Ruth 3:15

15 And again he said, Stretch forth thy mantle with which thou art covered, and hold thou with ever either hand. And while she stretched forth and held, he meted six measures of barley, and putted on her; and she bare, and entered into the city, (And then he said, Stretch forth thy mantle with which thou art covered, and hold thou it with both hands. And while she stretched it forth and held it, he measured, or counted, out six measures of barley, and put it on her mantle; and she carried it, and went into the city,)

Ruth 3:15 Meaning and Commentary

Ruth 3:15

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 went ^F2; 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.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 (abyw) "et ingressus est", Tigurine version. Drusius, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Ruth 3:15 In-Context

13 (so) rest thou here this night, and when the morrowtide is made, if the man will hold thee to wife by right of nigh kin (if the man will make thee his wife by right of next of kin), (then) the thing is well done; and if he will not, (then) I shall take thee without any doubt, (as) the Lord liveth; (so) sleep thou till the morrowtide.

14 Therefore she slept at his feet till to the going away of [the] night, and then she rose (up), before that men should know each other. And Boaz said to her, Be thou ware lest any man know, that thou camest hither.

15 And again he said, Stretch forth thy mantle with which thou art covered, and hold thou with ever either hand. And while she stretched forth and held, he meted six measures of barley, and putted on her; and she bare, and entered into the city, (And then he said, Stretch forth thy mantle with which thou art covered, and hold thou it with both hands. And while she stretched it forth and held it, he measured, or counted, out six measures of barley, and put it on her mantle; and she carried it, and went into the city,)

16 and came to her mother-in-law. Which said to Ruth, What hast thou done, daughter? And Ruth told to her all things, which the man had done to her. (and came home to her mother-in-law. And Naomi said to Ruth, What happened, my daughter? And Ruth told her all the things, that the man had done for her.)

17 And Ruth said, Lo! he gave to me six measures of barley; and he said, I will not that thou turn again void to thy mother-in-law. (And Ruth added, Lo! he gave me six measures of barley; for he said, I will not have it that thou return empty-handed to thy mother-in-law.)