Ruth 4

Rth 4:1 And Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by. And he said, Such a one! Turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside and sat down.

The gate - a roofed building, unenclosed by walls; a place of concourse, of business, and of justice in middle eastern. The gate or entrance to any city or town was the place where the court of justice was ordinarily kept. The open space before the city gate, was the forum of the city, the place where the public affairs of the city were discussed.

Ho, such a one! - This familiar mode of compellation is first used here. The original is shebah poh, peloni almoni! “Hark ye, Mr. Such-a-one of such a place! come and sit down here.” This is used when the person of the individual is known, and his name and residence unknown. The words are "peloni almoni", words used by the Hebrews of persons and places, whose names they either could not, or did not choose to mention, which two words are contracted into "palmoni" in Dan_8:13.

Rth 4:2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, Come sit down here. And they sat down.

Ten men – Exodus 18:25 And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. Probably the presence of, at least, ten elders was necessary to make a lawful public assembly, as among modern Jews ten (a minyon) are necessary to constitute a synagogue. In ordinary circumstances, two or three were sufficient to attest a bargain; but in cases of importance, such as matrimony, divorce, conveyancing of property, it was the Jewish practice to have ten.

Rth 4:3 And he said to the kinsman, Naomi, who has come again out of the country of Moab, sells a parcel of land which was our brother Elimelech's.

Sells a parcel of land - According to the law Leviticus 25:25-28 If your brother has become poor, and has sold his property, and if any of his relatives comes to redeem it, then he shall redeem that which his brother sold. And if the man has no redeemer, and he himself is able to redeem it, and he has enough for its redemption; then let him count the years of the sale of it, and restore the overplus to the man to whom he sold it, so that he may return to his possession. But if he is not able to restore to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that has bought it until the year of jubilee. And in the jubilee it shall go out, and he shall return to his possession. If any Israelite, through poverty, would sell his possession, the next of kin (the gā'al) had a right to redeem it by paying the value of the number of years remaining until the jubilee. This right Boaz advertises the gā'al of, so as to give him the option which the law secured to him of redeeming “our brother Elimelech’s” land, our kinsman’s, according to the common use of the term brother.

Rth 4:4 And I said I will tell it in your ear, saying, Buy it before those who live here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem, redeem it. But if you will not redeem, tell me so that I may know. For there is none to redeem besides you. And I am after you. And he said, I will redeem.

Rth 4:5 And Boaz said, In the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must buy also from the hand of Ruth of Moab, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.

thou wilt also acquire Ruth - there was a young widow upon whom the possession of the land would devolve at Naomi’s death, and who already had a right of partnership in it. It was, therefore, the duty of the gā'al to marry her and raise up seed to his brother, his kinsman. And he could not exercise his right of redeeming the land, unless he was willing at the same time to fulfill his obligations to the deceased by marrying the widow. This he was unwilling to do.

Rth 4:6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem for myself, lest I mar my own inheritance. You redeem my right to yourself, for I cannot redeem.

lest I mar my own inheritance - he considered, that as he had a wife and children already and as he might have more by marrying Ruth, his family expenses would be increased, and his estate diminished; and what would remain must be divided among many, and this estate in particular go to Ruth's firstborn, whereby his own inheritance would be scattered and crumbled, and come to little or nothing; add to all which, he might suppose that her ancient mother Naomi would be upon his hands to maintain also:

lest I mar mine own inheritance - This consequence would follow, either, first, from his having a son by Ruth, who, though heir to the property, would not bear his name; his name would be extinguished in that of her former husband; or, secondly, from its having to be subdivided among his other children, which he had probably by a previous marriage. This right, therefore, was renounced and assigned in favor of Boaz, in the way of whose marriage with Ruth the only existing obstacle was now removed.

lest I mar mine own inheritance - The redemption would cost money, since the yearly produce of the field would have to be paid for up to the year of jubilee. Now, if he acquired the field by redemption as his own permanent property, he would have increased by so much his own possessions in land. But if he should marry Ruth, the field so redeemed would belong to the son whom he would beget through her, and he would therefore have parted with the money that he had paid for the redemption merely for the son of Ruth, so that he would have withdrawn a certain amount of capital from his own possession, and to that extent have detracted from its worth.

I mar mine own inheritance - The meaning of these words is doubtful. Some explain them by saying that the gā'al had a wife and children already, and would not introduce strife into his family. Others think that there was a risk (which he would not incur) of the go’el’s own name being blotted out from his inheritance Rth_4:10. Others take the word translated as “mar” in a sense of wasting or spending. If he had to find the purchase-money, and support Naomi and Ruth, his own fortune would be broken down, if, as is likely, he was a man of slender means. Boaz, being “a mighty man of wealth,” could afford this.

I cannot redeem it for myself - The Targum gives the proper sense of this passage: “And the kinsman said, On this ground I cannot redeem it, because I have a wife already; and I have no desire to take another, lest there should be contention in my house, and I should become a corrupter of my inheritance. Do thou redeem it, for thou hast no wife; for I cannot redeem it.” This needs no comment. But still the gloss of the Targum has no foundation in the law of Moses. See the law, Deu_25:5-9.

Rth 4:7 And this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, to confirm everything. A man plucked off his sandal and gave it to his neighbor. And this was a testimony in Israel.

In former time in Israel - Showing that the custom was obsolete in the writer’s days. The letter of the law was not strictly followed. It was thought sufficient for the man to pull off his own shoe and give it to the man to whom he ceded his right, in the presence of the elders of his city.

A man plucked off his shoe - The law of such a case is given at large in Deu_25:5-9. It was simply this: If a brother, who had married a wife, died without children, the eldest brother was to take the widow, and raise up a family to the brother deceased; and he had a right to redeem the inheritance, if it had been alienated. But if the person who had the right of redemption would not take the woman, she was to pull off his shoe and spit in his face, and he was ever after considered as a disgraced man. In the present case the shoe only is taken off, probably because the circumstances of the man were such as to render it improper for him to redeem the ground and take Ruth to his wife; and because of this reasonable excuse, the contemptuous part of the ceremony is omitted.

Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming - It is a custom, and not a law, that seems here referred to, when an estate was bought and sold; not the law in Lev_25:25, though that respects the redemption of an estate by a near kinsman, yet no such manner was enjoined as here practised afterwards, made mention of; nor the law in Deu_25:5 which does not concern the redemption of estates, nor a kinsman's marrying the widow of a deceased kinsman, but a brother's marrying the widow of a deceased brother, and the rites and ceremonies there enjoined upon refusal are different from those here used.

a man plucked off his shoe and gave it to his neighbour - signifying thereby, that he yielded his right to him in the thing sold or bartered.

and this was a testimony in Israel - a witness to, or a confirmation of the bargain made; but who gave the shoe, whether the kinsman or Boaz, is not certain from the text.

a man plucked off his shoe and gave it to his neighbour – This custom may trace back to the custom of taking possession of property by walking the land which is being claimed according to one scholar. Deuteronomy 1:36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him I will give the land that he has trodden upon, and to his sons, because he has fully followed the LORD. Deuteronomy 11:24 Every place on which the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours, from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even to the furthest sea shall your border be. Joshua 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, I have given that to you, as I said to Moses. Joshua 14: 9 And Moses swore on that day, saying, Surely the land on which your feet have trodden shall be your inheritance, and your sons' forever because you have fully followed the LORD my God.

Rth 4:8 Therefore the kinsman said to Boaz, Buy it for yourself. So he drew off his sandal

And therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz - Which is repeated to show he gave his full consent to it, that he should make the purchase of it if he pleased, and which he confirmed by drawing off his shoe.

Rth 4:9 And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, from the hand of Naomi.

Chilion's and Mahlon's -Although the widow of Chilion was still living, no regard was paid to her in the disposal of her husband's property. From her remaining in Moab, she was considered to have either been married again, or to have renounced all right to an inheritance with the family of Elimelech.

Rth 4:10 And also Ruth of Moab, the wife of Mahlon, I have purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance, so that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his place. You are witnesses this day.

have I purchased to be my wife - Which was the condition on which the purchase of the land was, that whoever bought that should take her for his wife; nor did Boaz do evil in marrying her, though a Moabitess. Moab was not one of the nations with whom marriage was forbidden; and though it was a Heathenish and idolatrous nation, and so on that account it was not fit and proper to marry with such, yet Ruth was become a proselytess; nor was this contrary to the law in Deu_23:3, since, according to the sense the Jews give of it, it respects men, and not women, and such men who otherwise were capable of bearing offices in the congregation;"an Ammonite, and a Moabite (they say) are forbidden, and their prohibition is a perpetual one, but their women are free immediately:"

Rth 4:11 And all the people in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. May Jehovah make the woman who has come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, for these two built the house of Israel. And may you be blessed in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem.

We are witnesses - and desired for Boaz the blessing of the Lord upon this marriage. For Boaz had acted as unselfishly as he had acted honourably in upholding a laudable family custom in Israel. The blessing desired is the greatest blessing of marriage.

There is something of a poetical turn in this speech of the elders, and something prophetic in the blessing pronounced by them. It is unique and obscure. The Septuagint is verbose and difficult. Ruth 4:11 And all the people who were in the gate said, [We are] witnesses: and the elders said, The Lord make thy wife who goes into thy house, as Rachel and as Lia, who both [together] built the house of Israel, and wrought mightily in Ephratha, and there shall be a name [to thee] in Bethleem. (Septuagint) The meaning of “be famous” seems to be, Get thyself a name which shall be celebrated in Bethlehem, as the head of a powerful and illustrious house: literally it is, “proclaim a name,” cause others to proclaim thy name, as in Rth_4:14.

like Rachel and like Leah - May thy family be increased by her means, as the tribes were formed by means of Rachel and Leah, wives of the patriarch Jacob!

Which two did build the house of Israel - ben, a son, comes from the root banah, he built; and hence eben, a stone, because as a house is built of stones, so is a family of children.

worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem - two names of one and the same place, Genesis 35:19 And Rachel died and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. These words seem to be directed to Boaz, particularly praying that he might continue to do worthy and virtuous actions, as well as increase in wealth and riches, power and authority, and retain his name and fame, and grow in credit and reputation among his fellow citizens.

Rachel and Leah - This was the usual bridal benediction. These two were of a foreign original, and yet ingrafted into God's people, as Ruth was; and because of that fertility which God vouchsafed unto them above their predecessors, Sarah and Rebecca. Rachel is placed before Leah, because she was his most lawful, and best beloved wife.

Rth 4:12 And let your house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give you of this young woman.

Like the house of Pharez - As honorable and numerous as his family was; whom, though be also was born of a stranger, God so blessed, that his family was one of the five families to which all the tribe of Judah belonged, and the progenitor of the inhabitants of this city. This was very appropriate; for from Pharez, the son of Judah, by Tamar, came the family of the Beth-lehemites and that of Elimelech. Pharez who was born to Judah of Tamar, one of another nation, as Ruth was, and from whom sprung a very numerous family, one of the five families of Judah; and if Boaz was the same with Ibzan, as the Jews say, though that wants proof, he had a very numerous offspring, thirty sons and thirty daughters, Jdg_12:8.

Included here in this book are 3 of the women in the genealogy of Jesus. Rahab, Tamar and Ruth.

Rth 4:13 And Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife. And when he went in to her, Jehovah made her conceive. And she bore a son.

So Boaz took Ruth - The law of Moses had prohibited the Moabites, even to the tenth generation, from entering into the congregation of the Lord; but this law, the Jews think, did not extend to women; and even if it had, Ruth’s might be considered an exempt case, as she had been already incorporated into the family by marriage; and left her own country, people, and gods, to become a proselyte to the true God in the land of Israel.

