SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2024 – Page 9

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2:10

2:10a

At this: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as At this indicates that Ruth’s actions and words are the results of what Boaz said in 2:8–9. Some languages may not need a conjunction to connect these verses because the relationship between them will seem obvious. In other languages, it may be natural to use a conjunction such as “So” or “Then.”

she fell on her face, bowing low to the ground: Ruth probably knelt down, then bowed forward until her forehead touched the ground. She was doing this to show respect and gratefulness. If Ruth’s purpose for bowing like this is not clear, you may need to supply some information.

Here are some ways to make the purpose clear:

she ⌊humbly⌋ bowed down to the ground

2:10b

and said to him: Ruth asked a question in response to what Boaz had said to her. Use a word that is natural for this in your language.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

She asked him
-or-
She replied

Why have I found such favor in your eyes: The Hebrew phrase that means “to find favor in [someone’s] eyes” is an idiom that means “to receive approval, favor, or goodwill from a person.” This favor would normally be expressed in kind acts toward the person receiving approval. See how you translated the similar phrase in 2:2b.

Ruth was asking Boaz to tell her the reason why he would be so kind to her. This was a real, and not a rhetorical, question. That is shown by the fact that Boaz answered it.

Here are some other ways to translate this question:

Why are you so kind as to take notice of me (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Why are you so kind and attentive to me (NET Bible)
-or-
What have I done to deserve such kindness (New Living Translation (2004))

that you should take notice of me, even though I am a foreigner: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as take notice of means “give attention to” or “to regard with care/concern.” Ruth was amazed that Boaz was treating her so kindly, even though she was foreigner from Moab.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

when I am just a foreigner (Revised English Bible)
-or-
since I am a foreigner (English Standard Version)
-or-
I am not an Israelite. (New Century Version)

© 2024 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2:20

2:20a

May he be blessed by the LORD: Naomi again asked the LORD to bless Boaz.

2:20b

who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living or the dead: The Hebrew verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as withdrawn His kindness is more literally “forsaken, abandoned.”

There are two interpretation issues in this clause. The first is whether His kindness is the object or the subject of the Hebrew clause. The possibilities are:

(1) His kindness is the object of the verb. According to this interpretation, “he” is the subject of the verb, and kindness is something that “he” has not abandoned or forsaken. For example:

he has not abandoned his loyalty to the living or to the dead (NET Bible)

(2) His kindness is the subject of the verb. According to this interpretation, God’s kindness has not abandoned or forsaken his people. For example:

whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead (New Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

The second issue is that in Hebrew it is not clear who has not withdrawn His kindness. Scholars have interpreted the clause in two ways:

(1) The LORD is the subject of the verb. For example:

May he be blessed by the Lord, who never fails to show kindness to the living and to the dead. (New American Bible, Revised Edition)

(2) Boaz is the subject of the verb. For example:

May he be rewarded by the Lord because he has shown loyalty to the living on behalf of the dead. (NET Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with the majority of English versions.

who has not withdrawn His kindness: The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as withdrawn is more literally “abandoned” or “forsaken.” Naomi was saying that the LORD was still being kind and faithful to her family. The LORD was showing his kindness through Boaz.

In some languages, it may be more natural to say:

He has not stopped being kind
-or-
He has not stopped acting kindly
-or-
He has continued to act with kindness/faithfulness

His kindness: The Hebrew word ḥesed that the Berean Standard Bible translates as kindness means faithfulness, love, and loyalty. See also the note at 1:8d.

from the living: The phrase the living here refers to Naomi and Ruth. The LORD had been kind to them by guiding Ruth to the field of a relative who was generous to her.

or the dead: The phrase the dead here probably refers to Elimelech and his sons. Perhaps Naomi was already thinking that Boaz might act as a guardian-redeemer, marry Ruth, and so continue Elimelech’s family line. This would be considered a great kindness to Elimelech and his sons, who had all died.

2:20c

Naomi continued: The phrase Naomi continued indicates that Naomi continued speaking to Ruth. She started to talk about Boaz directly. Use the words that are normal in your language to indicate that the speaker continued to speak but changed the topic slightly.

