Ruth 2:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then she said, "I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants."

NIV: "May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord," she said. "You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants."

NASB: Then she said, 'I have found favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not like one of your female servants.'

CSB: "My lord," she said, "I have found favor with you, for you have comforted and encouraged your servant, although I am not like one of your female servants."

NLT: I hope I continue to please you, sir,' she replied. 'You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me, even though I am not one of your workers.'

KJV: Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.

NKJV: Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.”

Early in the morning, Ruth set out to find a landowner who would treat her kindly as she scavenged grain from the fields (Ruth 2:2). When she met Boaz, she received far more than she hoped. He made sure she had a safe place to work by insisting she harvest only on his land. He even said that when his male servants drew water, she was to help herself, even though drawing water should have been her job, as a female foreigner (Ruth 2:8–9).

Ruth never could have expected such treatment from such a "worthy man" in Israel (Ruth 2:1). He has explained that he is only responding to the love and self-sacrifice she has shown her Israelite mother-in-law (Ruth 2:11–12). Ruth still doesn't believe she deserves it.

The tense of "I have found favor" might also be translated, "May I continue to find favor," as in the NIV. Ruth's use of the word "lord" is equivalent to our use of "sir;" she is not calling Boaz Yahweh. "Kindly" is not related to hesed, one of the themes of Ruth. In other places, the Hebrew word is translated "encouragingly" (2 Chronicles 30:22) or "tenderly" (Isaiah 40:2).

Ruth's use of "servant" is specific. The term is from the Hebrew word sip̱ha. If she had used ʾāma, she would be identifying herself as a slave woman available to be a wife or concubine of a free man. The word sip̱ḥa, however, denotes the lowest servant who is not even worth the master's notice. Parallels to this would be the western fairy tale's "scullery maid" or the untouchable Dalits of the Indian caste system.

Ruth 2:8–13 depicts Boaz meeting Ruth and giving her instructions. Ruth has come to his field to glean barley for herself and her mother-in-law Naomi. Boaz has heard how Ruth left behind her home and family to care for Naomi; he wants to do what he can to help. He tells Ruth to stay in his fields with his female servants and drink the water his male servants provide. Ruth is overwhelmed by Boaz's considerations, but Boaz knows it's the least he can do.

Ruth 2 kindles the hope that Naomi's life might not be over. Her husband and sons died in Moab. Now, Naomi has arrived back in Bethlehem with her foreign daughter-in-law, Ruth. Ruth sets out to provide for them by gleaning behind the harvesters. She happens upon Boaz, a relative of her father-in-law, who respects her love and sacrifice for Naomi and makes incredible concessions for her throughout the barley and wheat harvests. As the harvest progresses, Naomi realizes Boaz could marry Ruth.

In Ruth 2, Ruth settles into life in Israel. Naomi, an Israelite, has returned home to Bethlehem after losing her husband and sons in Moab. Her Moabitess daughter-in-law has accompanied her. Naomi has fallen into bitterness and despair, but Ruth is ready to work. While seeking a place to gather loose grain, she wins the attention and respect of Boaz, a man who can provide the two widows with more than barley. Ruth's sacrifice and lovingkindness toward Naomi lead Boaz to act on their behalf.

Though set in a time of violence and tragedy, the book of Ruth tells one of Scripture’s most uplifting stories. Naomi, an Israelite, leaves her home during a famine. While away, in Moab, her husband and sons die. Naomi convinces one of her Moabite daughters-in-law to leave her and seek a new life. The other, Ruth, refuses, declaring her love and loyalty to Naomi. When the pair return to Israel, they encounter Boaz. This man is both kind and moral; his treatment of Ruth secures Naomi’s future and becomes part of king David’s ancestry.