Rth 4:14 And the women said to Naomi, Blessed be Jehovah, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, so that his name may be famous in Israel.

Rth 4:15 And he shall be to you as a restorer of life, and one who cheers your old age. For your daughter-in-law who loves you has borne him, she who is better to you than seven sons.

And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life - Of the joys, pleasures, and comforts of it, which she had been deprived of through the death of her husband and her two sons, ever since which she had lived a sorrowful life; all the comfort she had was from her daughter-in-law, and now a grandchild being born to her of her would be a means of restoring comfort to her mourning sorrowful spirit, and give her pleasure in those years in which she did not expect any:

seven sons - Seven, as the number of the works of God, the number of completion, is used to denote a large number of sons of a mother whom God has richly blessed with children. A mother of so many sons was to be congratulated, inasmuch as she not only possessed in these sons a powerful support to her old age, but had the prospect of the permanent continuance of her family. Naomi, however, had a still more valuable treasure in her daughter-in-law, inasmuch as through her the loss of her own sons had been supplied in her old age, and the prospect was now presented to her of becoming in her childless old age the tribe-mother of a numerous and flourishing family.

Rth 4:16 And Naomi took the child and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse to it.

And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom - As a token of her most tender love and affection for it; this it is probable she did quickly after the birth of it:

Nurse – the term means guardian not wet nurse.

Rth 4:17 And the women, her neighbors, gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi. And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

gave him the name of Obed - Obed means the serving one, as one who lived entirely for his grandmother, and would take care of her, and rejoice her heart Serving, with allusion to the service of love and duty which he would render to his grandmother Naomi. The last words of Rth_4:17, “he is the father of Jesse, the father of David,” show the object which the author kept in view in writing down these events, or composing the book itself. This conjecture is raised into a certainty by the genealogy which follows, and with which the book closes.

David did not forget his Moabite roots and takes refuge among Moab in 1 Samuel 22:3-4.

The story of Ruth also shows how gentiles could be grafted into Israel and be saved too, which is shown fully after the death of Jesus in Romans 11.

Rth 4:18 And these are the generations of Pharez. Pharez fathered Hezron,

Pharez begat Hezron - who was one of those that went down with Jacob into Egypt, being born in the land of Canaan, Gen_47:12 called Esrom in Mat_1:3.

these are the generations of Pharez--that is, his descendants. There was an interval of three hundred eighty years between Salmon and David. It is evident that whole generations are omitted; the leading personages only are named, and grandfathers are said, in Scripture language, to beget their grandchildren, without specifying the intermediate links. The genealogy only goes back as far as Perez, because he was the founder of the family of Judah which was named after him (Num_26:20), and to which Elimelech and Boaz belonged. Perez, a son of Judah by Tamar (Gen_38:29), begat Hezrom, who is mentioned in Gen_46:12 among the sons of Judah who emigrated with Jacob into Egypt, although he was really born in Egypt.

The genealogy closes with David, an evident proof that the book was intended to give a family picture from the life of the pious ancestors of this great and godly king of Israel. But for us the history which points to David acquires a still higher signification, from the fact that all the members of the genealogy of David whose names occur here are also found in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. The passage is given by Matthew word for word in the genealogy of Christ, that we may see that this history looks not so much to David as to Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed by all as the Savior and Redeemer of the human race, and that we may learn with what wonderful compassion the Lord raises up the lowly and despised to the greatest glory and majesty.

Rth 4:19 and Hezron fathered Ram, and Ram fathered Amminadab,

Rth 4:20 and Amminadab fathered Nahshon, and Nahshon fathered Salmon,

Rth 4:21 and Salmon fathered Boaz, and Boaz fathered Obed,

And Salmon begat Boaz - The Targum goes on, “And Salmon begat Absan the judge; he is Boaz the Just, on account of whose righteousness the people of the house of Israel were redeemed from the hands of their enemies; and at whose supplication the famine departed from the land of Israel.”

And Salmon begat Boaz - Of Rahab the harlot, whom he married, Mat_1:5 the very same person that makes a principal part of this book, and whom the Targum here takes to be the judge Ibzan; see Gill on Rth_1:1.

Rth 4:22 and Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

Ruth 3

Rth 3:1 And her mother-in-law Naomi said to her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you so that it may be well with you?

Shall I not seek rest for thee - That is, Shall I not endeavor to procure thee a proper husband? Her meaning is, to seek out for an husband for her, that she might have an house of her own to rest in, and an husband to provide her; that so she might be free from such toil and labor she had been lately exercised in, and enjoy much ease and comfort, and all outward happiness and prosperity in a marriage state with a good husband. This interrogation carries in it the force of a strong affirmation, may suggest that she judged it to be her duty, and that she was determined to seek out such a rest for her.

Rth 3:2 And now, is not Boaz of our kindred, he with whose maidens you were? Behold, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing-floor.

Tonight - For the sake of the breeze which springs up at sunset, and greatly facilitates the separation of the grain tossed up across the wind. It is very likely that the winnowing of grain was effected by taking up, in a broad thin vessel or sieve, a portion of the grain, and letting it down slowly in the wind; thus the grain would, by its own weight, fall in one place, while the chaff, etc., would be carried to a distance by the wind. It is said here that this was done at night; probably what was threshed out in the day was winnowed in the evening, when the sea breeze set in, which was common in Palestine; and as this took place in the evening only, that was the time in which they would naturally winnow their grain.

behold, he winnoweth barley tonight - which afforded a fit opportunity of meeting with him, being at night, and out of the city, from his own house, and alone, and after a feast for his reapers and threshers of corn.

he winnoweth barley tonight - The threshing-floor, which was commonly on the harvest-field, was carefully leveled with a large cylindric roller and consolidated with chalk, that weeds might not spring up, and that it might not chop with drought. The farmer usually remained all night in harvest-time on the threshing-floor, not only for the protection of his valuable grain, but for the winnowing. That operation was performed in the evening to catch the breezes which blow after the close of a hot day, and which continue for the most part of the night. This duty at so important a season the master undertakes himself; and, accordingly, in the simplicity of ancient manners, Boaz, a person of considerable wealth and high rank, laid himself down to sleep on the barn floor, at the end of the heap of barley he had been winnowing.

