World English Bible
- Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.
- Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I find favor.” She said to her, “Go, my daughter.”
- She went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.
- Behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “May the LORD be with you.” They answered him, “May the LORD bless you.”
- Then Boaz said to his servant who was set over the reapers, “Whose young lady is this?”
- The servant who was set over the reapers answered, “It is the Moabite lady who came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab.
- She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came, and has continued even from the morning until now, except that she rested a little in the house.”
- Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Don’t go to glean in another field, and don’t go from here, but stay here close to my maidens.
- Let your eyes be on the field that they reap, and go after them. Haven’t I commanded the young men not to touch you? When you are thirsty, go to the vessels, and drink from that which the young men have drawn.”
- Then she fell on her face and bowed herself to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take knowledge of me, since I am a foreigner?”
- Boaz answered her, “I have been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father, your mother, and the land of your birth, and have come to a people that you didn’t know before.
- May the LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given to you from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
- Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, because you have comforted me, and because you have spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not as one of your servants.”
- At meal time Boaz said to her, “Come here, and eat some bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar.” She sat beside the reapers, and they passed her parched grain. She ate, was satisfied, and left some of it.
- When she had risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and don’t reproach her.
- Also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it. Let her glean, and don’t rebuke her.”
- So she gleaned in the field until evening; and she beat out that which she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.
- She took it up, and went into the city. Then her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned; and she brought out and gave to her that which she had left after she had enough.
- Her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? Where have you worked? Blessed be he who noticed you.” She told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.”
- Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, who has not abandoned his kindness to the living and to the dead.” Naomi said to her, “The man is a close relative to us, one of our near kinsmen.”
- Ruth the Moabitess said, “Yes, he said to me, ‘You shall stay close to my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’”
- Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maidens, and that they not harm you in any other field.”
- So she stayed close to the maidens of Boaz, to glean to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she lived with her mother-in-law.
Suggested reading before you begin: Ruth 2 in your preferred Bible.
(I will quote the New International Version when needed.)
Yesterday, as we opened the Book of Ruth, we watched Naomi and Ruth
walk the lonely road from Moab to Bethlehem. Grief filled the air, yet
Ruth’s vow shone like a candle in the night.
Today, chapter 2 widens the circle. A new character—Boaz—steps onto the
stage, and the God who seemed silent in chapter 1 quietly writes
providence into every furrow of a barley field.
• Calendar: Early April, near the beginning of the barley harvest
(see 2 Sam 21:9).
• Geography: The fields around Bethlehem lie on terraced hillsides.
Archaeologists have uncovered ancient threshing floors on those ridges,
confirming how grain was processed in open, breezy places.
• Social custom: Israel’s poor could “glean”—pick up leftover
stalks—because the Law said landowners must leave the edges of their
fields uncut (Leviticus 19:9–10; Deuteronomy 24:19). To a Western
reader, Ruth’s gleaning can look like simple welfare. In truth it was
dignified work: she labored, but Israel’s covenant kindness made room
for her.
Verse 3: “As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to
Boaz.”
Hebrew readers would nod knowingly: the word is
miqreh—“chance.” The writer tips his hat to coincidence while
inviting us to see the opposite. Providence often hides behind ordinary
accidents. Compare Proverbs 16:9 (“In their hearts humans plan their
course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”).
Ruth:
• Foreign, young, vulnerable.
• Yet brave enough to ask, “Let me glean…” (v. 2).
• Her work ethic dazzles the reapers (v. 7).
• The narrator praises her hesed—loyal, covenant love (v.
11).
Boaz:
• “A man of standing” (gibbôr ḥayil), often translated “mighty
man of valor” (v. 1).
• His first recorded words: “The Lord be with you!” (v. 4). Ancient
rabbis note that a person’s first words reveal character.
• Acts with generosity that exceeds the Law: protected Ruth, fed her,
and sent her home with an ephah (~30 lbs) of grain.
Early church writers saw Boaz as a type of Christ—the kinsman-redeemer who shelters outsiders under his wings (v. 12, cf. Luke 13:34).
• Hesed (v. 20) – steadfast, covenant kindness. A thread
that ties Genesis to Revelation.
• Go’el (v. 20) – “kinsman-redeemer.” A family member who buys
back land, freedom, or a widow’s future. The word echoes loudly in
Isaiah 41–63 and reaches its climax in Christ (Ephesians 1:7).
The chapter moves in a gentle chiastic structure (A-B-C-B´-A´):
A. Ruth asks to glean (vv. 1–3)
B. Dialogue with Boaz (vv. 4–14)
C. Midday meal—grace in abundance (v. 14)
B´. Dialogue with Naomi (vv. 18–22)
A´. Ruth continues gleaning (v. 23)
The center (C) is a picture of table fellowship—foretaste of the Lord’s Supper where Jew and Gentile sit side by side.
John Calvin noted, “God often bestows more than His children dare to
crave.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote from prison, “We pray for crumbs and are given
loaves.”
• Leviticus 19:9–10 – Law of gleaning.
• Psalm 36:7 – “People take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.”
• Proverbs 31:10 – ḥayil woman; same root used for Boaz. Both
model noble character.
• Ephesians 2:12–13 – “You who were once far away have been brought
near.”
• Sitting with reapers: In the Ancient Near East, a female outsider
rarely shared a meal with male workers. Boaz breaks social fences.
• Roasted grain (v. 14): A simple snack, still common in Israel’s
countryside. Even the small detail grounds the story in everyday
life.
• Evening winnowing: Women usually threshed in the mornings; Ruth stays
“till evening.” Her effort is heroic.
Where are today’s “edges of the field”?
• Time margins—hours we leave free to serve.
• Financial margins—money we hold loosely.
• Social margins—spaces where outsiders may safely gather.
Invite God to write providence into your margins.
“There Is a Redeemer” (Melody Green, 1982) – The refrain, “Thank You, O my Father, for giving us Your Son,” mirrors Naomi’s praise, “The Lord has not stopped showing His hesed” (v. 20).
Faithful Redeemer,
You guide our steps even when we think we wander by chance.
Teach us to leave wide edges on our fields,
to welcome the stranger,
to labor with joy,
and to trust Your quiet providence.
Under Your wings we find refuge;
through Jesus Christ, our greater Boaz, we pray.
Amen.