That no one learn a woman had been at the floor
Ruth rises before it is light enough for anyone to be recognized, and Boaz asks that no one learn a woman had been at the threshing floor (3:14). The text records the instruction without giving his reason. It stands alongside his praise of Ruth’s known noble character (3:11) and his intent to settle the redemption publicly before witnesses (4:9). He then loads her shawl with six measures of grain and goes into the town (3:15).
- Ruth 3:14-15 (BSB)“So she lay down at his feet until morning, but she got up before anyone else could recognize her. Then Boaz said, “Do not let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.” And he told her, “Bring the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he poured in six measures of barley and placed it on her. Then he went into the city.”Ruth leaves before dawn; Boaz asks that the visit not be made known and sends her home with barley.
- Ruth 3:11 (BSB)“And now do not be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you request, since all my fellow townspeople know that you are a woman of noble character.”Boaz had just told Ruth that all the townspeople knew her to be a woman of noble character.
- Ruth 4:9 (BSB)“At this, Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon.”Boaz settles the redemption openly at the gate, calling the elders and the people as witnesses.
General
Boaz said Ruth’s latest kindness was greater than her first. What reason did he give (Ruth 3:10)?
Answer: She had not chased after younger men
Boaz’s first words are a blessing in the LORD’s name. He says this new kindness of Ruth’s is greater than her earlier one, because she has not pursued younger men, rich or poor alike (3:10). Her earlier kindness was evidently her loyal care for Naomi, which Boaz had already praised: leaving her parents and homeland to come to a people she did not know (2:11). Now, instead of seeking a husband her own age, she has come to Boaz, an older relative who could act as redeemer for the family. Boaz sees that choice as a further act of loyal love. Such faithfulness reflects the steady love Naomi had prayed the LORD would show her daughters-in-law (1:8).
- Ruth 3:10 (BSB)“Then Boaz said, “May the LORD bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.”Boaz blesses Ruth and explains why her latest kindness surpasses her first.
- Ruth 2:11 (BSB)“Boaz replied, “I have been made fully aware of all you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and how you came to a people you did not know before.”Boaz had already heard of Ruth’s earlier loyalty to Naomi, the first kindness he now compares with this one.
- Ruth 1:8 (BSB)“Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you loving devotion, as you have shown to your dead and to me.”Naomi had prayed that the LORD would show loyal love to her daughters-in-law as they had shown it to their family.
Theological
On what ground does Boaz judge Ruth’s latest kindness greater than her first (Ruth 3:10)?
Answer: She had not chased after younger men
Boaz blesses Ruth by the LORD and rates this kindness above her first because she has not gone after younger men, rich or poor (3:10). The first kindness was her loyalty to Naomi (2:11). The second is her approach to Boaz, an older kinsman able to act as redeemer, rather than a match chosen for her own preference. Boaz reads this as covenant faithfulness toward the family, the kind of loyal love Naomi had invoked the LORD to show (1:8).
- Ruth 3:10 (BSB)“Then Boaz said, “May the LORD bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.”Boaz blesses Ruth and explains why her latest kindness surpasses her first.
- Ruth 2:11 (BSB)“Boaz replied, “I have been made fully aware of all you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and how you came to a people you did not know before.”Boaz had already heard of Ruth’s earlier loyalty to Naomi, the first kindness he now compares with this one.
- Ruth 1:8 (BSB)“Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you loving devotion, as you have shown to your dead and to me.”Naomi had prayed that the LORD would show loyal love to her daughters-in-law as they had shown it to their family.
General
Naomi gives Ruth careful instructions for the night at the threshing floor. According to Naomi, who would tell Ruth what to do next (Ruth 3:4)?