Rth 3:3 Therefore wash yourself, and anoint yourself, and put your clothing upon you, and go down to the floor. Do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.

and put thy raiment upon thee - that is, her best raiment; for it cannot be supposed that she was now without clothes; or else her ornaments; her mother-in-law advises her to put off her widow's weed, the time of mourning for her husband being perhaps at an end, and put on her ornamental dress.

Rth 3:4 And when he lies down, you mark the place where he lies, and you shall go in and uncover his feet and lie down. And he will tell you what you shall do.

uncover his feet and lay thee down - Singular as these directions may appear to us, there was no impropriety in them, according to the simplicity of rural manners in Beth-lehem. In the case of Ruth, it was a method, doubtless conformable to prevailing usage, of reminding Boaz of the duty which devolved on him as the kinsman of her deceased husband. Boaz probably slept upon a mat or skin; Ruth lay crosswise at his feet--a position in which Eastern servants frequently sleep in the same chamber or tent with their master; and if they want a covering, custom allows them that benefit from part of the covering on their master's bed. Resting, as they do at night, in the same clothes they wear during the day, there was no indelicacy in a stranger, or even a woman, putting the extremity of this cover over her.

Uncover his feet - Rather, “the place of his feet;” the foot of his bed, as we should say. It is said that women in the East, when going to the bed of their lawful husbands, through modesty, and in token of subjection, go to the bed’s foot, and gently raising the clothes, creep under them up to their place. On the whole, we must say, had not Boaz been a person of extraordinary piety, prudence, and continence, this experiment might have been fatal to Ruth. We cannot easily account for this transaction, probably Naomi knew more than she revealed to her daughter-in-law. The experiment however was dangerous, and should in no sense be imitated.

and he will tell thee what thou shall do - being a judge of Israel, and expert in the law, he would inform her whether he was the next kinsman, and had the right of redemption or not, and what methods must be taken, and what rites used, in order to her marriage with him, or another person.

Rth 3:5 And she said to her, All that you say, I will do.

Rth 3:6 And she went down to the grain floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had told her.

Rth 3:7 And when Boaz had eaten and had drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap. And she came softly and uncovered his feet, and lay down.

Rth 3:8 And it happened at midnight, the man trembled and turned himself. And, behold, a woman lay at his feet.

that the man was afraid - though a man, and a man of spirit, he was afraid, a panic seized him, not knowing who it was. About midnight the man was startled, namely, because on awaking he observed that there was some one lying at his feet; and he “bent himself” forward, or on one side, to feel who was lying there.

Rth 3:9 And he said, Who are you? And she answered, I am your handmaid Ruth. And you shall spread your skirt over your handmaid, for you are a kinsman-redeemer.

Spread thy skirt - Hebrew, Spread thy wing. The phrase indicates receiving and acknowledging her as a wife. The wing is the emblem of protection, and is a metaphor taken from the young of fowls, which run under the wings of their mothers, that they may be saved from birds of prey. The meaning here is, Take me to thee for wife. Let thy name be called on thy handmaid to take me for wife, because thou art the redeemer; i.e., thou art the goel, the kinsman, to whom the right of redemption belongs. To spread it over her as a token of his taking her in marriage, and of her being under his care and protection, and of her subjection to him. There is an allusion to this in Ezekiel 16:8 And I passed by you and looked on you, and, behold, your time was the time of love. And I spread my skirt over you and covered your nakedness. And I swore to you and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord Jehovah. And you became Mine.

Jesus is our kinsman redeemer. This is a type depiction of the gift of salvation from our Messiah.

Rth 3:10 And he said, Blessed be you of Jehovah, my daughter. You have shown more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, in that you did not follow young men, whether poor or rich.

Thou hast shewed more kindness - Literally, “Thou hast made thy last kindness better than the first.” Perhaps as if he had said: Thou hast given great proof of thy piety in this latter instance, when thou hast avoided the young, and those of thy own age, to associate thyself with an elderly man, merely for the purpose of having the Divine injunction fulfilled, viz., that the brother, or next akin, might take the wife of the deceased, and raise a family to him who had died childless, that his name might not become extinct in Israel: this latter act is a greater proof of thy piety and sincerity than any thing that could be inferred from thy becoming a proselyte.

Whether poor or rich - So it appears from this that it was not to mend her condition in life that Ruth endeavored to get Boaz for her husband, for she might have had a rich young man, but she preferred the building up the house of her deceased husband.

Rth 3:11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do to you all that you ask. For all the city of my people knows that you are a woman of virtue.

Rth 3:12 And now it is true that I am your kinsman-redeemer. But there is also a kinsman nearer than I.

And now it is true, that I am thy near kinsman - Her husband and he being brothers' sons, so own cousins:

Rth 3:13 Stay tonight, and it shall be in the morning, if he will redeem you, well; he will redeem. And if he does not delight to redeem you, as Jehovah lives, then I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.

As the Lord liveth - Thus he bound himself by an oath to take her to wife if the other should refuse.

Tarry this day - Or lodge here tonight, where she was; this he said not from any design upon her, but for her own safety and honor, that she might not be exposed to danger or disgrace, by returning home at such an unseasonable time of night.

Rth 3:14 And she lay at his feet until the morning. And she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Do not let it be known that a woman came to the floor.

before a man could recognize his companion - meaning before dawn.

Rth 3:15 Also, he said, Bring the veil on you, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her. And she went to the city.

Veil - Or, the apron.

