A Young Widow in a Rich Man’s Field

A study of Ruth 2:1-7

Now Naomi had a relative of her husband, a prominent rich man from the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after someone in whose eyes I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” So she went and came and gleaned in the field behind the reapers. And she happened by chance upon the tract of field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech. And look, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “May Yahweh be with you.” And they said to him, “May Yahweh bless you.” And Boaz said to his servant in charge of the reapers, “To whom does this young woman belong?” And the servant in charge of the reapers said, “She is a Moabite girl returning with Naomi from the countryside of Moab. And she said, ‘Please let me glean and let me gather among the sheaves behind the reapers.’ So she came and remained from the morning up to now. She is sitting for a little while in the house.”

Ruth 2:1–7 (LEB)

Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:

-Naomi: “נָעֳמִי”, “nā·ʿǒmî”; noun, proper, feminine, singular, absolute — Naomi = ‘my delight’, wife of Elimelech, mother of Mahlon and Chilion, and mother-in-law of Ruth and Orpah.

-Prominent (Also translated as ‘worthy’): “גִּבּ֣וֹר”, “gib·bôrʹ”; noun, common, singular, construct — strong man, brave man, mighty man, man of valor.

-Rich (Also translated as ‘worthy’): “חַ֔יִל”, “ḥǎʹ·yil”; noun, common, singular, absolute — power, strength, wealth, brave, landowner, upper class, also involving moral worth.

-Elimelech: “אֱלִימֶ֑לֶךְ”, “ʾělî·měʹ·lěḵ”; noun, proper, masculine, singular, absolute — Elimelech = ‘my God is king’; Naomi’s husband.

-Boaz: “בֹּֽעַז”, “bōʹ·ʿǎz”; noun, proper, masculine, singular, absolute — Boaz = “fleetness”; ancestor of David, kinsman-redeemer to Ruth, daughter-in-law of Naomi; name of the left of two brass pillars, 18 cubits high, erected in the porch of Solomon’s temple.

-Ruth: “ר֨וּת”, “rûṯʹ”; noun, proper, feminine, singular, absolute — Ruth = ‘friendship’; daughter-in-law of Naomi, wife of Boaz, and great-grandmother of David.

-Field: “שָּׂדֶה֙”, “śā·ḏěhʹ”; noun, common, singular, absolute — cultivated field that yields food.

-Glean: “אֲלַקֳטָ֣ה”, “ʾǎlǎ·qǒṭā(h)ʹ”; verb, Piʿʿēl, wᵊyiqtōl (waw-conjunctive + imperfect), first person, singular, — to gather, gather up, to collect; specifically to glean after the reapers.

-Favor: “חֵ֖ן”, “ḥēnʹ”; noun, common, singular, absolute — favor, grace, charm, acceptance, find favor in the eyes of one.

-Reapers: “קֹּצְרִ֑ים”, “qō·ṣerîmʹ”; verb, Qal, participle, masculine, plural, absolute — to reap, gather in, harvest; reaper.

-Chance: “מִקְרֶ֔”, “miq·rěʹ”; noun, common, singular, construct — accident, chance, fate, fortune.

-Bethlehem: “בֵּ֣ית לֶ֔חֶם”, “bêṯʹ lěʹ·ḥěm”; noun, proper, singular, absolute — Bethlehem = ‘house of bread’; a city in Judah, in present day Palestine; birthplace of king David and of King Jesus.

-Yahweh: “יְהוָ֣ה”, “yhwh”; noun, proper, masculine, singular, absolute — the proper name of the one true God.

-With You: “עִמָּכֶ֑ם”,, “ʿim·mā·ḵěmʹ”:
-With: “עִמּ”, “ʿim”; preposition — together with, simultaneously with.
-You: “ָכֶ֑ם”, “ā·ḵěmʹ”; pronoun, suffixed, second person, masculine, plural — you (plural).

-May [Yahweh] Bless You: “יְבָרֶכְךָ֥”, “yeḇā·rěḵ·ḵāʹ”;
-May Bless: “יְבָרֶכְ”, “yeḇā·rěḵ”; verb, Piʿʿēl, yiqtōl (imperfect), third person, masculine, singular, jussive — bless, blessed, fill with strength, wish on one a blessing, to greet one with an invocation of blessing.
-You: “ךָ֥”, “ḵāʹ”; pronoun, suffixed, second person, masculine, singular — thou, thee, ye you.

-Sheaves: “עֳמָרִ֔ים”, “ʿǒmā·rîmʹ”; noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — small heap of cut grain.

Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

Naomi was related to a rich, prominent man in Bethlehem named Boaz; he was from the same clan as Naomi’s deceased husband, Elimelech. Having recently arrived back in Bethlehem as widows with no one to provide for them, Ruth asked Naomi if she could or should go and glean in the fields to gather food for them to eat. Naomi agreed it was a good idea, and without intentionally seeking out Boaz’s land, Ruth ended up gleaning in his field with the permission of his servants. Next, Boaz came to the field and greeted his workers with a blessing from Yahweh, and they returned a greeting of the same sort. Boaz noticed the new woman, Ruth, and asked who she was. And his servant told him she was the Moabite daughter in law of Naomi who had been working hard in the field all day after asking permission to glean, and had only just stopped for a short rest.

Implication (what does this mean to us):

At this point in the story Naomi has just returned to her home town of Bethlehem with her Moabite daughter in law Ruth. Around 10 years earlier Naomi left Bethlehem for Moab with her husband Elimilech and their two sons. They left because there was a famine in the land and things were getting very difficult. At first glance their decision to move may seem reasonable, but Yahweh had commanded the people of Israel to remain in the land He gave to them, and not to mix and intermarry with the pagan nations around them. People from the surrounding nations could come to Israel, forsake their old false gods, and assimilate into Israelite culture and convert to the worship of Yahweh, the one true God. But at this time the people of Israel were not to leave and mix with other cultures because in doing so they would be led astray; and this is of course exactly what happened to the nation of Israel by and large over the centuries.

Obeying Yahweh will not always be easy in this world. It may even cost us our lives, but obedience to Yahweh (Jesus is Yahweh) is always the right decision. Our lives in this world are significant and they are precious, but we will also be gone before we know it. Our lives are like the freshly cut, green grass; vibrant and green today, withered and gone tomorrow. The call to follow Jesus is a call to true and eternal life; life as it was always meant to be. The life of which life in this world is only a cheap counterfeit.

If following Jesus means an early or abrupt end to our short lives in this world, that is a cost worth paying. As Jesus said in Matthew 16:24–27, “…If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me will find it. For what will a person be benefited if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what will a person give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and at that time he will reward each one according to what he has done.” Of course obedience to Yahweh will not always mean loss of life, but it may. However, as we can see from Naomi’s return to Bethlehem, the people who stayed did not all starve or have to leave. In fact, Boaz remained a wealthy man, and while life may have been difficult during the famine that had recently ended, life continued and Yahweh provided for his people there.

Naomi though, while understandably struggling with bitterness over her incredibly painful circumstances because of the loss of her husband and two sons, still made the wise choice to return to Bethlehem and to the community of Yahweh’s people. Even in her pain and grief, she drew near to God. And while Orpah, Naomi’s other daughter in law decided to stay in Moab to remarry and worship her false Moabite gods (Ruth 1:15), Ruth made the courageous decision to return to Bethlehem with Naomi to care for Naomi and convert to the worship of Yahweh, the one true God (Ruth 1:16–18).

Ruth made an admirable decision to stay with Naomi. Naomi was an older widow with no chance at remarrying. This was a big deal because in this time and place widows were among the most vulnerable people. Prosperity and security depended on being married and having a family. A woman without family at this time was on the lowest rung of the socio-economic ladder. Ruth had every chance to remain in Moab where she could very likely remarry, but instead she chose to stay with Naomi and convert to the worship of Yahweh, even though that very likely would mean a life of poverty and hardship.

At the beginning of chapter two we are given an interesting piece of information. Naomi had lost her husband and sons, but she still had a wealthy relative, through her deceased husband, named Boaz. The Hebrew phrase used to describe Boaz is “gibbor chayil,” and this exact phrase is used elsewhere in the Bible to describe warriors or mighty men of valor (Josua 8:3; Judges 11:1; 1 Chronicles 12:8). However, it can also describe a wealthy, prominent person. In the case of Boaz it seems like this is meant to communicate that he was a wealthy, influential man, as well as a good, valorous and honorable man. We should also take special notice of the fact that he is a relative of Naomi. This means we should begin to see a tiny sliver of hope for Naomi and Ruth’s situation, although at present it is only a sliver.