The man is a close relative: Naomi referred to Boaz as The man. In some languages, it might not be polite to refer to a wealthy relative as The man. You should translate this with words that indicate respect.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Boaz is a close relative (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
That gentleman/landowner is a close relative

a close relative: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a close relative is literally “close/near to us.” It is clear from the context that Naomi was talking of kinship and family ties. Naomi refers to him as a close relative even though Boaz was a relative of her deceased husband. In some languages, it may be necessary to say “a close relative of our family/husbands.”

2:20d

He is one of our kinsman-redeemers: In Israel, close relatives had a responsibility to preserve the property and family name of those related to them. The closest relatives—a brother, uncle, or cousin—had the main responsibility. These closest relatives were called kinsman-redeemers. By using this special term, Naomi was saying that Boaz was one of the men who had a close enough family relationship to help both her and Ruth.

In some languages, a term such as “guardian/kinsman-redeemer” may be misunderstood, because most people will associate it with Christ’s role as the redeemer of sinners.

In some languages, it may be necessary to translate kinsman-redeemers with a phrase that clarifies the meaning in the context of this book. For example:

one of those who is supposed to look after us (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
one who should take care of us (New Century Version)
-or-
one of those responsible for taking care of us (Good News Translation)
-or-
one of those who have responsibility to care for our family
-or-
a relative with the duty to help us

It is suggested that you use one or more of the above examples where the phrase kinsman-redeemer occurs in the source line. In this verse part, Naomi is speaking to Ruth, so the inclusive pronoun “us” is used. In other contexts, such as where Ruth speaks to Boaz, the exclusive pronoun should be used.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2:19

Paragraph 2:19–22

2:19a

Then her mother-in-law asked her: This speech indicates that Naomi spoke to Ruth. Refer to the women in a way that is natural in your language for this point in the story.

Where did you glean today, and where did you work?: These questions imply that Naomi was happy and excited to see the large amount of grain. She quickly asked these two questions, and before Ruth had time to answer her, she blessed the landowner.

Here is another example of asking two questions:

Where did you gather all this grain today? Whose field have you been working in? (Good News Translation)

The two questions are basically asking the same thing. In some languages, it may not be natural to repeat questions to show surprise. In those languages, it may be better to translate them as one question that implies that Naomi was astonished and excited. For example:

Wherever did you gather grain today?

2:19b

Blessed be the man who noticed you: This Hebrew blessing is like a short prayer that asks God to do good to someone.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

God bless the man who treated you so well! (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
May the man who paid attention to you be blessed. (God’s Word)

noticed you: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as noticed you means “paid attention to you.” Naomi meant that the owner of the field had not only seen Ruth but had deliberately acted kindly to her. The same word was used in 2:10b.

2:19c

So she told her mother-in-law where she had worked: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as where she had worked is more literally “who I worked with him.” Since Ruth was answering Naomi’s questions about where she had worked, “with him” actually means “at his field/place.”

Here are some other ways to translate this verse part:

So Ruth told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked. (NET Bible)
-or-
Ruth told her mother-in-law whose field she had worked in. (New Century Version)

2:19d

The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz: This is a direct quotation of what Ruth said to Naomi. The author did not mention the name of Boaz until the end of the statement in order to increase suspense. Try to keep the same effect in your translation and emphasize the name Boaz.

she said: Notice that the Berean Standard Bible has placed this phrase at the end of what Ruth was saying. You should place this speech introduction wherever it would be most natural in your language.

General Comment on 2:19c–d

In the Hebrew and the Berean Standard Bible, 2:19c is an indirect quotation of Ruth’s words, and 2:19d is a direct quotation. In some languages, it may be more natural to combine these two verse parts and use only indirect speech. For example:

So Ruth told Naomi that she had been working in a field belonging to a man named Boaz. (Good News Translation)

Use direct speech or indirect speech, whichever is most natural in your language.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2:18

2:18a

She picked up the grain and went into the town: The text does not say how Ruth carried the grain. She may have had a basket, a bag, or a large piece of cloth into which she put the grain. She may have carried it on her shoulder or on her head.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

She picked it up and went into the town (God’s Word)
-or-
She took the grain to town (Contemporary English Version)

where her mother-in-law saw: There is a textual problem with the Hebrew verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as saw. There are two possibilities:

(1) The original text read saw. That is, Naomi saw what Ruth had brought. For example:

and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned (New American Standard Bible)

(2) The original text read “caused to see.” That is, Ruth showed Naomi what she had brought. For example:

and showed her mother-in-law how much she had gathered (Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with the majority of Hebrew manuscripts and English versions.

what she had gleaned: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as what she had gleaned does not emphasize that Ruth had gathered a large amount, but this is implied.