The vail - Quite a different word from that rendered “vail,” in Gen_38:14. It seems rather to mean a kind of loose cloak, worn over the ordinary dress.

six measures – what a measure is, isn’t known, but according to the Targum, it is six seahs or bushels; twice as much as she gleaned Rth_3:17, that is too much, and more than a woman could carry; unless we suppose, with the Targum, that she had strength from the Lord to carry it, and was extraordinarily assisted by him in it, which is not very probable; rather six omers, an omer being the tenth part of an ephah, and so was a quantity she might be able to carry:.

and laid it upon her - upon her shoulder, or put it on her head, it being, no doubt, as much as she could well bear, and which required some assistance to help her up with it:

Rth 3:16 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, Who are you, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.

Who art thou? - as what person, in what circumstances dost thou come? The real meaning is, What hast thou accomplished? Are you my son’s widow or the wife of Boaz? Whereupon she related all that the man had done.

Rth 3:17 And she said, These six measures of barley he gave to me. For he said to me, Do not go empty to your mother-in-law.

go not empty unto thy mother in law - Ruth comes back with a present of barley. She comes back full of grain. Compare to how Naomi described her condition upon her return to Israel. Ruth 1:21 I went out full, and Jehovah has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since Jehovah has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?

Rth 3:18 And she said, Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will fall. For the man will not rest until he has finished the thing today.

Until thou know how the matter will fall - That is, whether he who is nearer of kin than Boaz will take thee to wife;

do not return again till this thing is determined - Boaz lost no time to bring this to an issue, as we see in the following chapter, Ruth 4.

Ruth 2

Rth 2:1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech. And his name was Boaz.

A kinsman - More literally “an acquaintance”.

Boaz - Commonly taken to mean, “strength is in him” (compare 1Ki_7:21). It is the name of one of the pillars in Solomon's temple, so called from its strength. This man is commonly said by the Jews to be the same with Ibzan, a judge of Israel, Jdg_12:8, he was the grandson of Nahshon, prince of the tribe of Judah, who first offered at the dedication of the altar, Num_7:12, his father's name was Salmon, and his mother was Rahab, the harlot of Jericho, Mat_1:5.

Rth 2:2 And Ruth of Moab said to Naomi, Let me now go to the field and glean ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said to her, Go, my daughter.

Glean ears of corn - The poor went into the fields and collected the straggling ears of grain after the reapers.

After him in whose sight I shall find grace - She did not mean Boaz; but she purposed to go out where they were now reaping, and glean after any person who might permit her, or use her in a friendly manner. The words seem to intimate that, notwithstanding the law of Moses, the gleaners might be prevented by the owner of the field. Leviticus 19:9 And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corner of your field. And you shall not gather the gleaning of your harvest. Leviticus 23:22 And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not completely reap the corner of your field. When you reap the gleaning of your harvest, you shall not gather. You shall leave them to the poor and to the stranger. I am Jehovah your God. Deuteronomy 24:19 When you cut down your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to bring it. It shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow; so that Jehovah your God may bless you in all the work of your hand. But liberty to glean behind the reapers was not a right that could be claimed; it was a privilege granted or refused according to the good will or favor of the owner. Hard-hearted farmers and reapers threw obstacles in the way of the poor, and even forbade their gleaning altogether.

Rth 2:3 And she went. And she came and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come upon a part of the field of Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

and gleaned in the field after the reapers - when they had cut down and bound up the corn, what fell and was left she picked up, having first asked leave so to do:

Her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz - It was a chance in reference to second causes, but ordered by God's providence. God wisely orders small events, even those that seem altogether contingent. Many a great affair is brought about by a little turn, fortuitous as to men, but designed by God.

Rth 2:4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, Jehovah be with you. And they answered him, Jehovah bless you.

Rth 2:5 And Boaz said to his servant who was set over the reapers, Whose girl is this?

His servant that was set over the reapers - This was a kind of steward who had the under management of the estate.

Rth 2:6 And the servant who was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the girl from Moab who came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab.

Rth 2:7 And she said, Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. And she came, and has kept on from the morning until now, but that she stayed a little in the house.

The house - The shed or booth where they took their meals, and were sheltered from the sun in the heat of the day. It seems as if the reapers were now resting in their tent, and that Ruth had just gone in with them to take her rest also.

Rth 2:8 And Boaz said to Ruth, Do you not hear, my daughter? Do not go to glean in another field, neither go away from here, but stay here close by my maidens.

Abide here fast by my maidens - These were possibly employed in making bands, and laying on them enough to form a sheaf, which the binders would tie and form into shocks or thraves. These maidens were such, who either gathered the handfuls, cut and laid down by the reapers, and bound them up in sheaves, or else they also reaped, as it seems from the following verse; and it was very probably customary in those times for women to reap. When the maidens had gathered up the scattered handfuls thrown down by the reapers, Ruth picked up any straggling heads or ears which they had left.

hearest thou not, my daughter? - meaning not what the servant had said, but hereby exciting her to hearken to what he was about to say to her.

Rth 2:9 Let your eyes be on the field that they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men that they shall not touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink of that which the young men have drawn.

After them - after my maidens. The fields not being divided by hedges, but only by unplowed ridges, it would be easy for her to pass off Boaz’s land without being aware of it, and so find herself among strangers where Boaz could not protect her.

The young men that they shall not touch thee - This was peculiarly necessary, as she was a stranger and unprotected.

go unto the vessels - Gleaners were sometimes allowed, by kind and charitable masters, to partake of the refreshments provided for the reapers. The vessels alluded to were skin bottles, filled with water--and the bread was soaked in vinegar (Rth_2:14); a kind of poor, weak wine, sometimes mingled with a little olive oil--very cooling, as would be required in harvest-time.

Rth 2:10 Then she fell on her face and bowed herself to the ground, and said to him, Why have I found grace in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?

Then she fell on her face - Prostrated herself, as was the custom in the East when inferiors approached those of superior rank. This was the humblest posture of reverence, either civil when performed to men, or religious, when to God.

seeing I am a stranger? not a citizen of Bethlehem, nor indeed one of the commonwealth of Israel; but of the daughters of Moab, and of a people who were not fit and worthy to enter into the congregation of the Lord.

