Ruth 2:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”

NIV: At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, 'Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me--a foreigner?'

NASB: Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, 'Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?'

CSB: She fell facedown, bowed to the ground, and said to him, "Why have I found favor with you, so that you notice me, although I am a foreigner? "

NLT: Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. 'What have I done to deserve such kindness?' she asked. 'I am only a foreigner.'

KJV: Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?

NKJV: So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”

Ruth left that morning determined to find a field manager who would allow her to glean after his barley harvesters (Ruth 2:2). Her idea of "favor" is undefined; considering she is a foreign widow from a country often at war with Israel, her expectations are probably low.

She happens upon the field of Boaz, a well-respected man in Bethlehem. When Boaz realizes who she is—the same young woman he had heard brought Naomi home from Moab—he gives her more than she could have hoped. He promises her every advantage of being his employee, including access, safety, and even water, but she can keep everything she collects (Ruth 2:5–9).

Ruth is overwhelmed. By bowing, she acknowledges that her social position is far below that of Boaz. In western fairy tales, this is the equivalent of a scullery maid to the lord of the manor. From her perspective, she has done nothing to deserve such kind treatment.

"In your eyes" has two implications. The first is that Boaz doesn't glance over her, unseeing; he stops and personally addresses her presence and her concerns. The second is that the term infers that Boaz treated Ruth as if he knows her. He does, in a way; he had heard what she had done, but he hadn't seen her before.

Ruth's words are also clever. "Take notice" and "foreigner" sound similar in Hebrew. We might say, "You have noticed the unnoticed" or "recognized the unrecognized." Ruth assumes she is such a low status she is beneath Boaz's notice. He disagrees. Her sacrifice deserves not only his attention and aid, but it also deserves God's blessings (Ruth 2:11–12).

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.