2:18b

And she brought out what she had saved from her meal and gave it to Naomi: The phrase what she had saved from her meal refers to the food that Ruth had left from her noon meal. See 2:14d. Boaz must have given her a very generous amount to eat, so she had some of that roasted grain to give to Naomi also.

Here are some other ways to translate this verse part:

Ruth also gave her the roasted grain that was left over from her meal. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Ruth also took out the food that was left over from lunch and gave it to Naomi. (New Century Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2:17

Paragraph 2:17–18

2:17a

So: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So here introduces what Ruth did as a result of what Boaz had said in 2:16.

Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening: Ruth worked gathering grain until dusk or evening, when it began to get dark.

Here are some other ways to translate this verse part:

So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. (New International Version)
-or-
Ruth worked in the field until evening. (Contemporary English Version)

2:17b

And when she beat out what she had gleaned: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as beat out refers to the process of separating grain from its stalks and husks or chaff. This process is also called threshing. Ruth beat the heads of grain, probably with a stick, to separate out the good grain, the seed kernels. This would make her load lighter, and she would only have to carry the good grain home.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Then she separated the grain from its husks. (God’s Word)
-or-
Then after she had pounded the grain off the stalks (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Then she threshed the barley she had gathered (New International Version)

2:17c

it was about an ephah of barley: After the threshing, Ruth ended up with approximately an ephah of barley. An ephah was a basket of a standard size that the Israelites used for measuring and carrying dry materials. Scholars are not certain as to how much an ephah held in modern measurements.

The following estimates are the most likely possibilities:

• by quantity:

15 liters, or approximately 4 gallons, or half a bushel

• by weight:

12 kilograms, or 25 pounds

However, the exact amount is not the important point. The main point is that this was a very large amount for someone to glean in one day. You should make this clear in your translation. Apparently Boaz’s workers had obeyed his instructions and left extra stalks of grain for Ruth to pick up. She herself must have worked hard to obtain this large amount.

There are several ways of translating the ancient measurement of ephah :

• You can transliterate the Hebrew word ephah. If you do this, you should include a footnote to explain how much this. Use a unit of measurement that would be meaningful to your readers. You could include this information in the text itself. For example:

an ephah, ⌊that is, half a bushel⌋

• You can use a word from your language that represents a measure that is more or less the same volume as the Hebrew ephah

• You can use an approximate measure. For example:

Then after she had pounded the grain off the stalks, she had a large basket full of grain. (Contemporary English Version)

Translate this unit of measurement in the way that best indicates to your readers that this was a lot of grain.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2:16

2:16a

Rather: In this context the Hebrew words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Rather introduce a further and unusual command. Boaz told the workers to drop some cut stalks so that there would be plenty of grain for Ruth to gather. This was a very unusual and generous command.

pull out for her some stalks from the bundles: The way in which reapers cut grain was to gather as many stalks as possible in one hand, while the stalks were still upright and in the ground. Then they cut off the stalks with a swing of their sickle, which they held in the other hand. Boaz apparently instructed his men to pull some stalks out of the handfuls they cut and let them fall on the ground. This would help Ruth gather more grain.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

pull out some heads of grain from the bundles (Good News Translation)
-or-
drop some full heads of grain for her from what you have in your hands (New Century Version)

bundles: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bundles can also be translated as “handfuls.” It probably refers to the bunches of grain stalks that the reapers held in their hands.

