When Ruth returned to her mother-in-law, Naomi 7 asked, 8 “How did things turn out for you, 9 my daughter?” Ruth 10 told her about all the man had done for her. 11
1 tn Or “blessed” (so NASB, NRSV).
2 tn Heb “my daughter.” This form of address is a mild form of endearment, perhaps merely rhetorical. A few English versions omit it entirely (e.g., TEV, CEV). The same expression occurs in v. 11.
3 tn Heb “latter [act of] devotion”; NRSV “this last instance of your loyalty.”
4 tn Heb “you have made the latter act of devotion better than the former”; NIV “than that which you showed earlier.”
sn Greater than what you did before. Ruth’s former act of devotion was her decision to remain and help Naomi. The latter act of devotion is her decision to marry Boaz to provide a child to carry on her deceased husband’s (and Elimelech’s) line and to provide for Naomi in her old age (see Ruth 4:5, 10, 15).
5 tn Heb “by not going after the young men” (NASB similar); TEV “You might have gone looking for a young man.”
6 tn Heb “whether poor or rich” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); the more common English idiom reverses the order (“rich or poor”; cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
sn Whether rich or poor. This statement seems to indicate that Ruth could have married anyone. However, only by marrying a גֹּאֵל (go’el, “family guardian”; traditionally “redeemer”) could she carry on her dead husband’s line and make provision for Naomi.
7 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Naomi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Heb “said.” Since what follows is a question, the present translation uses “asked” here.
9 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.
10 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Ruth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 sn All that the man had done. This would have included his promise to marry her and his gift of barley.