In ancient Israel the concept of levirate marriage existed as a way to protect and provide for widows, as well as to carry on the lineage of a deceased man’s family name. As a relative of Elimelech, Boaz had the right to choose to marry the widowed Naomi or Ruth to provide for them and carry on the family name. There are two potential problems with that though. Naomi was too old to remarry and have children, so that rules her out. And Ruth was a Moabite, a woman from a pagan land. As a “gibbor chayil” who faithfully worshiped Yahweh, how could Boaz marry a pagan? Has Ruth truly forsaken her false gods, and is she herself an honorable woman Boaz would want to marry? The story up to this point has indicated that she is because of her selfless love for Naomi and willingness to leave Moab, to forsake her old gods, and to come to Israel to enter into a covenant relationship with Yahweh. And we will see even more in the following verses about the quality of Ruth’s character. But will Boaz take notice of her? Will he want to exercise his right as “go’el” or “Kinsmen Redeemer” by marrying her and buying back Elimelech’s family land?

In verse two we see more to admire about the character of Ruth. She takes initiative to follow through on her promise to remain with Naomi and care for her by respectfully requesting Naomi’s permission to go and glean in the fields. Ruth asked this because there was a law in ancient Israel that commanded people not to harvest every last scrap of produce from their fields. Whether they were harvesting grain, olives, grapes or something similar, the people were commanded to go through and harvest once, but not to go through a second time to completely strip the field of the bits they had missed. And they were also told to leave some crops unharvested on the outer margins of their fields. This was all considered to belong to the poor and needy (Leviticus 19:9–10; Deuteronomy 24:19–21). In Deuteronomy 24:22 (ESV) Yahweh says he is commanding the people to do this because, “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this.” This was a compassionate, social assistance program commanded by Yahweh. It allowed the poor and downcast the dignity and opportunity to work to provide for themselves, and commanded the landowners to show generosity. There is a lot we can learn from the principle of this law in ancient Israel.

Now, Ruth did not request permission from Naomi to go and glean because she was unsure if Naomi would want her to. Ruth asked because she was a respectful woman, and this little detail is provided to show us that. We are also meant to take note of Ruth’s initiative to follow through on her promise to stay with Naomi and care for her. We should also notice that Ruth said, “…in whose eyes I may find favor.” This is an indication that perhaps the command in regards to gleaning was not always followed in Israel, and that shouldn’t be a surprise given their history of disobedience and unfaithfulness to Yahweh. So, the fact that she finds a field where she is allowed to glean will help us see that such a landowner is honoring Yahweh by keeping the law to be generous to the poor. After Ruth said this, unsurprisingly Naomi tells her, “Go. my daughter,” and Ruth went out to work.

Next, verse 3 tells us that Ruth “went and came and gleaned in the field behind the reapers. And she happened by chance upon the tract of field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.” “By chance” is not meant to communicate that this really was all random chance. At first glance it all does seem accidental because Ruth did not go out to look for Boaz’s field. She and Naomi apparently did not expect or look for help from Boaz. Ruth simply went out to work and the field she came to happened to belong to Boaz. But what may seem like a coincidence, is later acknowledged by Naomi as the active, working hand of Yahweh (Ruth 2:20), just as Naomi has already identified the active and working hand of Yahweh up to this point in her life (Ruth 1:8, 9, 13, 20–21). What we can see here is the difficult to define combination of Yahweh’s total sovereignty over all of time and space (Job 42:2), and the freewill He gives us (Joshua 24:14–15).

Yahweh is in total control, but we also have been given a certain amount of agency as free will beings created in His image. Ruth was not possessed by something and led to the field. She made the conscious choice to go out and look for work, and Yahweh arranged the circumstances in such a way that she “by chance” came to Boaz’s field to work. Oftentimes, it is when we look back at events that have already happened that we can most clearly see Yahweh’s hand working to guide and direct us. But in the present it isn’t always so clear.

In verse 4, as Boaz comes to work and to oversee the work in his fields, he greets his workers with a blessing, “May Yahweh be with you,” and they greet him with a blessing in return, “May Yahweh bless you.” Sometimes when the boss shows up the mood can shift negatively and everyone tenses up. But when Boaz arrives in his field he gives a sincere well wishing to his servants, and they return in kind. Evidently, even though there was much lawlessness and forsaking of the worship of Yahweh in this time when Israel was ruled by Judges (Judges 21:25), there were still faithful followers of Yahweh in Israel. Boaz shows himself to be such a person, and it seems his example also had a positive effect on his workers. Overall what we can learn from this brief exchange in verse 4 is that Boaz honored Yawheh and treated his workers kindly, and they in turn loved him and also worshiped Yahweh themselves. Much can be learned about a person by how they treat their inferiors and how their inferiors view them.

