Ruth 2:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab.

NIV: The overseer replied, 'She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi.

NASB: And the servant in charge of the reapers replied, 'She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab.

CSB: The servant answered, "She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the territory of Moab.

NLT: And the foreman replied, 'She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi.

KJV: And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab:

NKJV: So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, “It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab.

Boaz is an influential man in the town of Bethlehem. He is descended from the most prominent clan of the greatest tribe (Ruth 4:20–21; Numbers 2:3). He has weathered a ten-year famine and probably several battles with Canaanites and Philistines who do not wish to give their land up so easily (Ruth 1:1, 4; 2:2). He has come from town to look over his barley field which his hired hands are harvesting (Ruth 2:4).

As he approaches his manager, he notices a young woman whom he does not recognize. His manager is a free Israelite Boaz hired to supervise the harvesters. He has a similar job as Ziba, King Saul's estate manager (2 Samuel 9:2). Like Ziba, he knows what's going on.

Boaz asks his manager, "Whose young woman is this?" (Ruth 2:5). He wants to know what man she belongs to, whether as a daughter or servant. But Ruth doesn't belong to a man; her father-in-law and husband are dead, and she left her father in her home country (Ruth 1:1–5, 16–18). The manager identifies her as a Moabitess.

Moabites did not have a good reputation among the Israelites. Although they are related to Israelites through Abraham's nephew Lot, their forefather was born after Lot drunkenly impregnated his daughter (Genesis 19:30–38). After wandering in the wilderness, as the Israelites marched toward the river ford east of Jericho, the Moabites hired Balaam to curse them. When that didn't work, the Moabites took Balaam's advice and sent their women to seduce the Israelite men, taking them from their wives and their God (Numbers 22:1—25:9; 31:16).

In response to their lack of hospitality to their kinsmen, God established harsh repercussions. No Israelite was to show a Moabite favor (Deuteronomy 23:3–6). In addition, even though an Edomite or an Egyptian could become the equivalent of a naturalized citizen after three generations, Moabites must wait until the eleventh (Deuteronomy 23:3–8).

Despite the bad reputation of Moab, all of Bethlehem knows of the young woman who accompanied their Naomi home from her exile in Moab. The harvest manager is quick to point out Ruth's integrity that morning. Even more importantly, Boaz has heard of her. He is so grateful for her lovingkindness to Naomi that he quickly arranges to make sure her time gleaning will be safe and very profitable (Ruth 2:7–16).

Ruth 2:4–7 records Boaz's introduction to Ruth. The land has had a famine for about ten years (Ruth 1:1, 4), but God has again provided food (Ruth 1:6). It is the beginning of the barley harvest (Ruth 1:22) and Boaz comes to check on the reapers in his field. When he does, he notices a young woman and asks who she is. The manager says she is the Moabite who returned with Naomi. Boaz has apparently heard of her; he knows about Ruth's care for Naomi and that has already endeared her to him. Boaz makes sure Ruth can safely glean enough to provide for herself and her mother-in-law.

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.