Ruth 2:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women.

NIV: So Boaz said to Ruth, "My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me.

NASB: Then Boaz said to Ruth, 'Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but join my young women here.

CSB: Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen, my daughter. Don’t go and gather grain in another field, and don’t leave this one, but stay here close to my female servants.

NLT: Boaz went over and said to Ruth, 'Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field.

KJV: Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:

NKJV: Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women.

Ruth loves Naomi. Naomi provided her with a family, a loving mother, and introduced her to the true God. Those gifts inspired Ruth to leave her home and birth-family behind and follow Naomi to Israel. Even if she must be homeless and glean loose barley after the harvesters, Ruth knows her place is with Naomi (Ruth 1).

Boaz has heard of Ruth's devotion to her mother-in-law. He feels led to provide Ruth with even more. She has come to his field to ask permission to scavenge leftover grain (Ruth 1:22 2:2–7). He readily agrees but adds more instructions: she is not to glean in any other fields. This is not meant as a restriction, but as a safeguard. Boaz does not want her to go to a field where he cannot command the harvesters to leave her in peace (Ruth 2:9).

She is to keep close or "join" his female servants. After the men cut the stalks of barley and lay them on the ground, the women come along and bind them into bundles. Ruth is to follow close behind the women and pick up what they leave loose.

When the team moves to another field, Ruth is to follow. When they stop to drink, she is to join them (Ruth 2:9). Boaz gives Ruth every benefit of being an employee, yet everything she gathers she gets to keep. In this way, he ensures she can gather more than any gleaner could hope for (Ruth 2:15–17).

Here, Boaz tells Ruth to "listen." Next, he will "charge" his young men. Boaz is an important man and expects to be obeyed for the good of others.

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.