Rth 2:11 And Boaz answered and said to her, It has been fully shown to me all that you have done to your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, And you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before now.

Rth 2:12 May Jehovah repay your work, and may a full reward be given you from Jehovah, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to trust.

The similarity of expression here to Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your shield and your exceeding great reward, and in Ruth 2:11(in part) And you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before now to Genesis 12:1 And the LORD said to Abram, Go out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house into a land that I will show you makes it possible that Boaz had the case of Abraham in his mind.

The Lord God of Israel - Jehovah the God of Israel Joshua 14:14 And Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, to this day, because he fully followed the LORD God of Israel In both verses, the force of the addition, the God of Israel, lies in the person spoken of being a foreigner.

and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel - the Targum adds, in the world to come; which is called the reward of the inheritance, Colossians 3:24 knowing that from the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance. For you serve the Lord Christ a reward not of debt, but of grace; and that will be a full one indeed, fullness of joy, peace, and happiness, an abundance of good things not to be conceived of, see 2John 1:8 Look to yourselves, so that we may not lose those things which we worked out, but that we may receive a full reward.

under whose wings thou art come to trust – an expression of acknowledgement that Ruth has claimed the God of Israel as her God. Wing is also a word that means a man’s skirt or robe. Here it symbolizes God and His protection.

Rth 2:13 Then she said, Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me; for you have spoken kindly to your handmaid, though I am not like one of your handmaidens.

though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens - not worthy to be one of them, or to be ranked with them, being meaner than the meanest of them, a poor widow, and a Moabitish woman; Ruth 2:13 And she said, Let me find grace in thy sight, my lord, because thou hast comforted me, and because thou hast spoken kindly to thy handmaid, and behold, I shall be as one of thy servants. (Septuagint) version leaves out the negative particle.

Rth 2:14 And Boaz said to her, At mealtime come here and eat of the bread and dip your bit in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers. And he handed her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied, and left.

To dip the morsel, or sop, whether it were bread or meat, in the dish containing the vinegar was, and still is, the common custom in the East. Matthew 26:23 And He answered and said, He who dips his hand with Me in the dish, the same shall betray Me. Mar 14:20 And answering He said to them, It is one of the Twelve, the one dipping with Me in the dish.

Dip thy morsel in the vinegar – The word we translate vinegar, seems to have been some refreshing kind of acid sauce used by the reapers to dip their bread in, which both cooled and refreshed them. Vinegar, rob of fruits, etc., are used for this purpose in the East to the present day; and the custom is to dip the bread and hand together into these cooling and refreshing articles. Chomez, a sour beverage composed of vinegar (wine vinegar or sour wine) mixed with oil; a very refreshing drink, which is still a favourite beverage in the East.

and she sat beside the reapers - the women reapers; she did not sit along with them, or in thee midst of them, in the row with them, as ranking with them, but on one side of them, which was an instance of her great modesty:

Parched corn - This was a frequent repast among the ancients in almost all countries.

parched corn - This parched corn seems to be the new barley they were reaping, which they fried in a pan and ate. The parched corn which is best is made of new barley moderately dried and parched; and that it was the custom of some to drink the same with new sweet wine, or wine mixed with honey, in the summertime, before they went into the bath, who say they feel themselves by this drink freed from thirst.

and she did eat, and was sufficed - she had such a plentiful share given her, that she had more than she could eat, and which it seems she carried home to her mother-in-law, Rth_2:18.

Rth 2:15 And when she had risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not rebuke her.

Let her glean even among the sheaves - pointing to a particular spot where might be the best ears of corn, and where more of them had fallen. This was a privilege; for no person should glean till the sheaves were all bound, and the shocks set up.

Rth 2:16 And also let fall of the handfuls on purpose for her, and leave them so that she may glean them, and do not rebuke her.

And let fall some of the handfuls on purpose for her - That is, when they had reaped an handful, instead of laying it in its proper order, to be taken up by those that gathered after them, or by themselves, in order to be bound up in sheaves, scatter it about, or let it fall where they reaped it:

Rth 2:17 And she gleaned in the field until the evening, and beat out what she had gleaned. And it was about an ephah of barley.

and beat out that she had gleaned - When the quantity of grain was small, it was beat out by means of a stick. Ruth gleaned enough to support herself and her mother-in-law for five days Exodus 16:16 This is the thing which Jehovah has commanded: Each man gather of it according to his eating, an omer for a head, according to the number of your souls. Each one shall take for those who are in his camp. Exodus 16:36 And an omer is the tenth part of an ephah. The verses from Exodus are regarding manna, but show roughly how many days worth of food they had. This was a great deal for one woman to pick up, ear by ear, in one day; and must be accounted for, not only by her diligence and industry, but by the favour shown her by the reapers, under the direction of Boaz, who suffered her to glean among the sheaves, and let fall handfuls for her to pick up. One commentator says that the ration of a male in ancient Mari was 1-2 pounds of grain per day, so this measure would have lasted Ruth and Naomi for several weeks. Regardless, it was a generous amount.

an ephah - supposed to contain about a bushel.

Rth 2:18 And she took it up and went into the city. And her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. And she brought it forth, and gave to her what she had kept after she was satisfied.

and drew out what she had left from her sufficiency - of the parched corn which Boaz had reached her (Rth_2:14).

Rth 2:19 And her mother-in-law said to her, Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed is he who took notice of you. And she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz.

Rth 2:20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, Blessed is he of Jehovah, who has not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said to her, The man is near of kin to us, he is of our redeemers.

One of our next kinsmen - miggoaleynu, of our redeemers, one who has the right to redeem the forfeited inheritance of the family. The word goel signifies a near kinsman - one who by the Mosaic law had a right to redeem an inheritance, and also was permitted to vindicate or revenge the death of his relation by killing the slayer, if he found him out of the cities of refuge.

