Ruth 3 Study Notes

3:1-3 In view of Boaz’s relationship to the family and his kindness and generosity thus far to Ruth, perhaps he could be persuaded to take the further step of marriage. At the end of the barley harvest, in late May or June, the barley had to be winnowed, tossed into the air with a shovel allowing the wind to carry away the lighter chaff while the heavier grain fell to the ground. At night, someone would guard the grain against being stolen or eaten by animals. Apparently, this was Boaz’s night to be on duty. Dressing as Naomi instructed would not only enhance Ruth’s attractiveness to Boaz but would symbolize an end to her period of mourning for her husband (2Sm 12:20), signaling her willingness to remarry.

3:4-7 Naomi instructed Ruth to go to Boaz when he was asleep and uncover his feet, or, more precisely, “uncover the place of his feet.” By this act Ruth was inquiring about Boaz’s willingness to fulfill the role of family redeemer, to take her as wife and provide for her (see note at 4:5-8). Ruth’s action, at Naomi’s advice, is ambiguous. The verb uncover is often used in the OT of illicit sexual relations. Thus the word has association with immoral acts, and the threshing floor was notorious as a place of illicit sexual activities. Also, lie down often implies sexual activity (Gn 19:33). Further, “feet” is used in the OT as a euphemism for male sexual organs (Ex 4:25; Jdg 3:24; 1Sm 24:3; Is 7:20). However, the form of the noun used here is only used one other time, in Dn 10:6, where it clearly refers to the whole of the lower limbs, including the feet, legs, and thighs. On the other hand, Ruth’s actions can be interpreted as a humble petitioner seeking Boaz’s protection. She uncovered Boaz’s feet to the cold night air so it would arouse him from sleep and she could speak to him privately. This chaste interpretation of all these ambiguities is most likely, as Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz are all consistently portrayed as virtuous and honorable persons.

3:8-9 Whereas her mother-in-law had anticipated Boaz taking the initiative in the conversation, Ruth responded to Boaz’s question about her identity with a clarification of her purpose. She asked him to spread the corner of his robe over her as a symbolic statement of a marriage commitment (Ezk 16:8). The request also involved a wordplay, since take me under your wing literally is “spread your wing over me,” inviting Boaz to become the answer to his own prayer in 2:12 that she might find refuge under the wings of the Lord.

3:10-11 Boaz’s first words, my daughter, showed he had not been misled by the potential ambiguity of the situation. He declared himself willing to pay the social and financial costs of welcoming this despised outsider into his family. Boaz rightly saw Ruth’s proposal as another act of covenant faithfulness (Hb chesed) on Ruth’s part. Just as she had left her own household and her own family to be with Naomi, so now she was subordinating her own interests to those of Naomi. In the Hebrew ordering of the OT, the book of Ruth comes immediately after the book of Proverbs, which closes with a description of a woman of noble character (Pr 31:10).

3:12-13 Even though Boaz was a near relative of Naomi, there was another who had a prior claim to act as redeemer. Yet Boaz reassured Ruth that one way or another, she (and Naomi) would be redeemed.

3:14-15 If it became widely known that Ruth had visited Boaz that night, people would wrongly assume that Boaz had taken Ruth as wife or that they were guilty of sexual impropriety. Boaz was unwilling to preempt his close relative who had first right of refusal to Ruth, so getting Ruth home before daylight kept wrong impressions from being formed. To seal his commitment (and perhaps also to provide Ruth with an excuse for being out so early), Boaz gave her six measures of barley. If the unspecified measures are seahs, then that would be around eighty pounds, an enormous load. Yet the lack of a measure may be intended to focus attention on the number six, which often represents incompleteness in the OT. Even this generous gift is incomplete. Ruth still awaited the final installment of “seed” that would accomplish her rest.

3:16-18 On Ruth’s return, Naomi asked her literally, “Who are you, my daughter?” This is the same question that Boaz asked in 3:8. Was Ruth merely an awkward and embarrassing duty to Naomi, or was she the one who would provide Naomi with an enduring place in the family records of Israel through the provision of a son? The answer depended on what transpired overnight. This was the real nature of Naomi’s question, as evidenced by Ruth’s answer.