What does Ruth 2:14 mean?
Boaz has promised Ruth she can glean after his harvesters with no threat of harm or harassment (Ruth 2:8–13). Now, he invites her to lunch.The reapers include men who cut the stalks of barley and women who follow behind, tying the stalks into sheaves. They will work all day for Boaz and be paid a modest amount. By telling Ruth to follow the young women, take water from the young men (Ruth 2:8–9), and join them for lunch, Boaz is exhibiting great kindness. This is somewhat like a restaurant owner finding a homeless person digging through his dumpster and treating her like a hired employee. In truth, he is treating her much better.
Boaz has no obligation to feed Ruth. He is following the law by letting her "glean"—allowing her to scavenge dropped grain— from his field (Leviticus 23:22). By feeding her, he is ensuring she has the energy to collect even more of the loose stalks. The roasted grain and sour wine dipping sauce, a typical meal for field workers even today, is more than she can eat; she takes some home to Naomi (Ruth 2:18).
To top it all off, after lunch Boaz pulls aside his male reapers. He tells them to intentionally pull some of the stalks from the bundles of grain for Ruth to collect (Ruth 2:16). By the end of the day, she will have gathered and threshed fifteen to thirty times more barley than Boaz's workers will take home.