c. Ruth’s return home (3:14–18)
c. Ruth’s return home (3:14–18)
Ruth resumed her place at Boaz feet and slept till morning. But she was up before daylight. (Joüon amends the text to read ‘and he rose up’ since it must have been Boaz who took the initiative. The point may be conceded, but it is not necessary to emend the text to find it.) While what she had done must have conformed to custom in some way (Boaz needed no explanation, but realized from the action alone what Ruth meant and what he should do), yet there were obvious reasons why it should not be published abroad that Ruth had slept there that night. There is an interesting provision in the Mishnah that if a man was suspected of having intercourse with a Gentile woman he could not perform levirate marriage with her (Yeb. 2:8). In its written form this regulation is, of course, centuries later than the book of Ruth. But if the custom was an ancient one, as it may well have been, it would give an added reason for Boaz to exercise caution. So he arranged for Ruth to return to Naomi very early, in fact, before there was enough daylight for anyone she might meet to recognize her. Boaz also said that Ruth’s presence should not be known. The word said may mean ‘said to himself’ (as in Gen. 20:11 where it is translated ‘I thought’). The Midrash regards the utterance as prayer (vii. 1). Otherwise the words must be addressed to Boaz’ retainers, though there is a difficulty in that there has been no hint that any of them were present. The first suggestion is best. A woman (AV) is better the woman (RV, RSV). Boaz’ reference is definite. Knox translates, He warned her not to let anyone know that she had been there, but it is difficult to see this in the Hebrew. The words do not seem at all like an address to Ruth. They are much better taken as spoken by Boaz to himself.
15. Boaz had a sense of the fitness of things and apparently he did not regard it as proper that his prospective bride should return from her night’s adventures empty-handed. So he told Ruth to fetch her cloak and hold it out. When she did so he measured out six measures of barley. Unfortunately, the text does not say what measure is meant, the Hebrew reading simply ‘six of barley’.5 In 2:17 the ephah is used, but six ephahs would amount to about 132 litres or 24 gallons. This seems an impossibly large amount so it is probable that we should take the measure here to be the seah, which amounted to a third of the ephah. Hertzberg points out that this would make a load of about 40 kilogrammes (i.e. about 88 pounds), not impossible for a strong young woman. Gerleman suggests the omer, but this was a tenth of the ephah and it would make Boaz’ gift less than the amount Ruth acquired in a day of gleaning. The impression we get is that he was being bountiful, which seems to rule this out. Gerleman does not notice this point. There is also a point of syntax, namely that the gender of the adjective ‘six’ leads us to expect a measure grammatically feminine, whereas ‘omer’ is masculine. On the whole, it seems then that six seahs is what is meant. Since Boaz had to put it on Ruth it is obvious that it was a large load. The munificence of this gift we may estimate from the fact that on a full day of gleaning Ruth managed but one ephah (2:17), and that was considered quite an achievement. Such a large amount would not be easy to manage so Boaz put it on Ruth, i.e. he assisted her get the load properly balanced as she carried it on her head. The Hebrew text says at the end of the verse ‘and he went into the city’ but this must be an early scribal error. The context makes it clear that it is Ruth’s going into the city that is meant. Boaz went later (4:1), unless we are to think that he now went into the city to his house and later to the gate. It is objected that this seems ruled out by the fact that the very reason for Boaz’ presence would have been to guard the threshing floor. He would surely not leave before daylight. The objection may be countered by drawing attention to the fact that a man who has just become engaged to a pretty girl is unlikely to display such a preference for a heap of wheat! But the argument from context still stands and it seems that the verse means that Ruth went into the city. There is some doubt about the article of clothing into which the barley was measured. AV renders vail; AV mg., RSV, Moffatt, mantle; Berkeley, shawl; Knox, the fold of that mantle; FF, wrapper. From the fact that it was used to carry a substantial load of grain it is obvious that it was no flimsy article. Probably we should think of a heavy mantle.
16. So Ruth returned to her mother-in-law. Naomi’s question Who art thou? is strange unless we are to think that it was still so dark that she could not recognize Ruth. RSV, How did you fare? (similarly Moffatt, Berkeley) makes better sense, but the Hebrew agrees with AV. Gerleman takes mî to be an interrogative particle giving the meaning, ‘Is it you?’ In Judges 18:8 there is a rather similar question addressed by the Danites to their spies, ‘What are you?’ (AV, ‘What say ye?’). Knight is of opinion that ‘where the question in English expects the answer of the person’s name, the question in Hebrew expects an answer about the character or condition behind the name: “Art thou married to him or not?” ’ The words are absent from the B text of the LXX, which may mean no more than that the translator found them difficult. We must conclude that something like RSV seems required by the sense, but that AV gives the meaning of the Hebrew text as we have it. RSV is supported by the further statement that Ruth told her what the man had done to her. This puts the emphasis on what Boaz had said and presumably therefore on his undertaking to carry out the duties of a gō’ēl. The gift of the barley is not mentioned until after this.
17. Ruth’s answer is not reported in detail, but special mention is made of the six measures of barley. These six are pointed out with Boaz’ injunction, mentioned here but not in verse 15, Go not empty unto thy mother in law (AV, RV). It may be no coincidence that the same word empty is used here as in 1:21 when Naomi spoke of being brought home ‘empty’. Her ‘empty’ days are over.
18. Naomi’s intimate knowledge of Boaz’ character is revealed in her answer. There is no need for Ruth to do anything further and she is told to sit still till she knows how the affair will turn out. Boaz will see the thing through to its conclusion. Naomi affirms that he will never rest now, till he has finished the whole affair.6