In verse 5 Boaz asks the young man who he had put in charge of the reapers (the harvesters) who the new young woman was. This could simply be because he noticed a newcomer in his field, but it may also be because he noticed a new attractive young woman working in his field. Given how the story plays out, it is not unreasonable to assume it is a combination of both. We might liken this moment in verse 5 to the point in most present day romantic comedies where the male protagonist first sees the female lead and is immediately intrigued. Whatever the case, Boaz notices Ruth right away and asks for more information on who this young woman is. He actually says “belongs to” because he wanted to know what family she belonged to. And Boaz’s servant tells him she is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi, and also that she had politely and respectfully requested permission to glean before beginning her work. This communicates that Ruth had a polite, respectful and submissive attitude. The right to glean was guaranteed under Israelite law. But Ruth did not come to the field demanding her rights under the law. She humbly and respectfully asked permission to glean. Next, the servant tells Boaz what kind of worker Ruth was by saying, “So she came and remained from the morning up to now. She is sitting for a little while in the house.”, meaning, Ruth had worked hard all day and had only just stopped for a short rest.

So, Boaz came out to his field for the day. He noticed a new young woman working in his fields, and now he finds out this is the woman who returned with Naomi after her husband, Naomi’s son, died instead of staying in Moab where life would have been much easier. And now he also learns that she is an honorable, respectful woman, who is not afraid of hard work. Boaz’s introduction to Ruth could hardly have been more positive.

Ruth did not know all this. She was simply working to provide for herself and Naomi. But her character was displayed for all to see. Bethlehem was not an incredibly large town. Everyone noticed when Naomi came back (Ruth 1:19), and they would also have been made aware of the circumstances surrounding her return. Naomi’s husband and sons had died, but for some reason Naomi’s Moabite daughter in law had returned to Bethlehem with her, to poverty and hardship, to take care of her. From the first moment of Ruth’s arrival in Bethlehem with Naomi, people would have been intrigued by her decision to choose an honorable, difficult life, over an easier life back in Moab. Boaz had likely heard something of this story which is why his servant only had to say she is the “young Moabite woman” who returned with Naomi. Everyone in town had heard about her. And her actions were being watched and observed even and especially when she didn’t know it.

How often are our actions and lives observed when we are unaware? The answer is actually all the time. Hebrews 12:1 tells us that our lives are observed by a “cloud of witnesses.” This refers to unseen spiritual beings that witness our lives and what Yahweh is doing in and through us. We have little to no interaction with these at present, but we should care about living in a way that glorifies the Lord because of this. But also, we are often not aware that the people around us in this world are observing how we live. Do our lives reflect the character of the Lord Jesus? We need to ask this of ourselves constantly. We will never perfectly obey or reflect Yahweh’s character, but the way we live does tell people about the nature of the God we serve. As we seek to love, honor and obey Jesus, we must, by the power of His Spirit in us, endeavor to represent Him well to those who observe us; both the seen and unseen witnesses.

Response (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):

This passage should cause us to think about how we act when it seems like no one is looking or when circumstances in life seem desperate or even hopeless. Ruth provides us with an outstanding example of faithfulness to Naomi even when it would cost her dearly. And more than that, Ruth’s decision to forsake her old gods in Moab to follow Yahweh, even though it would likely have meant a life of poverty and hardship, is a model for how we must come to Jesus now. We need to count the cost of faithfulness to Jesus in this world and realize that whatever we may have to give up or suffer for following Jesus, He is worth it. Jesus left behind the perfect splendor of heaven to come down here to live with us in the dirt and die for our sin. But He rose in glorious victory and now He is seated on His throne in heaven. And we who make the decision to follow him, even into poverty, hardship or death, will be raised to sit in the heavenly places with Him (Ephesians 2:6). Faithfulness to Yahweh (Jesus is Yahweh) may very well cost us something in this world, but to quote Jim Elliot, a Christian who laid down his life for Christ, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

And as our Lord Jesus Christ said,

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.”
Matthew 19:29 (ESV)

Self Reflection:

Am I willing to give up the good, God given comforts I have in this world for the sake of Jesus if He calls me to do so? Is Jesus really worth more to me than all the power, wealth and fleeting delights of this world?

How do I conduct myself when it seems like no one is looking? Do I endeavor to do everything as unto the Lord, even the hard, monotonous things in life, knowing that my Father in heaven sees and is glorified when I do these things unto Him?

The honorable Boaz and the honorable Ruth had something in common: they honored Yahweh as Lord of all and as Lord of their lives. Do I share this foundational belief of these honorable individuals?