Answer: Boaz himself, once he found her there
Naomi reminds Ruth that Boaz, whose servant girls she had worked beside, is their relative (3:2; 2:20, 23). That night he would be winnowing barley at the threshing floor, the open, packed-earth area where harvested grain was tossed into the wind so the chaff blew away. Naomi tells Ruth to bathe, use perfume and dress in her finest clothes, to stay out of sight until Boaz had finished his meal, to note where he lay down, and then to lie at his feet, uncovering them. Boaz, she says, would tell her what to do (3:3-4). The exact meaning of uncovering his feet is not explained; Ruth’s own request in 3:9 makes her purpose clear. Ruth answers that she will do all that Naomi says (3:5).
- Ruth 3:2-5 (BSB)“Now is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been working, a relative of ours? In fact, tonight he is winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Therefore wash yourself, put on perfume, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but do not let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he lies. Then go in and uncover his feet, and lie down, and he will explain to you what you should do.” “I will do everything you say,” Ruth answered.”Naomi reminds Ruth that Boaz is a relative, gives her instructions for the night, and Ruth agrees to do them all.
- Ruth 2:20 (BSB)“Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our kinsman-redeemers.””Naomi had already recognized Boaz as a close relative and one of the family’s kinsman-redeemers.
- Ruth 2:23 (BSB)“So Ruth stayed close to the servant girls of Boaz to glean grain until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.”Ruth had worked alongside Boaz’s servant girls through the barley and wheat harvests, as Naomi mentions in 3:2.
Theological
In Naomi’s plan, who would direct Ruth’s next step at the threshing floor (Ruth 3:4)?
Answer: Boaz himself, once he found her there
Naomi grounds her plan in Boaz’s kinship, already identified in 2:20, and in the fact that Ruth has worked among his servant girls (3:2; 2:23). He would be winnowing barley that night. Ruth is to bathe, use perfume, dress in her finest clothes, keep out of sight until he has eaten, mark the spot where he sleeps, then lie at his feet after uncovering them; Boaz would then tell her what to do (3:3-4). The gesture’s exact meaning is not explained, but the request in 3:9 makes her purpose clear. Ruth pledges full compliance (3:5).
- Ruth 3:2-5 (BSB)“Now is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been working, a relative of ours? In fact, tonight he is winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Therefore wash yourself, put on perfume, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but do not let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he lies. Then go in and uncover his feet, and lie down, and he will explain to you what you should do.” “I will do everything you say,” Ruth answered.”Naomi reminds Ruth that Boaz is a relative, gives her instructions for the night, and Ruth agrees to do them all.
- Ruth 2:20 (BSB)“Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our kinsman-redeemers.””Naomi had already recognized Boaz as a close relative and one of the family’s kinsman-redeemers.
- Ruth 2:23 (BSB)“So Ruth stayed close to the servant girls of Boaz to glean grain until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.”Ruth had worked alongside Boaz’s servant girls through the barley and wheat harvests, as Naomi mentions in 3:2.
General
As chapter 3 opens, what does Naomi say she wants to find for Ruth (Ruth 3:1)?
Answer: A settled home where life would go well for her
Naomi begins by asking whether she ought to look for a place of rest for Ruth, so that things would go well for her (3:1). The rest she means is the settled security of a home and a husband. When they were still on the road from Moab, Naomi had prayed that the LORD would give each of her daughters-in-law a secure home with a new husband (1:9). Then she was urging Ruth to go back; now she works to see that same rest given to Ruth in Israel. Her concern for Ruth’s safety and welfare had already shown itself in her advice about where to glean (2:22), and the rest of the chapter unfolds her plan.
- Ruth 3:1 (BSB)“One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek a resting place for you, that it may be well with you?”Naomi opens the chapter by voicing her concern to secure Ruth’s future.
- Ruth 1:9 (BSB)“May the LORD enable each of you to find rest in the home of your new husband.” And she kissed them as they wept aloud”On the road from Moab, Naomi had already prayed that the LORD would give her daughters-in-law rest with new husbands.
- Ruth 2:22 (BSB)“And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “My daughter, it is good for you to work with his young women, so that nothing will happen to you in another field.””Naomi’s earlier advice about where Ruth should glean shows the same care for her safety and welfare.
Theological
What goal does Naomi state at the start of chapter 3 (Ruth 3:1)?
