Ruth 2:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, "It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted."

NIV: Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, "It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed."

NASB: And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, 'It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, so that others do not assault you in another field.'

CSB: So Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, "My daughter, it is good for you to work with his female servants, so that nothing will happen to you in another field."

NLT: Good!' Naomi exclaimed. 'Do as he said, my daughter. Stay with his young women right through the whole harvest. You might be harassed in other fields, but you’ll be safe with him.'

KJV: And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field.

NKJV: And Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “ It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, and that people do not meet you in any other field.”

Naomi and Ruth are discussing how Boaz has blessed them by making sure Ruth can safely glean to provide for them.

Boaz told Ruth to stay near his "young women" (Ruth 2:8). When Ruth repeats Boaz's words to Naomi, she uses the more generic "servant" (Ruth 2:21) which the ESV translates as "young men." Naomi emphasizes to Ruth that she needs to stay close to the female servants. Boaz particularly told his male servants to neither reproach nor rebuke Ruth (Ruth 2:15–16). "Reproach" includes the concept of harm.

Naomi is more straightforward, not needing to use the polite, circumspect language of Boaz as a stranger and a man. Ruth needs to stay close to Boaz's female servants so the men cannot sexually assault her. If a man raped an engaged woman in a place where no one would hear her cries, like a field, the man would be sentenced to death. If a man raped a virgin, he was to arrange with her father to pay her dowry, marry her, and never divorce her—presumably if the woman and the father agreed (Deuteronomy 22:25–29). Although Ruth's standard of living would greatly improve if she were to marry, experiencing the trauma of rape isn't worth it. In addition, she is a foreign widow with no man to speak for her. The chance that she would be provided for and not discarded as damaged goods is slim.

As a single, un-engaged, foreign woman working in a field, Ruth likely knows this, but Naomi, as a loving mom, has the right to remind her.

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.