Ruth 2:1-7

Ruth 2:1-7

[1] And Naomi  of her husband's,  a mighty  man  of wealth,  of the family  of Elimelech;  and his name  was Boaz.  [2] And Ruth  the Moabitess  said  unto Naomi,  to the field,  and glean  ears of corn  after  him in whose sight  I shall find  grace.  And she said  my daughter.  [3] and came,  and gleaned  in the field  after  the reapers:  and her hap  was to light  on a part  of the field  belonging unto Boaz,  who was of the kindred  of Elimelech.  [4] And, behold, Boaz  came  from Bethlehem,  and said  unto the reapers,  The LORD  be with you. And they answered  him, The LORD  bless  thee. [5] Then said  Boaz  unto his servant  that was set  over the reapers,  Whose damsel  [6] 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:  [7] And she said,  I pray you, let me glean  and gather  after  the reapers  among the sheaves:  so she came,  and hath continued  even  from the morning  until now, that she tarried  a little  in the house. 

What does Ruth 2:1-7 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The motif of God"s providence, His working out His own plan through the circumstances of life, which runs through the Book of Ruth , is especially strong in this pericope.
The writer introduced Boaz as a kinsman (lit. acquaintance or friend, Heb. myd") of Elimelech.
"According to the rabbinic tradition, which is not well established however, Boaz was a nephew of Elimelech." [1]
Scholars debate the etymology of Boaz"s name because it is obscure (cf. 1 Kings 7:21), though most of the suggestions are similar. Keil and Delitzsch believed Boaz"s name means "alacrity" (promptness, or eager and speedy readiness), whereas J. Vernon McGee and Warren Wiersbe wrote that it means, "in whom is strength." [2] Boaz lived up to this personality trait name, which his parents evidently gave him at birth, hoping that he would provide swift strength for many people.
Boaz was, by virtue of his family relationship, someone who was eligible to perpetuate Elimelech"s line, the larger of Naomi and Ruth"s needs. He was also wealthy, so he could provide food and physical protection for Naomi and Ruth , their immediate need ( Ruth 2:1). The same Hebrew words ("ish gibbor hayil), translated "man of wealth," later described Ruth ( Ruth 3:11) and, earlier, Gideon ( Judges 6:12). Here, for the first time in the book, a man appears in a major role.
Ruth"s plan to secure favor ( Ruth 2:2) was a plan to obtain food. She did not realize how favored she would become. God commanded farmers in Israel not to harvest the corners of their fields so the poor and needy, such as aliens, widows, and orphans, could glean enough food to live ( Leviticus 19:9-10; Leviticus 23:22). The reapers were free Israelites who hired themselves out to do this work for a stipulated payment. [3] Ruth qualified for gleaning as an alien and as a widow. She submitted her plans for Naomi"s approval and received her blessing.
Ruth "happened" to glean in Boaz"s field, from the human viewpoint ( Ruth 2:3), but, as the story unfolds, God"s hand of blessing obviously guided Ruth"s choice to go to that particular field (cf. Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 2:1-8).
". . . the author"s real meaning in Ruth 2:3 b is actually the opposite of what he says. The labelling [4] of Ruth"s meeting with Boaz as "chance" is nothing more than the author"s way of saying that no human intent was involved. For Ruth and Boaz it was an accident, but not for God. The tenor of the whole story makes it clear that the narrator sees God"s hand throughout. In fact the very secularism of his expression here is his way of stressing that conviction. It is a kind of underplaying for effect. By calling this meeting an accident, the writer enables himself subtly to point out that even the "accidental" is directed by God." [5]
Boaz"s love for God and other people, those qualities most important in a human being from God"s perspective ( Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18; cf. Matthew 22:37-39), are obvious in this record of his dealing with his employees ( Ruth 2:4). There was no labor management tension here since Boaz treated his workers with kindness and consideration.
"Significantly, the two greetings form a chiasm with the name Yahweh at its beginning and end. Hence, the exchange dropped a subtle hint which followed up the "luck" of Ruth 2:3 : in a simple, undramatic way, it affirmed the presence of Yahweh in this scene.... Thus, by this simple device the narrator reminded his audience that, though offstage, Yahweh was nevertheless within earshot" [6]
Ruth"s character too was of high quality, as the reaper foreman reported ( Ruth 2:7) and as Boaz later testified he had learned earlier ( Ruth 2:11). We should probably understand the last part of Ruth 2:7 to mean that Ruth had rested only a short time. [7] In other words, Ruth was a hard worker.