Ruth 2:20 - Printer Friendly

What does Ruth 2:20 mean?

ESV: And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.”

NIV: The LORD bless him!' Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. 'He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.' She added, 'That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.'

NASB: Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, 'May he be blessed of the Lord who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living and from the dead.' Again Naomi said to her, 'The man is our relative; he is one of our redeemers.'

CSB: Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "May the Lord bless him because he has not abandoned his kindness to the living or the dead." Naomi continued, "The man is a close relative. He is one of our family redeemers."

NLT: May the Lord bless him!' Naomi told her daughter-in-law. 'He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband. That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers.'

KJV: And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.

NKJV: Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.”

Verse Commentary:

When Naomi returned to Bethlehem with her Moabite daughter-in-law Ruth, neither of them knew what to expect. When Naomi's husband took them to Moab, he sold their farmland. Naomi needs a gōʾēl—a kinsman-redeemer—to buy it back to return it to the family. That is a longer-term plan; first they need food.

Having no other option, Ruth left early in the morning to find a landowner who would let her pick up the stray stalks of barley after his harvesters went through. Boaz had heard how Ruth abandoned her whole life to come with Naomi and quickly agreed. He told his hired hands to protect her and leave extra stalks loose so she would have enough to support them. When Ruth came home with more grain than a full worker would make in a day, Naomi knew a man must have shown her great favor (Ruth 2:2–19).

Naomi asks where Ruth has worked and pronounces blessing on the man who took notice of her. Ruth says she has worked with "Boaz" (Ruth 2:19).

When they arrived in Bethlehem, Naomi was so distraught she insisted her old friends call her Mara—"bitterness"—instead of Naomi—"pleasant"—saying, "For the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me" (Ruth 1:20). Naomi used "Adonai," emphasizing God's power, sovereignty, and authority. Next, she used "Yahweh," saying, "I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty" (Ruth 1:21), suggesting that the covenant God of Israel had forsaken His responsibility to her. Now, she realizes her "Yahweh" has been faithful all along.

"Kindness" is hesed and serves as a major theme of the book of Ruth. Despite living in a foreign country without their husbands, Naomi and Ruth gradually learn that God has not forsaken them. That power, sovereignty, and authority protects as well as judges.

There is much debate as to whose "kindness" Naomi is referring to. The ESV adds a comma after "LORD," thus indicating Boaz's kindness. The NASB has no comma, indicating God's. The NET footnote claims Boaz's kindness because of the grammatical similarity to 2 Samuel 2:5, saying that a clearer English translation would be "May he be blessed by the LORD because his kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!"

"The living or the dead" refers to Naomi and Ruth as the living and Naomi's husband and sons as the dead. The men had a responsibility to protect and provide for their wives; with their deaths, God fulfills His promise to take on that responsibility (Deuteronomy 10:18).

This verse introduces, in earnest, the role of the kinsman-redeemer. Part of the Abrahamic covenant says that God will give Abraham's descendants the land within a certain boundary (Genesis 15:18–19). This covenant is not dependent on Abraham's actions or the actions of his descendants. Israel has never held the entire territory within the specific borders, but they will do so during the millennial kingdom.

Because of the Abrahamic covenant, land is especially important in the Mosaic covenant. Ideally, when the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they were supposed to destroy the evil Canaanites and divide the land by lots to the tribes and the clans within the tribes. If the people obeyed God, God would ensure that the tribes, families, and sons would continue to hold their inheritance. Knowing that the Israelites wouldn't obey, God established the kinsman-redeemer.

One of the responsibilities of a kinsman-redeemer is to buy the land of a relative if the relative finds himself in great debt. The kinsman-redeemer will only hold the land until the year of jubilee when it will be restored to the owner or his heirs (Leviticus 25:25–28). Naomi's husband, Elimelech, sold their land when they left for Moab, but it's unclear who to. Since Naomi is looking for a kinsman redeemer, it apparently went to someone outside the family. Elimelech has no living male heir. In the Law, when a man died with no male heirs, the land went to his daughters (Numbers 27:1–11)—but Ruth is not Elimelech's daughter; she's not even an Israelite. The best Naomi can hope for is a kinsman-redeemer to buy it and give her the money to live on.

Some think that because Naomi's words resemble Genesis 24:27 she is thinking Boaz can marry Ruth. Naomi is set on Ruth remarrying (Ruth 1:9), but whether she is thinking about Boaz at this point, it can be said that Naomi is thinking about Ruth's welfare, not a Levirate marriage. A Levirate marriage, wherein a man sires a son with his brother's widow in the name of his deceased brother, does not technically apply to Boaz; he's not Elimelech's brother.

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.

Chapter Summary:

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.

Chapter Context:

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.

Accessed 4/29/2024 1:59:33 AM