Ruth 2:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied.

NIV: She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.

NASB: And she picked it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also took some out and gave Naomi what she had left after she was satisfied.

CSB: She picked up the grain and went into the town, where her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She brought out what she had left over from her meal and gave it to her.

NLT: She carried it back into town and showed it to her mother-in-law. Ruth also gave her the roasted grain that was left over from her meal.

KJV: And she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after she was sufficed.

NKJV: Then she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. So she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied.

Ruth accompanied her mother-in-law from Moab with more determination than planning. Her first morning, she left early to find a barley field and request permission to glean behind the harvesters (Ruth 2:2, 7). As a Moabite, she doesn't necessarily meet the qualifications of a sojourner who is allowed to glean (Deuteronomy 23:3–6; Leviticus 23:22). She needed to find a harvest manager or owner who would treat her with more than the legally required level of assistance (Ruth 2:2).

Fortunately, she happened upon the field owned by Boaz. Boaz had heard of her kindness toward Naomi and has made such accommodations that Ruth has had a very profitable day. Boaz even invited Ruth to lunch and fed her so much roasted grain she couldn't finish it all (Ruth 2:3–16).

Naomi knows none of this. She hasn't seen Ruth since early that morning. She has no idea if Ruth found a place that would let a single Moabite woman glean, or if she did so without being accosted by the hired harvesters. When Ruth arrives home, Naomi is shocked. Not only did Ruth find a place to glean, but she also brings back so much grain it would pay a male harvester for at least two weeks (Ruth 2:17). In addition, Ruth has brought the leftover roasted grain from her lunch.

Naturally, Naomi asks Ruth how this came to be. When Ruth mentions Boaz's name, Naomi realizes she knows him. He is a relative of her late husband and one of their kinsman-redeemers. If his generosity continues through the barley and wheat harvests, Ruth can glean enough to provide for them for a year. But he can also buy Naomi's husband's land from whomever he sold it to when they left for Moab and provide Naomi and Ruth with some kind of inheritance (Ruth 2:19–20). They may be okay after all.

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.