Answer: A settled home where life would go well for her
Naomi’s stated aim is to seek rest for Ruth, that it may go well with her (3:1): the security of marriage and a household. This echoes her parting prayer on the road from Moab that the LORD would grant each daughter-in-law rest with a new husband (1:9). There she hoped it would happen in Moab; here she takes initiative to see it secured in Israel. Her protective counsel during the harvest (2:22) shows the same concern, and her plan in the following verses is directed to that end.
- Ruth 3:1 (BSB)“One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek a resting place for you, that it may be well with you?”Naomi opens the chapter by voicing her concern to secure Ruth’s future.
- Ruth 1:9 (BSB)“May the LORD enable each of you to find rest in the home of your new husband.” And she kissed them as they wept aloud”On the road from Moab, Naomi had already prayed that the LORD would give her daughters-in-law rest with new husbands.
- Ruth 2:22 (BSB)“And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “My daughter, it is good for you to work with his young women, so that nothing will happen to you in another field.””Naomi’s earlier advice about where Ruth should glean shows the same care for her safety and welfare.
General
True or False: Naomi told Ruth to go to the town gate the next morning to remind Boaz of his promise (Ruth 3:18).
Answer: False
This is false. Naomi tells Ruth to wait until she learns how things turn out, because Boaz will not rest until he has settled the matter that very day (3:18). Ruth has done her part; now Naomi trusts Boaz to keep his word, and chapter 4 opens with him already sitting at the gate (4:1). Behind the plans and promises of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz stands the LORD, who directs the steps of people even as they make their own plans (Proverbs 16:9).
- Ruth 3:18 (BSB)““Wait, my daughter,” said Naomi, “until you find out how things go, for he will not rest unless he has resolved the matter today.””Naomi counsels Ruth to wait, confident that Boaz will act at once.
- Ruth 4:1 (BSB)“Meanwhile, Boaz went to the gate and sat down there. Soon the kinsman-redeemer of whom he had spoken came along, and Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.”Chapter 4 opens with Boaz already at the gate, proving Naomi right.
- Proverbs 16:9 (BSB)“A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”People make their plans, but the LORD directs their steps, as He does behind Boaz’s prompt action.
Theological
True or False: Naomi sends Ruth to the gate the next morning to press Boaz to keep his oath (Ruth 3:18).
Answer: False
This is false. Naomi counsels Ruth to wait until she sees how the matter falls out, confident that Boaz will not rest until it is resolved that day (3:18). The narrative confirms her judgment: Boaz is at the gate as chapter 4 begins (4:1). The human planning of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz unfolds under the LORD’s sovereign direction of their steps (Proverbs 16:9).
- Ruth 3:18 (BSB)““Wait, my daughter,” said Naomi, “until you find out how things go, for he will not rest unless he has resolved the matter today.””Naomi counsels Ruth to wait, confident that Boaz will act at once.
- Ruth 4:1 (BSB)“Meanwhile, Boaz went to the gate and sat down there. Soon the kinsman-redeemer of whom he had spoken came along, and Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.”Chapter 4 opens with Boaz already at the gate, proving Naomi right.
- Proverbs 16:9 (BSB)“A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”People make their plans, but the LORD directs their steps, as He does behind Boaz’s prompt action.
General
When Ruth showed Naomi the barley, what reason did she say Boaz had given for sending it (Ruth 3:17)?
Answer: So she would not return to Naomi with nothing
Naomi asks how things went, and Ruth tells her everything Boaz did for her (3:16). She shows the barley Boaz gave her and explains that he did not want her to return to Naomi with nothing (3:17). The gift was meant for Naomi as well as for Ruth, much as Ruth had earlier brought grain home to share with her (2:18). It quietly answers Naomi’s lament on arriving in Bethlehem, when she said the LORD had brought her back empty (1:21). The barley is a small sign of the fullness that chapter 4 will bring.
- Ruth 3:16-17 (BSB)“When Ruth returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked her, “How did it go, my daughter?” Then Ruth told her all that Boaz had done for her. And she said, “He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said, ‘Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’””Ruth reports to Naomi all that Boaz did and passes on his reason for the barley.
