Ruth 2:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.

NIV: So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah.

NASB: So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.

CSB: So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. She beat out what she had gathered, and it was about twenty-six quarts of barley.

NLT: So Ruth gathered barley there all day, and when she beat out the grain that evening, it filled an entire basket.

KJV: So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.

NKJV: So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.

When Ruth had gone out that morning, she hoped to find a man who would be kind to her while she tried to scavenge barley for herself and her mother-in-law, Naomi. She happened upon a field owned by Boaz. He had heard of her sacrifice and lovingkindness toward Naomi. Boaz provided much more than permission (Ruth 2:1–16).

First, he told her to glean only from his fields where he and his female servants could protect her and his male servants could provide her with water. Then he fed her a lunch so big she couldn't finish it. Finally, he told his male servants to honor her and to even pull stalks of grain out of their bundles so she would be able to collect more (Ruth 2:8–16).

It is possible that Ruth has waited to glean until Boaz gave her permission (Ruth 2:7), meaning she hasn't worked a complete day. She collects her own bundles and sets them aside. At the end of the day, she takes them to the threshing floor and "beats" them—a technical term for threshing a smaller amount of grain—with a curved stick or wooden hammer. By the time she is finished, she has removed the grain from the stalks and the husk from the kernels. She probably gathers the kernels in her scarf or shawl to carry them home (Ruth 3:15).

Ruth finishes the day with nearly thirty pounds, or thirteen kilograms, of grain. A male Babylonian worker would bring home payment of one or two pounds, or about a kilogram, of grain a day. If Ruth can keep up this rate through the barley and wheat harvests, she will have enough to provide for herself and Naomi for a year.

Ruth 2:17–23 describes the end of Ruth's first day of gleaning the remainders of Boaz's harvesters. Thanks to her arduous work and Boaz's kindness, she returns to Naomi with the equivalent of half a month's wages. Even more than the food, Naomi is grateful that Ruth is free to work in safety. They continue in this way through the barley and wheat harvests. By the end, they both realize Boaz's kindness might possibly extend beyond providing food.

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.