Ruth 3:8-9

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ruth 3:6-13

Here is, I. Boaz's good management of his common affairs. It is probable, according to the common usage, 1. When his servants winnowed, he was with them, and had his eye upon them, to prevent, not their stealing any of his corn (he had no reason to fear that), but their waste of it through carelessness in the winnowing of it. Masters may sustain great losses by servants that are heedless, though they be honest, which is a reason why men should be diligent to know the state of their own flocks,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ruth 3:8

And it came to pass at midnight ,.... So long Boaz slept without knowledge of any person being at his feet, and so long Ruth had lain there; but awaking, and perceiving something at his feet, which pressed them, it made him look about and feel, and so affected him: that the man was afraid ; though a man, and a man of spirit, he was afraid, a panic seized him, not knowing but it might be a spectre, a spirit, or a demon, as Jarchi; and such an instance we have in history F19 Alex. ab... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ruth 3:9

And he said, who art thou ?.... He spoke quick and short, as one displeased, or however surprised and frightened, just coming out of sleep, and in the night: and she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid ; that had gleaned in his fields with his maidens, and with whom he had conversed there, and knew her by name: spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid ; which seems to account for the reason of her uncovering his feet, or turning up the skirt of his garment that was upon them; not... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ruth 3:8

The man was afraid , and turned himself - The verb ילפת yillapheth , which we render he turned himself, has puzzled even the Targumist, who translates the clause thus: "The man trembled, and his flesh became like a (boiled) turnip through fear." It is fully evident Boaz had no intimation of the present proceedings. To this verse the Targumist adds much; he says, "Boaz subdued his concupiscence, and acted towards her as Joseph did to the Egyptian wife of his master, and as... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ruth 3:9

Spread therefore thy skirt over thine hand maid - Hebrew, Spread thy wing. The wing is the emblem of protection, and is a metaphor taken from the young of fowls, which run under the wings of their mothers, that they may be saved from birds of prey. The meaning here is, Take me to thee for wife; and so the Targum has translated it, Let thy name be called on thy handmaid to take me for wife, because thou art the redeemer; i.e., thou art the גאל goel , the kinsman, to whom the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ruth 3:1-18

Naomi's maternal solicitude. This is one of those paragraphs of Scripture which require delicate handling, but which, for that very reason, are full of suggestiveness that comes home to the bosom. Under strange, old-fashioned forms of things there was often much real virtue and true nobility of character. 1. It may be regarded as certain that while the harvest lasted Boaz and Ruth would be coming daily into contact with each other. 2. It may likewise be assumed as certain that... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ruth 3:8

And it came to pass at midnight that the man started in a fright; and he bent himself over, and lo, a woman was lying at his feet. He had awaked, and, feeling something soft and warm at his feet, he was startled and affrighted. What could it be? In a moment or two he recovered his self-possession, and bending himself up and over, or "crooking himself, to see and to feel, lo, a woman was lying at his feet. The Chaldee Targumist tumbles into a ludicrous bathos of taste when endeavoring to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ruth 3:8

When it is said that "the man was afraid, and turned himself ," the meaning of the latter clause, as it stands in King James's version, would require some modification. The idea is not that Boaz turned from one side to another . It is that, having started in a fright, in consequence of the presence, to his indistinct consciousness, of something unusual about his feet, he raised himself up and bent forward to feel what it was. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ruth 3:9

And he said, Who art thou? And she said, I am Ruth, thy handmaid; and thou hast spread thy wings over thy handmaid, for thou art kinsman. The Syriac translator spoils the question of Boaz by metamorphosing it from " Who art thou?" into " What is thy message?" Tremulous would be the voice of Ruth as she replied, "I am Ruth, thy handmaid." What she said in continuance has been very generally, and by Driver, among others, misapprehended. Not by Raabe, however. It has been regarded as a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ruth 3:9

His touch had satisfied him that it was a woman who was at his feet. Who was she? Ruth at once declared herself, no doubt in accents of sweet modesty. The statement with which she follows up the declaration of herself is variously interpreted. In King James's version there are two departures from literality. 1. The word skirt is not a literal rendering of the Hebrew term. Wings is the proper translation. 2. The entreaty Spread therefore is also a departure from literality. The... read more

Group of Brands