Christianity
Ruth 3At the Threshing Floor
Summary
Ruth 3 tells how Naomi, seeking security for Ruth, sends her to the threshing floor where Boaz sleeps after winnowing barley. Ruth washes, dresses and lies down at his feet, uncovering them. At midnight Boaz wakes startled, and she asks him to spread his skirt over her because he is a near kinsman. Boaz praises her as a virtuous woman, but reveals that a closer relative has the first right to redeem. He sends her home with six measures of barley.
Key verse
“And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.”
Ruth 3:11
Themes
- Redemption
- Virtue
- Courage
- Integrity
Text
Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?
And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor.
Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.
And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.
And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.
And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her mother in law bade her.
And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.
And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.
And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.
And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.
Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.
And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor.
Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.
And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.
And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.
Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.
Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.
Across traditions
Christianity
Proverbs 31: The Virtuous WomanThe Hebrew phrase translated virtuous woman, eshet chayil, appears in Ruth 3:11 and Proverbs 31:10. Many readers see Ruth as a living example of the woman of worth praised in Proverbs.
Judaism
Leviticus 25 (JPS 1917): The Kinsman Who RedeemsLeviticus 25:25 tells the nearest kinsman to redeem land a poor relative has sold. Boaz's role as go'el, redeemer, builds on this family duty.
Questions about Ruth 3
What does it mean that Ruth uncovered Boaz's feet?
Interpreters differ. Most read it as a bold, culturally understood request for marriage and protection, made explicit when Ruth asks him to spread his skirt over her (Ruth 3:9). Some see deliberate ambiguity in the scene.
What is a kinsman redeemer?
In Hebrew a go'el is a close relative responsible for buying back family land, freeing a relative from debt slavery or avenging a death. In Ruth the role extends to marrying the widow to preserve the family name.