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Boaz shows favour

but abide here fast by my maidens: (9) let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and g thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.

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the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.

(15) And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves,

(10) Then she fell on her face, and bowed 1 or, I find favour. and reproach her not: (16) and let fall

herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? (11) And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how

2

also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not. (17) So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned and it was about an ephah of barley. (18) And she took it up, and went into the city and her mother in law saw what she had

:

thou hast left thy father and thy mother, Heb. to the heart. gleaned and she brought forth, and

and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. (12) The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. (13) Then she said, 'Let me find favour in

gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed.

(19) And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom

thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast 3 Heb. shame her she had wrought, and said, The man's

comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens. (14) And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in

not.

rudeness, by being away from the company of her own

sex.

As the next verse shows, he had already given orders to his men on the subject.

(9) Have drawn.-Literally, shall (from time to time) draw. Possibly from that self-same well at Bethlehem from which David desired to drink (2 Sam. xxiii. 15).

(10) A stranger.-A foreigner. Note, however, that the Moabite language, though having its own peculiarities, really differed but little from Hebrew, as may be seen, for instance, from the famous inscription of King Mesha discovered in the land of Moab in 1868.

(11) Heretofore.-The curious Hebrew phrase thus rendered is literally, yesterday and the day before.

(12) Boaz prays that God will recompense Ruth's dutifulness to her mother-in-law, and the more seeing that she herself has put herself under His protection. Faith in Divine help and grace will win an undoubted recompense.

The

(13) Friendly.-Literally, unto the heart. same phrase is rendered comfortably (Isa. xl. 2). (14) At meal-time.-This should apparently be joined to what precedes: Boaz now shows a fresh act of kindness.

Vinegar.-By this term is to be understood wine which had become sour (Proverbs x. 26). As such, Nazarites were forbidden to use it (Num. vi. 3). Similar to this was the vinegar of the Gospel narrative,

name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz. (20) And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near

a sour wine generally mixed with water, which was offered to our Saviour (Matt. xxvii. 48, &c.).

Left.-Had to spare. In verse 18, we find that this superfluity was put by for her mother-in-law.

(17) Beat out. That is, she threshed it herself, so as to save the labour of carrying away the straw. She then found she had an ephah, that is, rather more than four pecks.

(19) Blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee.-Naomi easily perceives that the quantity of corn brought home is unusually large, and that therefore some special kindness must have been shown. Her own, therefore, as well as her daughter's thanks are due to this benefactor.

(20) Who hath not . . -It is not clear whether the grammatical antecedent is God or Boaz. Either way a good sense is obtained. As our lost dear ones had kindness shown them of old, so we too now. If Boaz is the antecedent, it may seem curious that Naom: (knowing that she was dwelling near to a kinsman of her husband's, and, further, one who had shown kindness before they departed to Moab) should not have made herself known to him. It is, at any rate, a proof of the independence of her character. However, the name once named evidently suggests the train of thought which at length leads Naomi to appeal to him for a kinsman's special aid, the aid of the Goel or redeemer.

One of our next kinsmen.-One of those who must redeem.

Naomi sends Ruth

RUTH, III.

to claim kindred with Boaz.

of kin unto us, 1one of our next kins- 1 Or, one that hath known unto the man, until he shall have

men. (21) And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest. (22) And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field. (23) So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.

CHAPTER III.-(1) Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? (2) And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor. (3) Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself

...

right to redeem.

done eating and drinking. (4) And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will 2 Or, fall upon tell thee what thou shalt do. (5) And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.

thee.

or, lift up the clothes that are

on his feet.

4 Or, took hold on.

5 Or, one that hath
right to redeem.

(21) My young men my harvest.-Emphatic in the Hebrew. As long as my reaping lasts, cleave steadily to us.

(22) That they meet thee not. It is good and that people meet thee not. This would not only be throwing away genuine kindness, but would be contemptuously proclaiming the fact.

We

Maidens.- Naomi speaks of the young women, whereas Ruth had spoken of the young men. need not suppose that any distinction is intended: Ruth names the young men as the chief workers; Naomi, the young women as those with whom Ruth would be specially thrown.

(23) And dwelt.-Unspoiled by mixing with her new society, she stops on quietly at the end of her task, and tends her mother-in-law at home with the same fidelity with which she had worked for her abroad.

III.

