The Meaning of Ruth 2:11 Explained

Ruth 2:11

KJV: And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.

YLT: And Boaz answereth and saith to her, 'It hath thoroughly been declared to me all that thou hast done with thy mother-in-law, after the death of thy husband, and thou dost leave thy father, and thy mother, and the land of thy birth, and dost come in unto a people which thou hast not known heretofore.

Darby: And Boaz answered and said to her, It has fully been shewn me, all that thou hast done to thy mother-in-law since the death of thy husband; and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come to a people that thou hast not known heretofore.

ASV: And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been showed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thy husband; and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people that thou knewest not heretofore.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Boaz  answered  and said  unto her, It hath fully  been shewed  me, all that thou hast done  unto thy mother in law  since  the death  of thine husband:  and [how] thou hast left  thy father  and thy mother,  and the land  of thy nativity,  and art come  unto a people  which thou knewest  not heretofore. 

What does Ruth 2:11 Mean?

Context Summary

Ruth 2:1-13 - Gleaning After The Reapers
In great desolation of soul, Naomi had returned. She was no longer the happy woman of earlier days. Ruth also must sometimes have experienced the depression of homesickness which often steals over the heart of the stranger. But the two women found solace where sad hearts will always find it, first in God and then in ministry to each other, 2 Corinthians 1:4; 2 Corinthians 7:6. In fact, Ruth's devotion to her mother became the common talk of the village, Ruth 2:11.
Notice the beautiful old-time salutations between the employer and his employees. The omission of these courteous greetings is one of the mistakes of our modern civilization. We live in a time when the relations between master and servant, between mistress and maid, are strangely altered, being largely financial and selfish. Each tries to get as much as possible out of the other, and thus the personal touch is absent. Is it to be wondered at that the human machine runs hard and sometimes breaks down? But Boaz was clearly a good man. He had won the respect of the whole neighborhood, and his tender words to the young stranger, saluting her as a nestling under the wings of Jehovah, indicated that he dwelled "in the secret place of the Most High." [source]

Chapter Summary: Ruth 2

1  Ruth gleans in the field of Boaz
4  Boaz takes notice of her
8  and shows her great favor
18  That which she got, she carries to Naomi

What do the individual words in Ruth 2:11 mean?

and answered Boaz and said to her it has fully been reported to me all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband and [how] you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth and have come to a people whom not you did know heretofore before
וַיַּ֤עַן בֹּ֙עַז֙ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָ֔הּ הֻגֵּ֨ד הֻגַּ֜ד לִ֗י כֹּ֤ל אֲשֶׁר־ עָשִׂית֙ אֶת־ חֲמוֹתֵ֔ךְ אַחֲרֵ֖י מ֣וֹת אִישֵׁ֑ךְ וַתַּֽעַזְבִ֞י אָּבִ֣יךְ‪‬‪‬ וְאִמֵּ֗ךְ וְאֶ֙רֶץ֙ מֽוֹלַדְתֵּ֔ךְ וַתֵּ֣לְכִ֔י אֶל־ עַ֕ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־ יָדַ֖עַתְּ תְּמ֥וֹל שִׁלְשֽׁוֹם

וַיַּ֤עַן  and  answered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: לְעַנּׄות 
Sense: to answer, respond, testify, speak, shout.
בֹּ֙עַז֙  Boaz 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֹּעַז 
Sense: ancestor of David, kinsman-redeemer to Ruth, daughter-in-law of Naomi.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לָ֔הּ  to  her 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
הֻגֵּ֨ד  it  has  fully 
Parse: Verb, Hofal, Infinitive absolute
Root: נָגַד  
Sense: to be conspicuous, tell, make known.
הֻגַּ֜ד  been  reported 
Parse: Verb, Hofal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָגַד  
Sense: to be conspicuous, tell, make known.
לִ֗י  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
אֲשֶׁר־  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
עָשִׂית֙  you  have  done 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
חֲמוֹתֵ֔ךְ  your  mother-in-law 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: חָמֹות  
Sense: mother-in-law, husband’s mother.
אַחֲרֵ֖י  since 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אַחַר 
Sense: after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time).
מ֣וֹת  the  death 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.
אִישֵׁ֑ךְ  of  your  husband 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
וַתַּֽעַזְבִ֞י  and  [how]  you  have  left 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: עָזַב 
Sense: to leave, loose, forsake.
אָּבִ֣יךְ‪‬‪‬  your  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
וְאִמֵּ֗ךְ  and  your  mother 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: אֵם  
Sense: mother.
וְאֶ֙רֶץ֙  and  the  land 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
מֽוֹלַדְתֵּ֔ךְ  of  your  birth 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: מֹולֶדֶת  
Sense: kindred, birth, offspring, relatives.
וַתֵּ֣לְכִ֔י  and  have  come 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
עַ֕ם  a  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  whom 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
יָדַ֖עַתְּ  you  did  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
תְּמ֥וֹל  heretofore 
Parse: Adverb
Root: תְּמֹול  
Sense: before, before that time, beforetime, heretofore, of late, of old, these days, time(s) past, yesterday, day before yesterday, recently, formerly.
שִׁלְשֽׁוֹם  before 
Parse: Adverb
Root: שִׁלְשֹׁום  
Sense: day before yesterday, three days ago.