RutKapitel 3

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Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her, "My daughter, should I not look for a home for you, where you will be well provided for?

Now Boaz, whose young women you have worked with, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley at the threshing floor.

So wash and anoint yourself, put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor. But do not let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.

When he lies down, note the place where he lies. Then go, uncover his feet, and lie down. He will tell you what to do."

"I will do everything you say," Ruth answered.

So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had told her.

When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and his heart was content, he went to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth came quietly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.

In the middle of the night the man was startled. He turned over, and there was a woman lying at his feet.

"Who are you?" he asked. "I am your servant Ruth," she said. "Spread the corner of your garment over your servant, for you are a redeemer."

Then he said, "The LORD bless you, my daughter. This last kindness of yours is greater than the first, for you have not gone after the young men, whether poor or rich.

And now, my daughter, do not be afraid. I will do for you all that you ask, for the whole town knows that you are a woman of noble character.

Now it is true that I am a redeemer, yet there is another redeemer more closely related than I.

Stay here tonight. In the morning, if he will redeem you, good—let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, then as surely as the LORD lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until morning."

So she lay at his feet until morning, but she rose while it was still too dark for anyone to be recognized, for he had said, "No one must know that a woman came to the threshing floor."

He also said, "Bring the cloak you are wearing and hold it out." When she did, he measured out six measures of barley and lifted it onto her. Then he went into the town.

When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, "How did it go, my daughter?" [footnote: Hebrew, "Who are you, my daughter?"] And she told her everything the man had done for her.

She added, "He gave me these six measures of barley and said, 'Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.'"

Then Naomi said, "Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest until he has settled it today."

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Sammanfattning2

Kapitel 3

Main Theme: Ruth goes to the threshing floor and asks Boaz to be her kinsman-redeemer.

Content: Naomi instructs Ruth to prepare herself and go to the threshing floor at night to find Boaz. Ruth lies down at his feet and asks him to "spread his cloak" over her as a kinsman-redeemer. Boaz praises her hesed and promises to settle the matter, but notes that there is a closer kinsman-redeemer. He sends her home before dawn with six measures of barley, and Naomi assures her that Boaz will resolve everything that same day.

Key Words/Images:

Threshing Floor (גֹּרֶן): The place for threshing grain, which becomes the setting for the decisive meeting between Ruth and Boaz.
Spread the Cloak (פָרַשׂ כָּנָף): Ruth's request for marital protection, symbolizing taking someone under one's care.
Kinsman-Redeemer (גֹּאֵל): A relative with the right and duty to redeem property and continue the name of a deceased family member.
Hesed (חֶסֶד): Boaz commends Ruth's faithful love as greater than that shown by others, because she sought him rather than younger men.

Historisk kontext

Historical and Cultural Context for Ruth 3

Places

The Threshing Floor (גֹּרֶן, goren) was a central social and economic arena in Israelite society. It was usually located on an open, flat area outside the city, often on high ground where the wind could blow away the chaff during the tossing of grain. Threshing floors were frequently communal property and served as important meeting places where legal and business agreements could also be made. The fact that Boaz slept by the grain heap at night was common practice during harvest time—partly to guard the valuable grain against theft, and partly because work continued late into the night and early in the morning when the wind was favorable.

Events and Customs

The Kinsman-Redeemer Institution (גֹּאֵל, go'el) that Ruth invokes in verse 9 was a system in which a close relative had responsibility for protecting the family’s property and rights. This included buying back land that had been sold out of the family, freeing relatives from slavery, and—as here—marrying a childless widow to continue the name and inheritance of the deceased. Ruth herself took the initiative to invoke this right, which was unusually bold.

The Night Visit and "Uncovering the Feet" (וְגִלִּית מַרְגְּלֹתָיו) has been the subject of much discussion. The action was a symbolic way of requesting protection and marriage, as Ruth’s plea that Boaz should "spread his wing over her" confirms (v. 9). The term מַרְגְּלֹת (feet) can sometimes be interpreted as a euphemism in Hebrew literature, but the context emphasizes that this was a honorable proposal of marriage, not an indecent act.

Key Terms

"Spread your wing over your servant" (וּפָרַשְׂתָּ כְנָפֶךָ עַל־אֲמָתְךָ) in verse 9 is a strongly symbolic expression. The word כָּנָף (kanaf, "wing" or "corner of a garment") refers both to bird wings and to the hem or corner of a cloak. In Ruth 2:12 Boaz used the same term regarding God’s protective wings. Now Ruth asks him to become the instrument of that protection. Spreading one’s cloak over a woman was an accepted marriage gesture in the ancient Near East (cf. Ezekiel 16:8).

"A Woman of Valor" (אֵשֶׁת חַיִל) in verse 11 corresponds to the description of Boaz as "a mighty man" (אִישׁ גִּבּוֹר חַיִל) in 2:1. The word חַיִל denotes strength, character, and honor. That the whole town knew Ruth as such a woman shows that her reputation was established through actions, not merely words. The same expression is used for the ideal woman in Proverbs 31:10.

"Six Measures of Barley" in verses 15–17 was likely a generous gift (the Hebrew does not specify the exact unit of measure). The gift confirmed Boaz’s good intentions and served as a visible sign to Naomi that the negotiations had gone well.

Personer3

Ruth2 Naomi1 Boaz1

Alla personer →

Nyckelord7

Ruth — The main character in the Book of Ruth, a Moabite woman who becomes Naomi's daughter-in-law and later marries Boaz.
Naomi — An Israelite woman from Bethlehem who is the mother of two sons and the mother-in-law to Ruth and Orpah. She returns to Bethlehem after losing her husband and sons.
Boaz — A wealthy Israelite and relative of Naomi's deceased husband, Elimelech. He shows kindness to Ruth and marries her, thus becoming the kinsman-redeemer for Naomi and Ruth.
Kinsman-redeemer — A relative who has the duty and right to marry the widow of a deceased family member in order to carry on the dead man's name and property.
Harvest — The period when grain and other crops are gathered from the fields, an important time in the Book of Ruth when Ruth meets Boaz while gleaning grain in his field.
Loyalty — Faithfulness and devotion to someone or something, such as Ruth's loyalty to Naomi and her trust in God.
Sister-in-law — The sister of one's spouse or the spouse of one's sibling. In the Book of Ruth, Orpah is Ruth's sister-in-law and also Naomi's daughter-in-law.