(1) Rest.-Although Naomi had already (chap. i. 12) repudiated any thought of marriage for herself, still she felt it her duty to do what she could to provide a home for the daughter-in-law who had so loyally followed her, lest her own death should leave her young companion specially unprotected and friendless. But there is clearly a second thought. The marriage of Boaz and Ruth will not only ensure rest for the latter, but will also raise up the seed of her dead son and preserve the family name.

That it may be well with thee.-The object of the marriage is for Ruth's good, and thus should it be with every marriage; it must be for the good, and comfort, and abiding peace, not of the body only, but of the soul.

(3-5) The plan suggested by Naomi seems peculiar, yet some thoughts may give a certain colouring to it. (1) Nacmi seems to have believed that Boaz was the nearest kinsman, being ignorant of the yet nearer one

(6) And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her. (7) And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down. (8) And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and 4turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. (9) And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman. (10) And he said,

(verse 12). Consequently, according to Israelite law (Deut. xxv. 5 sqq.), it would be the duty of Boaz to marry Ruth to raise up seed to the dead. (2) The general tone of Naomi's character is clearly shown in this book to be that of a God-fearing woman, so that it is certain that, however curious in its external form, there can be nothing counselled here which really is repugnant to God's law, or shocking to a virtuous man such as Boaz, otherwise Naomi would simply have been most completely frustrating her own purpose. (3) Her knowledge by long intimacy of Ruth's "character, and doubtless also of that of Boaz by report, would enable her to feel sure that no ill effects could

accrue.

(4) Uncover his feet. More literally, as the margin, lift up the clothes that are on his feet; so LXX. and the Vulgate. We are told that the custom still prevails in Palestine of owners of crops sleeping on their threshing-floors, lying with their clothes on, but with their feet covered with a mantle.

(5) I will do.-Ruth's obedience here is an intelligent obedience. She knew in what relation Boaz stood to her family, and the duties attaching to the relationship (chaps. ii. 20, iii. 9). Thus with obedient trust, implicitly but not blindly, she follows her mother-in-law's orders; strong in conscious innocence she risks the obloquy that may attend her duty.

(8) Was afraid.-Was startled. See the use of the word in Gen. xxvii. 33.

Turned. Literally, bent himself. (Comp. Judges xvi. 29.) He wakes with a start, and in turning sees a woman at his feet.

(9) Skirt. — Literally wing; Heb. canaph, as in chap. ii. 12. The Targum treats this as in itself the claim to espousal on her part. The metaphor may be illustrated from Ezek. xvi. 8, and more generally from Matt. xxiii. 37.

(10) Blessed be thou of the Lord.-This answer of Boaz's is in itself a sufficient proof of the view he

Boaz acknowledges

Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. (1) And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city

RUTH, IV.

of my people doth know that thou art a 1 Heb. gate.
virtuous woman. (12) And now it is true
that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit
there is a kinsman nearer than I. (13) Tarry
this night, 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: 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: lie down until the
morning.

(14) And she lay at his feet until the morning and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor. (15) Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and

2 Or, sheet, or, apron.

took of her conduct, and of the integrity of his own. We note, too, that this blessing follows immediately on the avowal of her name. His own feelings had already been attuned to due honour and respect for Ruth; he is prepared not only to discharge the duty of next of kin, but to do it in no perfunctory spirit, but with a sincere loyal affection. The Targum on verse 15 supposes that to Ruth, the distant ancestress of the Saviour, was vouchsafed the knowledge, as in its fulness to the Virgin hereafter, of the birth of the Messiah through her. Origen compares Ruth to the Gentile Church, the engrafted wild olive.

Thou hast shewed. . . .-Literally, thou hast done well thy latter kindness above the former.

(11) City.-Literally, gate: the constant meetingplace of persons going in and out. (See Gen. xix. 1, xxxiv. 20, 24; Deut. xvi. 18, xxi. 19, &c.)

(13) Until the morning.-You have made clear the object of your plea, and I fully assent to it; but do not run the risk of going now, in the dead of night, back to your home.

(14) One could know another.-Literally, a man could recognise his friend; i.e., before daylight, in the early dusk.

A woman.-Literally, the woman-i.e., this woman. Thus it is of Ruth, not of himself, that Boaz is here thinking. A sensible man like Boaz knows "that we must not only keep a good conscience, but keep a good name; we must avoid not only sin but scandal." (Henry.)

(15) Vail-Rather a mantle, so in Isa. iii. 22.

She went.-This should be, if we follow the current Hebrew text, he went. The verb is masculine (yabho), and the distinction is shewn in the Targum, which inserts the name Boaz as the nominative. It must be allowed that a fair number of Hebrew MSS., as well as the Peshito and Vulgate, take the verb in the feminine. The LXX, is from the nature of the Greek

the kinship of Ruth.

hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her and she went into the city.