One of our next kinsmen - The word here is gā'al, the redeemer, who had the right:
1) of redeeming the inheritance of the person;
2) of marrying the widow;
3) of avenging the death. (See Lev_25:25-31, Lev_25:47-55; Deu_25:5-10; Deu_19:1-13.)

One of our next kinsmen - In order to prevent families from running to decay, if a brother died childless, the next unmarried brother took his widow; and the children from that marriage were reputed the children of the deceased brother. The office of the next akin was threefold:
1. It belonged to him to buy back the forfeited inheritance, or the liberty of him who had been obliged to sell himself for a servant.
2. It was his right to avenge the blood of any of the family who had been killed, by killing the murderer.
3. It belonged to him to take the widow of a deceased brother or relative, if he died childless.
If the nearest akin in any case refused, he was treated with indignity, lost his right to the inheritance, and the next akin to him might come forward and take the widow, etc., as in the case of Boaz. See Rth_4:4-10.

One of our next kinsmen –The kinsman redeemer is a foreshadow of Jesus, who is our kinsman redeemer.

To the living and to the dead - Naomi and Ruth were the living; and they were also the representatives of Elimelech and Mahlon, who were dead. Naomi was of the family; and Ruth, though not of the family, was a representative of one of its deceased branches, being the widow of Mahlon.

Rth 2:21 And Ruth of Moab said, He said to me also, You shall keep close by my young men whom I have until they have ended all my harvest.

all my harvest--both barley and wheat harvests. The latter was at the end of May or the beginning of June.

Rth 2:22 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, Good, my daughter. You go out with his maidens so that they do not fall upon you in any other field.

Rth 2:23 And she kept close by the maidens of Boaz to glean until the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Ruth 1

Rth 1:1 And it happened in the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

When the judges ruled - We know not under what judge this happened; some say under Ehud, others under Shamgar. The Jewish chronology carries it up as high as the times of Eglon, king of Moab, when Ehud was judge; another commentator puts this history between the third and fourth chapters of Judges, and so must belong to the times of Ehud or Shamgar. Still another thinks it refers to the times of Deborah and Barak. Others, on account of the famine, think it began in the times the Midianites oppressed Israel, and carried off the fruits of the earth, which caused it, when Gideon was raised up to be their judge. And another places it in the time of Jephthah; such is the uncertainty about the time referred to:

There was a famine - Probably occasioned by the depredations of the Philistines, Ammonites, etc., carrying off the corn as soon as it was ripe, or destroying it on the field.

and a certain man of Bethlehemjudah; so called to distinguish it from another Bethlehem in the tribe of Zebulun, Jos_19:15 which had its name from the fruitfulness of the place, and the plenty of bread in it, and yet the famine was here; hence this man with his family removed from it:

A famine in the land - in the land of Israel, and not merely in the neighbourhood of Bethlehem. The time of this famine cannot be determined with certainty, although it supposed that it may be the devastation of the land by the Midianites (Judges 6); and there are several things which favor this. For example, the famine must have been a very serious one, and not only have extended over the whole of the land of Israel, but have lasted several years, since it compelled Elimelech to emigrate into the land of the Moabites; and it was not till ten years had elapsed, that his wife Naomi, who survived him, heard that Jehovah had given His people bread again, and returned to her native land (Rth_1:4, Rth_1:5).Now the Midianites oppressed Israel for seven years, and their invasions were generally attended by a destruction of the produce of the soil Judges 6:3-4 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the sons of the east, even they came up against them. And they camped against them and destroyed the increase of the earth, until you come to Gaza. And they left no food for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass from which famine must necessarily have ensued. Moreover, they extended their devastations as far as Gaza (Jdg_6:4).

To sojourn in the fields of Moab - to live as a stranger there.

Rth 1:2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-judah. And they came to the fields of Moab and stayed there.

Elimelech - That is, God is my king. In the times of the judges, the government was a theocracy; the judges were raised up immediately by the Lord, and ruled under him; the Targum calls him a great man; and it is very likely he was, especially if it be true what is said the Jewish chronology, that he was the brother of Salmon, prince of the tribe of Judah; and it is certain that Boaz the son of Salmon was a kinsman of his, Rth_2:. The Rabbins say, that Elimelech was the son of Salmon, who married Rahab; and that Naomi was his niece.

Naomi – Beautiful, amiable, sweet, pleasant

Mahlon – Infirmity, sickness

Chilion - Finished, completed, consumption

Ephrathites - Bethlehem was otherwise called Ephratha. The ancient name of Beth-lehem was Ephrath (Gen_35:19; Gen_48:7), which was continued after the occupation of the land by the Hebrews, even down to the time of the prophet Micah (Mic_5:2).

Rth 1:3 And And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died. And she was left, and her two sons.

Rth 1:4 And they took wives for themselves from the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years.

The two sons married Moabite women after their father died. One view says this was a violation of the Mosaic law Deuteronomy 7:3 Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to his son, nor shall you take his daughter to your son. Deuteronomy 23:3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of Jehovah. Even to their tenth generation they shall not enter into the congregation of Jehovah forever, Ezra 9:2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons. So the holy seed has mixed themselves with the people of those lands. Yes, the hand of the leaders and overseers has been chief in this sin Nehemiah 13:23 In those days I also saw Jews who lived with women from Ashdod, Ammon, and from Moab and Jewish writers say that the early deaths of both the young men were divine judgments inflicted on them for those unlawful connections. Alternative view is that marriage with daughters of the Moabites was not forbidden in the law, like marriages with Canaanitish women (Deu_7:3); it was only the reception of Moabites into the congregation of the Lord that was forbidden (Deu_23:4).

Ruth was the wife of the older brother, Mahlon Rth_4:10.

Rth 1:5 And Mahlon and Chilion also died, both of them. And the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

And Mahlon and Chilion died - The Targum adds, And because they transgressed the decree of the word of the Lord, and joined affinity with strange people, therefore their days were cut off.

