Ruth 2 Study Notes

2:14-16 As an impoverished gleaner, Ruth would normally have had little or nothing to eat while out in the fields. Boaz, however, invited her to eat with him and his harvesters. In contrast to Naomi’s declaration in 1:21 that she went out full and came back empty, Ruth went out empty and came back full. There is no hint of romantic interest in Boaz’s actions. He was simply demonstrating his compassion and generosity to Ruth who, even though an alien, was linked to him through Naomi. He went so far as to instruct his harvesters deliberately to leave some grain for her to pick up, an action that went far beyond the demands of the law of Moses.

2:17-20 The measure of Boaz’s generosity and Ruth’s hard work is demonstrated in the remarkable quantity of grain that she gathered—an ephah (about twenty-six quarts) of barley. This was enough grain to feed a working man for several weeks. Boaz’s generosity was evidence for Naomi that the Lord has not abandoned his kindness to the living or the dead. This represents a change in Naomi’s attitude toward the Lord from 1:21. The judgment that the family had experienced was not his final word for them.

Family redeemers (Hb go’el; v. 20) were relatives obliged to buy back family members from debt-slavery or to redeem their fields if they had to sell them (Lv 25:25-30). The family redeemer would also receive restitution on behalf of a deceased family member or pursue his killer to ensure that justice was served (Nm 5:8; 35:12). He might also raise up a child for the deceased relative in order to maintain the connection between the clan and the relative’s hereditary property (Dt 25:5-10), though Boaz had no legal obligation to act in this way.

2:21-23 Naomi’s approval of Boaz’s invitation for Ruth to remain until the end of the harvest demonstrates a concern for Ruth’s safety not evident in v. 2. However, the concern may also reflect Naomi’s growing awareness of her own culpability in the fate of her own family. Her earlier journey to the fields of Moab was an attempt to glean food “in another field” instead of seeking refuge under the wings of the Lord as she should have done. Boaz’s generosity may have provided food, but Ruth’s need of a home with a husband of her own is still real.