(16) And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her. (17) And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law. (18) Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.

CHAPTER IV.-(1) Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. (2) And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. (3) And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come

language unable to mark the distinction. The clause, if we accept the current reading, will mean that Boaz went to the city to find the kinsman whose claim lay before his own, while Ruth, laden with six measures of barley, goes to her mother-in-law.

(16) Who art thou ?-We can hardly view this as a simple question as to Ruth's identity, but rather as meaning, how hast thou fared?

(18) Will not be in rest.-i.e., will not keep quiet.

IV.

(1) Went up.-Inasmuch as the town stood on a hill: so in chap. iii. 3, Ruth is bidden to go down to the threshing-floor.

The kinsman.-The Goel. (See chap. iii. 12). Turn aside. The form of the imperative is such as to give a hortatory turn, pray turn aside and sit down.

Such a one.-Heb., p'loni almoni. This phrase is used like the English so-and-so, such-and-such, of names which it is thought either unnecessary or undesirable to give. The derivation is probably from palah. to mark out, to separate, to distinguish, and alam, to hide, giving the twofold notion of one who is indicated, though in a certain sense concealed. The phrase is used of places, 1 Sam. xxi. 2, 2 Kings vi. 8; see also Dan. viii. 13. Why the name is not recorded here does not appear; possibly it was not known to the writer, or it may have been thought unworthy of recording, since he neglected his plain duty in refusing to raise up seed to the dead. We know nothing of this unnamed person save the fact of the offering of the redemption set before him, and his refusal of it, an offer which involved the glory of being the ancestor of the Christ who was to be born in the far-off ages.

(3) Naomi selleth Rather, the portion of land, which belonged to our brother Elimelech, has Naomi sold. The present tense of the English

Boaz Buyeth the Inheritance

again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's: (4) and 1I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. (5) Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. (6) And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it. (7) a Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to con

RUTH, IV.

1 Heb. I said I will
reveal, in thine

ear.

a Deut. 25. 7, 9.

Version seems to suggest that the sale is taking place at this particular time, but the meaning clearly is that Naomi, as the representative of the dead Elimelech had, so far as it was possible for an Israelite to part with a family estate, sold the land to obtain in some sort the means of living. In the year of Jubilee, the property would return to the family, on which it was, so to speak, settled, but Boaz proposes to the Goel that he should redeem the property at once. We might perhaps compare this to the owner of a freehold buying from a leaseholder under him the residue of his lease, so that he may occupy his own estate.

(4) And I thought . . .-literally, and I said I will uncover thy ear.

The inhabitants.-This should perhaps rather be, those who are sitting here [the Hebrew word yashabh has the two meanings of dwelling and sitting, see e.g., Gen. xxiii. 10, where the latter meaning should certainly be taken]. So the LXX., Peshito and Vulg.

If thou wilt not.-The current Hebrew text has here, if he will not, which is clearly an error for the second person, which is read by a large number of Hebrew MSS., and by all the ancient versions.

I will redeem it.—He is willing enough to redeem the land as a good investment, forgetting, until reminded, the necessary previous condition. It involves marrying Ruth, and this he declines to do.

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(5) What day -When the person had been bought out to whom Naomi had sold the land until the year of Jubilee should restore it to her family, there remained Naomi's own claim on the land, and afterwards that of Ruth, as the widow of the son of Elimelech. But further, this last carried with it the necessity of taking Ruth to wife, so that a child might❘ be born to inherit, as the son of Mahlon, Mahlon's inheritance.

(6) Lest I mar -The redemption of the land would involve the spending of money, drawn away from the Goel's own estate; but the land thus acquired would not belong to the Goel himself, but to the son he should have by Ruth, who would yet be, in

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of Elimelech

firm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel. (8) Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.

(9) And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. (10) Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. (11) And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which

the eyes of the law, the son of Mahlon. It would, therefore, be like mortgaging one's own estate, and that for the benefit of another. Josephus and the Targum explain it by saying that he already had a wife, and feared the discord that might arise.

(7) In former time. Arguments have been built on this word in favour of our assigning a late date to the book, but the inference seems hardly warranted. The same Hebrew word occurs in Deut. ii. 10, Judges i. 10, &c.

Plucked off his shoe.-The idea of this act apparently is that the man resigns the right of walking on the land as master, in favour of him to whom he gives the shoe. A similar but not identical custom is prescribed in Deut. xxv. 9.