- Ruth 1:21 (BSB)“I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? After all, the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me.””Naomi had said the LORD brought her back to Bethlehem empty, the loss the barley begins to answer.
- Ruth 2:18 (BSB)“She picked up the grain and went into the town, where her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. And she brought out what she had saved from her meal and gave it to Naomi.”Earlier Ruth had brought grain and food home to Naomi; again the provision reaches Naomi through Ruth.
Theological
What reason for the gift of barley does Ruth report to Naomi (Ruth 3:17)?
Answer: So she would not return to Naomi with nothing
Ruth recounts everything Boaz did (3:16) and reports his stated purpose: she was not to return to Naomi with nothing (3:17). The gift is aimed at Naomi, as Ruth’s earlier provision was (2:18). It answers Naomi’s complaint that the LORD had brought her back empty (1:21), an early token of the reversal from emptiness to fullness that the book completes in chapter 4.
- Ruth 3:16-17 (BSB)“When Ruth returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked her, “How did it go, my daughter?” Then Ruth told her all that Boaz had done for her. And she said, “He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said, ‘Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’””Ruth reports to Naomi all that Boaz did and passes on his reason for the barley.
- Ruth 1:21 (BSB)“I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? After all, the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me.””Naomi had said the LORD brought her back to Bethlehem empty, the loss the barley begins to answer.
- Ruth 2:18 (BSB)“She picked up the grain and went into the town, where her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. And she brought out what she had saved from her meal and gave it to Naomi.”Earlier Ruth had brought grain and food home to Naomi; again the provision reaches Naomi through Ruth.
General
When Boaz woke at midnight and asked who was there, what did Ruth ask him to do (Ruth 3:9)?
Answer: Take her under his care as kinsman-redeemer
After Boaz had eaten and lain down beside the grain pile, Ruth came quietly and lay at his uncovered feet, just as Naomi had said (3:7). At midnight he woke with a start and asked who she was (3:8). Ruth named herself his servant and asked him to spread his garment’s corner over her, giving the reason that he was a kinsman-redeemer (3:9). A kinsman-redeemer was a close relative who had the right to step in for a family in trouble, for example by buying back land a poor relative had sold (Leviticus 25:25), and Naomi had already said Boaz was one (2:20). Ruth’s request was a plain appeal for Boaz to take her under his protection in marriage as that redeemer. Earlier Boaz had prayed that the LORD, in whom Ruth had taken refuge, would richly reward her (2:12). Now Ruth asks Boaz himself to act for her, and he promises to do so (3:13).
- Ruth 3:7-9 (BSB)“After Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then Ruth went in secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman! “Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, for you are a kinsman-redeemer.””Ruth comes quietly to where Boaz lies; waking at midnight, he asks who she is, and she makes her request.
- Leviticus 25:25 (BSB)“If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his nearest of kin may come and redeem what his brother has sold.”The law gave the nearest relative the right to step in and redeem what a poor family member had lost, the background to the redeemer’s role.
- Ruth 2:20 (BSB)“Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our kinsman-redeemers.””Naomi had identified Boaz as one of the family’s kinsman-redeemers, the very basis Ruth now appeals to.
- Ruth 2:12 (BSB)“May the LORD repay your work, and may you receive a rich reward from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have taken refuge.””Boaz had prayed that the LORD, in whom Ruth had taken refuge, would richly reward her.
- Ruth 3:13 (BSB)“Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, good. Let him redeem you. But if he does not want to redeem you, as surely as the LORD lives, I will. Now lie here until morning.””Boaz promises with an oath to redeem Ruth if the nearer redeemer will not.
Theological
What does Ruth request of Boaz at midnight, and on what basis (Ruth 3:9)?
