Ruth 3:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, "How did you fare, my daughter?" Then she told her all that the man had done for her,

NIV: When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, "How did it go, my daughter?" Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her

NASB: When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, 'How did it go, my daughter?' And she told her all that the man had done for her.

CSB: She went to her mother-in-law, Naomi, who asked her, "What happened, my daughter?" Then Ruth told her everything the man had done for her.

NLT: When Ruth went back to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, 'What happened, my daughter?' Ruth told Naomi everything Boaz had done for her,

KJV: And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.

NKJV: When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “ Is that you, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her.

The rhythm of Ruth 3 continues to follow that of Ruth 2: Ruth comes home from interacting with Boaz, and Naomi immediately asks how things went (Ruth 2:19). In the previous chapter, Naomi wanted to know if Ruth had been able to glean grain—and do so safely. Now, she wants to know if Ruth's proposal to Boaz was successful.

Ruth isn't sure. She did as Naomi said, going to the threshing floor, gently waking Boaz in the middle of the night, and presenting herself as marriage material. If she were asking for a simple marriage, he would have said yes. But since Ruth wants to marry a kinsman of her late father-in-law to buy his land and provide him with an heir, Boaz had to delay. Naomi's husband has a closer relation and Boaz must approach him first (Ruth 3:1–13). Ruth is engaged—she just doesn't know to whom!

Even so, Boaz did not leave Ruth empty-handed. He piled a load of grain in her shawl to give to Naomi (Ruth 3:15). Naomi is content—perhaps for the first time since they returned to Bethlehem (Ruth 3:18). Her goal has always been to see Ruth married to a good man who can provide her rest (Ruth 1:9; 3:1). One way or another, that's about to happen.

In 3:16–18, Ruth returns to Naomi with a load of grain and an unsure future. Ruth has followed Naomi's instructions and proposed to Boaz. Ruth doesn't want a simple marriage; she wants Boaz to help her fulfill family obligations. Because there is a nearer relative who better fits Ruth's requirements, he can't say yes immediately; he must confer with the other man. As one more act of good faith, he has sent Ruth with even more grain for Naomi (Ruth 3:1–5). Now, the women wait.

In Ruth 3, Naomi schemes to find Ruth a good husband, as was always her hope (Ruth 1:9). She tells Ruth how to propose to Boaz. When Boaz has fallen asleep after a long and joyful day of winnowing grain, Ruth is to gently awaken him and make her proposal. Ruth goes beyond Naomi's instruction, however. Boaz understands that Ruth expects him to buy Naomi's land and give her an heir to re-inherit it. He praises Ruth for her devotion to her mother-in-law, but there is another relative who is closer. In the next chapter, Boaz dispenses with his rival and marries Ruth.

Ruth 3 is the wind-up to the climax of the story. Ruth and Naomi returned to Bethlehem from Moab two months prior. Boaz, a relative of Naomi's late husband, has allowed Ruth to harvest enough grain to last the women a year (Ruth 1—2). Now that their physical needs are addressed, Naomi wants Ruth married to Boaz. Ruth wants Boaz to provide an heir for Naomi. Boaz is again impressed with Ruth's self-sacrifice and agrees (Ruth 3). After negotiating with a closer relative, Boaz marries Ruth and gives Naomi a son. That son becomes King David's grandfather (Ruth 4).

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.