Ruth 3
TSK
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?
And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor.

is not Boaz

Ruth 2:20-23 And Naomi said to her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, …

Deuteronomy 25:5,6 If brothers dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, …

Hebrews 2:11-14 For both he that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of …

with whose

Ruth 2:8,23 Then said Boaz to Ruth, Hear you not, my daughter? Go not to glean …

he winnoweth It is probable that the winnowing of grain was effected by taking up a portion of the corn in sieve, and letting it down slowly in the wind; thus the grain would, by its own weight, fall in one place, while the chaff, etc., would be carried a distance by the wind. It is said here that this was done at night; probably what was threshed out in the day was winnowed in the evening, when the sea breeze set in, which was common in Palestine.

Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.
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 tell thee what thou shalt do.

uncover his feet. or, lift up the clothes that are on his feet.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.
And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her.
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.

his heart

Genesis 43:34 And he took and sent messes to them from before him: but Benjamin's …

Judges 16:25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, …

Judges 19:6,9,22 And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for …

2 Samuel 13:28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark you now when …

Esther 1:10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, …

Psalm 104:15 And wine that makes glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face …

Ecclesiastes 2:24 There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, …

Ecclesiastes 3:12,13 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and …

Ecclesiastes 8:15 Then I commended mirth, because a man has no better thing under the …

Ecclesiastes 9:7 Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a …

Ecclesiastes 10:19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry: but money answers …

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to …

Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

went to lie Such was the simplicity of those early times, that the most wealthy persons looked after their own affairs, both at home and in the field, These threshing-floors were covered at top to keep off the rain, but lay open on all sides, that the wind might come in freely, for winnowing the corn; which being done, it is probable they were shut up at night, with doors fitted to them, that if any one lay there he might be kept warm, and the corn be secured from robbers.

And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.

turned. or, took hold on.

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.

Ruth

Ruth 2:10-13 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said …

1 Samuel 25:41 And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold…

Luke 14:11 For whoever exalts himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself …

spread therefore [heb] spread thy wing; the emblem of protection; and a metaphor taken from the young of fowls, which run under the wings of their mother from birds of prey. Even to the present day, when a Jew marries a woman, he throws the skirts of his talisth over her, to signify that he has taken her under his protection.

Ezekiel 16:8 Now when I passed by you, and looked on you, behold, your time was …

a near kinsman. or, one that has right to redeem

Ruth 3:12 And now it is true that I am your near kinsman: however, there is …

Ruth 2:20 And Naomi said to her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, …

And he said, 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.
And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.
And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.
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.
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.
Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.

vail., or sheet, or apron The word mitpachath has been variously rendered. The LXX. translate it (), an apron, and Vulgate, pallium, a cloak. By the circumstances of the story, it must have been of a considerable size; and accordingly Dr. Shaw thinks it was no other than the {hyke}, the finer sort of which, such as are still worn ladies and persons of distinction among the Arabs, he takes to answer to the (), or robe, of the ancient Greeks.

he measured

Isaiah 32:8 But the liberal devises liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.

Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially …

six measures The quantity of this barley is uncertain. The Targum renders it, shith sein, `six seahs.' A seah contained about two gallons and a half, six of which must have been a very heavy load for a woman, and so the Targumist thought, for he add, `And she received strength from the Lord to carry it.'

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.

Who art thou. Or, as the Vulgate renders, Quid egista filia? What hast thou done, my daughter?

And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.
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.
Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge by R. A. Torrey [ca. 1880]
Expanded version courtesy INT Bible ©2013, Used by permission

Bible Hub
Ruth 2
Top of Page
Top of Page