Answer: Take her under his care as kinsman-redeemer
Ruth follows Naomi’s instructions (3:7), and when Boaz wakes startled at midnight (3:8), she identifies herself as his servant and asks him to spread his garment’s corner over her because he is a kinsman-redeemer (3:9). The request is a proposal of marriage and protection grounded in his redeemer role, the kinsman’s right to act for an impoverished relative (Leviticus 25:25; Ruth 2:20). Earlier Boaz had prayed that the LORD, under whose protection Ruth had taken refuge, would richly reward her (2:12); now he himself is asked to act for her, and he pledges to do so (3:13).
- Ruth 3:7-9 (BSB)“After Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then Ruth went in secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman! “Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, for you are a kinsman-redeemer.””Ruth comes quietly to where Boaz lies; waking at midnight, he asks who she is, and she makes her request.
- Leviticus 25:25 (BSB)“If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his nearest of kin may come and redeem what his brother has sold.”The law gave the nearest relative the right to step in and redeem what a poor family member had lost, the background to the redeemer’s role.
- Ruth 2:20 (BSB)“Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our kinsman-redeemers.””Naomi had identified Boaz as one of the family’s kinsman-redeemers, the very basis Ruth now appeals to.
- Ruth 2:12 (BSB)“May the LORD repay your work, and may you receive a rich reward from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have taken refuge.””Boaz had prayed that the LORD, in whom Ruth had taken refuge, would richly reward her.
- Ruth 3:13 (BSB)“Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, good. Let him redeem you. But if he does not want to redeem you, as surely as the LORD lives, I will. Now lie here until morning.””Boaz promises with an oath to redeem Ruth if the nearer redeemer will not.
General
True or False: Boaz assured Ruth he would do all she asked, because everyone in the town knew her good character (Ruth 3:11).
Answer: True
This is true. Boaz tells Ruth not to be afraid and promises to do whatever she requests, because all his fellow townspeople know her to be a woman of strong and honorable character (3:11). Her reputation rested on what Bethlehem had seen: her loyalty to Naomi and her willingness to leave everything to come to a people she had not known (2:11). Proverbs uses the same description for a wife whose worth is beyond rubies and who brings her husband honor (Proverbs 31:10; 12:4). Ruth, a Moabite outsider, is honored in Israel for her faithful life.
- Ruth 3:11 (BSB)“And now do not be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you request, since all my fellow townspeople know that you are a woman of noble character.”Boaz calms Ruth, promises to act, and cites her reputation in the town.
- Ruth 2:11 (BSB)“Boaz replied, “I have been made fully aware of all you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and how you came to a people you did not know before.”Boaz had heard of Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi, the conduct that earned her this reputation.
- Proverbs 31:10 (BSB)“A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies.”Proverbs uses the same description for a wife whose worth is greater than rubies.
- Proverbs 12:4 (BSB)“A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but she who causes shame is like decay in his bones.”Proverbs again uses this description, calling such a wife her husband’s crown.
Theological
True or False: Boaz grounds his promise to do whatever Ruth asks in her reputation among his townspeople (Ruth 3:11).
Answer: True
This is true. Boaz tells Ruth not to fear, pledges to do all she asks, and grounds this in the whole town’s recognition of her as a woman of honorable, noble life (3:11). That reputation came from her visible loyalty to Naomi (2:11). The same description appears in Proverbs for the wife worth more than rubies and the crown of her husband (Proverbs 31:10; 12:4), a shared phrase rather than an identification. The Moabitess is honored in Israel for the fruit of her faith.
- Ruth 3:11 (BSB)“And now do not be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you request, since all my fellow townspeople know that you are a woman of noble character.”Boaz calms Ruth, promises to act, and cites her reputation in the town.
- Ruth 2:11 (BSB)“Boaz replied, “I have been made fully aware of all you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and how you came to a people you did not know before.”Boaz had heard of Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi, the conduct that earned her this reputation.
- Proverbs 31:10 (BSB)“A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies.”Proverbs uses the same description for a wife whose worth is greater than rubies.
- Proverbs 12:4 (BSB)“A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but she who causes shame is like decay in his bones.”Proverbs again uses this description, calling such a wife her husband’s crown.