2:16b

and leave them for her to gather: Boaz told the workers to let the dropped stalks lie on the ground so that Ruth would be able to collect them.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

and let her gather them (New Century Version)
-or-
and leave it for her to gather (God’s Word)

2:16c

Do not rebuke her: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rebuke refers to telling someone that what they are doing is wrong or not allowed. In some languages, it may be natural to translate this command as a separate sentence. For example:

Don’t tell her not to! (NET Bible)
-or-
Don’t give her a hard time about it. (God’s Word)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2:15

2:15a

When Ruth got up to glean, Boaz ordered his young men: The Hebrew is not clear about the order in which these two events happened. It literally says, “And she got up to glean and Boaz commanded his men.” Most English translations other than the Berean Standard Bible are ambiguous about the time sequence. It is better to assume that Ruth got up while the others were still eating and then Boaz spoke to his men about her. Boaz probably would not talk to his men about her while she was still close by.

Here is a way to express the probable time sequence:

After she had left to go and gather grain, Boaz ordered the workers (Good News Translation)

his young men: This phrase refers to Boaz’s field workers.

2:15b

Even if she gathers among the sheaves: This clause implies that Boaz wanted Ruth to be able to gather grain among the sheaves. In many languages, it may be best to translate this as a command directed to the harvest workers. For example:

Allow/Permit her to glean among the sheaves
-or-
Let her gather even among the piles of cut grain. (New Century Version)

the sheaves: The sheaves were bundles of cut grain. Normally gleaners would only pick up grain in the part of the field that the workers had finished clearing. They would not pick up grain right near the sheaves.

2:15c

do not insult her: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as insult means “humiliate.” In this context, it probably refers to a verbal rebuke that would humiliate someone.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

do not reproach her (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
don’t embarrass her (New International Version (1984))
-or-
do not make her feel bad
-or-
don’t say anything to stop her (Good News Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2:14

Paragraph 2:14–16

2:14a

At mealtime Boaz said to her: The phrase At mealtime indicates the time when Boaz next spoke to Ruth. It would probably have been about noon.

Come over here: Boaz invited Ruth to join his workers. The word here refers to the general area where Boaz and his hired workers, both males and females, were eating. You may wish to translate this as an invitation or as a polite command. Consider how a landowner or employer would speak kindly to his workers. For example:

You may come and join us
-or-
Come, eat with us. (Contemporary English Version)

2:14b

have some bread: Again, this can be translated as an invitation or as a polite command. The Hebrew word meaning bread is used here to refer to the ordinary food served at the noon meal. Bread was the main food in Ruth’s time. If the speakers of your language do not eat bread every day and think of it as a special or luxury food, then use your own common word for “food.” For example:

and have some food (NET Bible)
-or-
and help yourself to some food (New Living Translation (2004))

and dip it into the vinegar sauce: Apparently the vinegar sauce was some kind of tasty sauce, probably fermented. Boaz was offering Ruth something that tasted good. Here are some other ways to translate this:

Dip your bread in the vinegar. (NET Bible)
-or-
You can dip your bread in the sour wine. (New Living Translation (2004))

If people in your culture do not dip bread in a sauce, or if you have referred to food in general in the previous clause, you may need to translate this in a different way. For example:

Help yourself to the sauce.
-or-
2:14c

So: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So indicates that what happened next is the result of Boaz’s invitation in 2:14a.

she sat down beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted grain: The two verbs she sat down and he offered refer to two consecutive actions. Here are some other ways to translate them:

So she sat down beside the harvesters. Then he handed her some roasted grain. (NET Bible)
-or-
So she sat beside the reapers, and he handed her some roasted grain. (God’s Word)

she sat down beside the harvesters: The harvesters, both men and women, were sitting eating together, and Ruth joined them.

and he offered her roasted grain: The Hebrew verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as offered is not found anywhere else in the Old Testament. In this context, it seems to indicate that Boaz handed or gave Ruth some grain.

roasted grain: This refers to fresh grain that the workers had roasted over the fire. Probably it was some of the barley that they had just harvested.

2:14d

and she ate and was satisfied: Ruth ate until she was satisfied and was no longer hungry. Here are some other ways to translate this:

She ate until she was full (God’s Word)
-or-
She ate all she wanted (New International Version)

and had some left over: Boaz gave Ruth more roasted grain than she was able to eat. Though this verse does not mention it, Ruth saved this extra food, and she later took the leftover grain home to Naomi.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

and she still had some food left over (Good News Translation)
-or-
she even had some food left over (New Century Version)

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2024

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2:10

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2:20

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2:19

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2:18

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2:17

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2:16

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2:15

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 2:14

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