A testimony. - The testimony, the manner in which the solemn witness is born.

(8) Drew.-The same word in the Hebrew as plucked in verse 7.

(11) The Lord blessing invoked.

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In this way is the nuptial

Is come. Rather, is coming.

Rachel-though the younger sister and the junior wife-is put first, probably from her death and burial having associated her with Bethlehem (see Gen. xxxv. 16, 19). In this way, too, we should explain the prophecy of Jeremiah as applied by St. Matthew (Jer. xxxi. 15; Matt. ii. 18).

Build. From the Hebrew word to build are derived the words for son and daughter, thus a twofold aspect in the word sometimes appears as here. (See also Gen. xvi. 2, xxx. 3).

Do thou worthily. The Hebrew phrase (asah khayil) thus rendered, involves the notion of doing a thing with vigour and might. The khayil of a soldier is his valour of a land, its material resources, and (Prov. xxxi. 10) the "virtuous woman " of the English Version is literally, woman of khayil. The good wish for Boaz here is that by his energy he may continual prosperity.

Be famous.-Literally, proclaim a name.

command

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or, power.

Heb. proclaim

thy name.

Birth of Obed.

two did build the house of Israel: and 1Or.get thee riches, which loveth thee, which is better to 'do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Beth-lehem: (12) and let thy house be like the house of Pharez, "whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young

woman.

a

Gen 3 29;

38 1 Chiron, 2. 4; Mat.

1. 3.

3 Heb. cansed to
cease unto thee.

5 Heb, to nourish.

(13) So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she 4 Or, redeemer. bare a son. (14) And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a 'kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. (15) And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age for thy daughter in law, |:

1

Heb. thy gray

hairs.

Chron. 2. 4;

Matt. 1. 3.

or, Salmah.

(12) Pharez.-(See Gen. xxxviii. 29). Judah having, though unwittingly, fulfilled the Levirate obligation to the widow of his eldest son, the child thus born becomes the heir of that eldest son, and therefore the head of the house of Judah.

(14) Left thee without.-Literally, not allowed to cease to thee.

A kinsman.-That is, the child (See next verse). The word kinsman here is Goel, a redeemer.

(15) A nourisher.-(See marginal renderings). Daughter-in-law. The position of the nominative is emphatic.

Loveth.-The verb is a perfect, which hath ever loved thee.

(16) Nurse.-The verb (aman) here is that used in Isa. xlix. 23, "and kings shall be thy nursing fathers." That ordinarily used for the natural nursing of a woman is different.

(17) Obed.—i.e., a serving one.

(18-22). This short genealogy, abruptly added, may be due to a later hand, it being thought necessary to connect David's line fully with Judah.

(18) Hezron.-See Gen. xlvi. 12.

(19) Ram.-See 1 Chron. ii. 9; St. Matt. i. 3. Amminadab.-It was to his daughter Elisheba that Aaron was married. (Exod. vi. 23).

(20) Nahshon was the prince of the children of Judah in the wilderness. (See Num. i. 7, &c).

Salmon-Heb., Salmah, though called Salmon in the next verse. In 1 Chron. ii. 11 he is called Salma.

thee than seven sons, hath born him. (16) And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. (17) And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

(18) Now these are the generations of Pharez: 'Pharez begat Hezron, (19) and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, (20) and Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat 7Salmon, (21) and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, (22) and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

Salmon may very probably have been one of the two spies sent to Jericho, who having been sheltered by Rahab, had repaid her kindness by marrying her.

It has been observed above that the smallness of the number of the generations hardly suits the long period of years here implied, and on the whole we are disposed to believe that some links of the chain have been dropped, and if so, then doubtless in the period before Boaz. Thus we may suppose that we have here the distinguished names, others of less note being passed over. Unless this is done we are forced to increase largely the average length of a generation, and suppose that most of these generations were children of their fathers' old age. We know from 1 Kings vi. 1 that from the Exodus to the fourth year of Solomon was 480 years. If we deduct from this forty years for the wanderings in the desert, then, seeing that David died at the age of seventy, we have for the period from the entrance into Canaan to the birth of David, 480-40-70-4-366 years. But if Rahab bears Boaz to Salmon only a few years after the beginning of this period, we have to cover nearly 366 years with three generations, Boaz, Obed, Jesse, which entails upon us the conclusion that each of the above three begat the specified son at the age of over a hundred, and that Salmon was also well advanced in years at his marriage. This, however, seems hardly credible, and the theory that one or two generations have dropt from the list is, at any rate, reasonable.

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