Ruth 2:17

RUTH TELLS NAOMI OF THAT FIRST DAY'S GLEANING

"So she gleaned in the field until even; and she beat out that which she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. And she took it up, and went into the city; and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned: and she brought forth and gave to her that which she had left after she was sufficed. And her mother-in-law said unto her, here hast thou gleaned today? and where hast thou wrought? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought today is Boaz. And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of Jehovah, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is nigh of kin unto us, one of our near kinsmen. And Ruth the Moabitess said, Yea, he said unto me, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest. And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is good my daughter that thou go out with his maidens, and that they meet thee not in any other field. So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz, to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she dwelt with her mother-in-law."

"About an ephah of barley" (Ruth 2:17). Scholars give various answers regarding the exact size of an ephah, but the measurements range between four gallons and seven gallons. This is due to the fact that the ephah itself was a handmade vessel of variable sizes. It seems that this first day's gleaning by Ruth netted something in the vicinity of two-thirds of a bushel, enough to support two people for about five days.

What a glorious day this had been for both Ruth and Naomi! The gleaning had not only been successful that first day, but the invitation had been extended for Ruth to continue the gleaning through both the barley and wheat harvests, which would have reached until about June 1st. Besides that, Boaz' interest in Ruth opened up some possibilities that Naomi was quick to recognize, and her fertile mind had already jumped to the eventual solution of all their problems in the marriage of Ruth to the "near kinsman," especially and hopefully to Boaz.

"Thou shalt keep fast by my young men" (Ruth 2:21). "Young men" in this sentence is a general expression that includes both sexes, as is found often in Hebrew. This is indicated by Naomi's mention of the command in the very next verse, where it is evident that Boaz had commanded her to stay near his maidens.

"It is good that ... they meet thee not in any other field." (Ruth 2:22). "The word `meet' here is often, though not necessarily, used of hostile encounters, and perhaps here implies the dangers run by an unprotected foreigner."[8] That danger, of course, would be much more acute in the case of an unprotected foreign woman, especially a young and attractive one.