Rut 3:16

3:16 and she returned to her mother-in-law.

Ruth Returns to Naomi

When Ruth returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi ¹  asked, ²  “How did things turn out for you, ³  my daughter?” Ruth ⁴  told her about all the man had done for her. ⁵ 

Rut 2:19

2:19 Her mother-in-law asked her, ⁶  “Where did you gather grain today? Where did you work? May the one who took notice of you be rewarded!” ⁷  So Ruth ⁸  told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked. She said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.”

Rut 3:15

3:15 Then he said, “Hold out the shawl ⁹  you are wearing ¹⁰  and grip it tightly.” As she held it tightly, he measured out about sixty pounds ¹¹  of barley into the shawl and put it on her shoulders. Then he ¹²  went into town,

[3:16]  ¹ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Naomi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ² tn Heb “said.” Since what follows is a question, the present translation uses “asked” here.

[3:16]  ³ tn Heb “Who are you?” In this context Naomi is clearly not asking for Ruth’s identity. Here the question has the semantic force “Are you his wife?” See R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth (NICOT), 223-24, and F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 184-85.

[3:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Ruth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ⁵ sn All that the man had done. This would have included his promise to marry her and his gift of barley.

[2:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “said to her.” Since what follows is a question, the translation uses “asked her” here.

[2:19]  ⁷ tn Or “blessed” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV). The same expression occurs in the following verse.

[2:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Ruth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:15]  ⁹ tn Or “cloak” (so NAB, NRSV, NLT); CEV “cape.” The Hebrew noun occurs only here and in Isa 3:22.

[3:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “which [is] upon you”; NIV, NRSV “you are wearing.”

[3:15]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and she gripped it tightly and he measured out six of barley and placed upon her.” The unit of measure is not indicated in the Hebrew text, although it would probably have been clear to the original hearers of the account. Six ephahs, the equivalent of 180-300 pounds, is clearly too heavy, especially if carried in a garment. Six omers (an omer being a tenth of an ephah) seems too little, since this would have amounted to six-tenths of an ephah, less than Ruth had gleaned in a single day (cf. 2:17). Thus a seah (one third of an ephah) may be in view here; six seahs would amount to two ephahs, about 60 pounds (27 kg). See R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth (NICOT), 222, and F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 178.

[3:15]  ¹² tc The MT preserves the 3rd person masculine singular form וַיָּבֹא (vayyavo’, “then he went”; cf. ASV, NAB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT), while many medieval mss (supported by the Syriac and Vulgate) have the 3rd person feminine singular form וַתָּבֹא (vattavo’, “then she went”; cf. KJV, NASB, TEV).