Rth 1:6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law so that she might return from the fields of Moab. For she had heard in the fields of Moab how Jehovah had visited His people in giving them bread.

The Lord had visited his people – The Targum says this is because of the righteousness of Ibzan the judge, and because of the supplications of pious Boaz. This is tradition and not in scripture.

giving them bread - that He had been kind and gracious to the people of Israel, by granting them plenty of provisions.

Rth 1:7 And she went out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

and her two daughters in law with her - who, out of respect to her, accompanied her some part of the way, as relations and friends usually did:

Rth 1:8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each one to her mother's house. May Jehovah deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

Mother’s house - The mention of the mother’s house, which the separation of the women’s house or tent from that of the men facilitates, is natural in her mouth, and has more tenderness in it than father’s house would have had; it does not imply the death of their fathers Ruth 2:11 And Boaz answered and said to her, It has been fully shown to me all that you have done to your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, And you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before now. In Eastern countries women occupy apartments separate from those of men, and daughters are most frequently in those of their mother.

The dead - With my sons, your husbands, while they lived.

Rth 1:9 May Jehovah grant you that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice and wept.

The Lord grant you - she wished them happier marriages than they had with her sons, who were so soon taken from them.

Rth 1:10 And they said to her, Surely we will return with you to your people.

surely we will return with thee unto thy people - to be proselyted, as the Targum says; not only to dwell with them, but to worship with them.

Rth 1:11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters. Why will you go with me? Are there yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

Are there yet sons in my womb - This alludes to the custom that when a married brother died, without leaving posterity, his brother should take his widow; and the children of such marriages were accounted those of the deceased brother. Genesis 38:11 Then said Judah to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, Remain a widow at your father's house until Shelah my son is grown. For he said, Lest perhaps he die also, as his brothers did. And Tamar went and lived in her father's house; Deuteronomy 25:5 If brothers live together, and one of them dies and has no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry outside to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as a wife for himself, and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her.

Rth 1:12 Turn again, my daughters, go. For I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have a husband also tonight, and should also bear sons,

Rth 1:13 would you wait for them until they were grown? Will you shut yourselves up, not to have a husband? No, my daughters, for it makes me very sad for your sakes that the hand of Jehovah has gone out against me.

it grieveth me much - Hebrew, I have much bitterness

the hand of the Lord is gone out against me--that is, she was not only not in a condition to provide them with other husbands, but so reduced in circumstances that she cannot think of them being subjected to privations with her. The arguments of Naomi prevailed with Orpah, who returned to her people and her gods. But Ruth remained with her.

Rth 1:14 And they lifted up their voice and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law. But Ruth clung to her.

And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law – Ruth 1:14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again; and Orpha kissed her mother-in-law and returned to her people; but Ruth followed her. (Septuagint) adds and returned to her own people.

Rth 1:15 And she said, Behold, Your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Return after your sister-in-law.

unto her gods - They were probably both idolaters, their having been proselytes (Jewish converts while in Moab) is an unfounded conjecture. Chemosh was the grand idol of the Moabites. The conversion of Ruth probably commenced at this time.

Rth 1:16 And Ruth said, Do not beg me to leave you, to return from following after you. For where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.

Rth 1:17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.

if anything but death parts you and me - And it appears that she was true to her engagement; for Naomi was nourished in the house of Boaz in her old age, and became the fosterer and nurse of their son Obed, Ruth 4:15-16 And he shall be to you as a restorer of life, and one who cheers your old age. For your daughter-in-law who loves you has borne him, she who is better to you than seven sons. And Naomi took the child and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse to it.

the Lord do so to me - this is the form of oath she used for confirmation of what she had said May the Lord deal with me is found 11 times in 1,2 Samuel and 1,2 Kings. 1Samuel 3:17 And he said, What is the word which He has said to you? Please do not hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide a thing from me of all the words that He said to you. 1Samuel 14:44 And Saul answered, God do so and more also, for you shall surely die, Jonathan. 1Kings 2:23 And King Solomon swore by Jehovah, saying, May God do so to me, and more He shall do, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his life. 2Kings 6:31 And he said, May God do so, and more also, to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.

Rth 1:18 When she saw that she was determined to go with her, then she quit speaking to her.

Rth 1:19 And both of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened when they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?

all the city was moved about them--The present condition of Naomi, a forlorn and desolate widow, presented so painful a contrast to the flourishing state of prosperity and domestic bliss in which she had been at her departure.

that all the city was moved about them - the news of their arrival was soon spread throughout the place Ruth 1:19 And they went both of them until they came to Bethleem: and it came to pass, when they arrived at Bethleem, that all the city rang with them, and they said, Is this Noemin? ( Septuagint)

Rth 1:20 And she said to them, Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara. For the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

The Almighty – Shaddai. He who is self-sufficient, has taken away the props and supports of my life. The name “Almighty” is almost unique to the Pentateuch and to the Book of Job. It occurs twice in the Psalms, and four times in the Prophets. This was the name of God that the Patriarchs knew, before God revealed Himself to Moses.

Call me not Naomi - That is, beautiful or pleasant.

Call me Mara - That is, bitter; one whose life is grievous to her.

Rth 1:21 I went out full, and Jehovah has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since Jehovah has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?

The Lord hath testified against me - The phrase is very commonly applied to a man who gives witness concerning (usually against) another in a court of justice Exo_20:16; 2Sa_1:16; Isa_3:9. Naomi in the bitterness of her spirit states that the Lord Himself turned against her, and was bringing her sins up for judgment.

Rth 1:22 And Naomi returned; and Ruth, who was of Moab, her daughter-in-law, was with her, returning out of the fields of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

in the beginning - At the beginning of Spring; for the barley harvest began immediately after the passover, and that festival was held on the 15th of Nisan. Beginning of barley harvest; which began on the second day of the feast of unleavened bread, on the "sixteenth" of Nisan, when they offered the sheaf of the firstfruits to the Lord, and then, and not till then, might they begin their harvest.