The Meaning of Ruth 2:6 Explained

Ruth 2:6

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:

YLT: And the young man who is set over the reapers answereth and saith, 'A young woman -- Moabitess -- she is, who came back with Naomi from the fields of Moab,

Darby: And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish maiden who came back with Naomi out of the fields of Moab;

ASV: 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:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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: 

What does Ruth 2:6 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 2:6 mean?

so answered the servant who was in charge of the reapers and said young woman the Moabitess it [is] who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab
וַיַּ֗עַן הַנַּ֛עַר הַנִּצָּ֥ב עַל־ הַקּוֹצְרִ֖ים וַיֹּאמַ֑ר נַעֲרָ֤ה מֽוֹאֲבִיָּה֙ הִ֔יא הַשָּׁ֥בָה עִֽם־ נָעֳמִ֖י מִשְּׂדֵ֥ה מוֹאָֽב

וַיַּ֗עַן  so  answered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: לְעַנּׄות 
Sense: to answer, respond, testify, speak, shout.
הַנַּ֛עַר  the  servant 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נַעַר  
Sense: a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer.
הַנִּצָּ֥ב  who  was  in  charge 
Parse: Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: הֻצַּב 
Sense: to stand, take one’s stand, stand upright, be set (over), establish.
הַקּוֹצְרִ֖ים  the  reapers 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: קָצוּר 
Sense: to be short, be impatient, be vexed, be grieved.
וַיֹּאמַ֑ר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
נַעֲרָ֤ה  young  woman 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: נַעֲרָה  
Sense: girl, damsel, female servant.
מֽוֹאֲבִיָּה֙  the  Moabitess 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מֹואָבִי  
Sense: an citizen of Moab.
הִ֔יא  it  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person feminine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
הַשָּׁ֥בָה  who  came  back 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
נָעֳמִ֖י  Naomi 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: נָעֳמִי  
Sense: wife of Elimelech, mother of Mahlon and Chilion, and mother-in-law of Ruth and Orpah.
מִשְּׂדֵ֥ה  from  the  country 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שָׂדֶה 
Sense: field, land.
מוֹאָֽב  of  Moab 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מֹואָב 
Sense: a son of Lot by his eldest daughter.