Ruth
Chapter 3
The Night in the Field
Later, Naomi talked to Ruth: “My daughter, isn’t it my duty to see you settled in a home where you will be well provided for?
And isn’t Boaz, who has treated you kindly with his maidservants, a close relative of ours? Tonight, he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.
So bathe, put on your best clothes, and perfume yourself, then go down to the threshing floor. But don’t reveal yourself to him until he has finished eating and drinking.
Watch where he lies down to sleep. Then go, uncover his feet, and lie down there. He will tell you what to do.
Ruth answered: “I will do as you say.”
She went down to the threshing floor and did as her mother-in-law told her.
Feeling happy after eating and drinking, Boaz went to lie down at the end of the pile of grain. Ruth then quietly approached, removed the covering from his feet, and lay down there.
At midnight, the man woke up when he turned over and felt someone at his feet. He got up and was startled to see a woman there.
“Who are you?” he asked. The answer came: “I am Ruth, your servant. Cover me with the corner of your cloak, for you are a relative with the right to redeem me.”
Boaz said: “May the Lord bless you, my daughter! Your kindness now exceeds what you have shown before, for you have not pursued young men, whether rich or poor.
Have no fear, my daughter; I will do everything you ask because all my townspeople know that you are a virtuous woman.
It is true that I am a close relative, but there is another who is even closer.
Stay here for the night. In the morning, if he wants to claim you, that’s good! But if not — as surely as the Lord lives — I will claim you myself. Lie here till morning.”
She lay at his feet until morning and got up before anyone could recognize her. Boaz said: “It must not be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.”
Then, turning to Ruth, Boaz said: “Hold out the mantle you are wearing.” She did so, and he poured six measures of barley into it. He helped her lift the bundle, then returned to town.
Ruth returned home to her mother-in-law, who asked: “How did you fare, my daughter?” She told her everything
and added: “He gave me these six measures of barley because, as he said, he didn’t want me to go back to my mother-in-law empty-handed.”
Naomi said: “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens, for he will not rest until it is settled today.”
Commentaries
The Night in the Field.
Now the author immerses us in the night within a private space. Ruth and Boaz interact in a distinctly different manner. Once again, Ruth is the one who initiates and makes decisions, while Boaz reacts to her proposals. The author has crafted an atmosphere of mystery, secrets, and ambiguity between the two characters. Ruth possesses more knowledge than Boaz. Naomi, who in the previous chapter resigned herself to an uncertain future, now astutely devises a plan that, although dangerous, can ensure their survival. After Boaz has eaten, drunk, and become merry (7), he wakes up to find Ruth. Boaz does not fulfill the role that Naomi has instructed him to take; he is uncertain about what to do or say. Confronted with Boaz’s indecision and ignorance, Ruth takes the initiative and reminds him of his obligation to her and Naomi. Boaz agrees to be the “redeemer” and “savior” of these two women. Ruth arrives home, recounts everything that occurred to Naomi, and Naomi comforts her. Naomi anticipates the outcome of this story because she knows that Boaz will not rest until both her situation and Ruth’s are resolved immediately.