Ruth 2:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over.

NIV: At mealtime Boaz said to her, 'Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.' When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over.

NASB: And at mealtime Boaz said to her, 'Come here, that you may eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.' So she sat beside the reapers; and he served her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left.

CSB: At mealtime Boaz told her, "Come over here and have some bread and dip it in the vinegar sauce." So she sat beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted grain. She ate and was satisfied and had some left over.

NLT: At mealtime Boaz called to her, 'Come over here, and help yourself to some food. You can dip your bread in the sour wine.' So she sat with his harvesters, and Boaz gave her some roasted grain to eat. She ate all she wanted and still had some left over.

KJV: And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.

NKJV: Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, “Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed parched grain to her; and she ate and was satisfied, and kept some back.

Boaz has promised Ruth she can glean after his harvesters with no threat of harm or harassment (Ruth 2:8–13). Now, he invites her to lunch.

The reapers include men who cut the stalks of barley and women who follow behind, tying the stalks into sheaves. They will work all day for Boaz and be paid a modest amount. By telling Ruth to follow the young women, take water from the young men (Ruth 2:8–9), and join them for lunch, Boaz is exhibiting great kindness. This is somewhat like a restaurant owner finding a homeless person digging through his dumpster and treating her like a hired employee. In truth, he is treating her much better.

Boaz has no obligation to feed Ruth. He is following the law by letting her "glean"—allowing her to scavenge dropped grain— from his field (Leviticus 23:22). By feeding her, he is ensuring she has the energy to collect even more of the loose stalks. The roasted grain and sour wine dipping sauce, a typical meal for field workers even today, is more than she can eat; she takes some home to Naomi (Ruth 2:18).

To top it all off, after lunch Boaz pulls aside his male reapers. He tells them to intentionally pull some of the stalks from the bundles of grain for Ruth to collect (Ruth 2:16). By the end of the day, she will have gathered and threshed fifteen to thirty times more barley than Boaz's workers will take home.

Ruth 2:14–16 continues to detail Boaz's excessively kind treatment of Ruth. He has already treated her like an employee by promising to keep her safe. Now, he invites her to lunch. Sharing a meal is a sign of comradeship; for an Israelite nobleman to invite a Moabite widow is extraordinary. After lunch, Boaz tells his workers to leave stalks of grain out so that Ruth can gather more. By the end of the day, she will take home more than Boaz's hired workers. Naomi is shocked, but Boaz's favor continues throughout the barley and wheat harvests.

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.