Discovery BoxRuth 3:3 
Context3:3 So bathe yourself, 1 rub on some perfumed oil, 2 and get dressed up. 3 Then go down 4 to the threshing floor. But don’t let the man know you’re there until he finishes his meal. 5
Ruth 3:7
Context3:7 When Boaz had finished his meal and was feeling satisfied, he lay down to sleep at the far end of the grain heap. 6 Then Ruth 7 crept up quietly, 8 uncovered his legs, 9 and lay down beside him. 10
Ruth 3:10
Context3:10 He said, “May you be rewarded 11 by the Lord, my dear! 12 This act of devotion 13 is greater than what you did before. 14 For you have not sought to marry 15 one of the young men, whether rich or poor. 16
Ruth 3:18--4:1
Context3:18 Then Naomi 17 said, “Stay put, 18 my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out. For the man will not rest until he has taken care of the matter today.”
4:1 Now Boaz went up 19 to the village gate and sat there. Then along came the guardian 20 whom Boaz had mentioned to Ruth! 21 Boaz said, “Come 22 here and sit down, ‘John Doe’!” 23 So he came 24 and sat down.
Ruth 4:15
Context4:15 He will encourage you and provide for you when you are old, 25 for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, has given him birth. She 26 is better to you than seven sons!”
1 tn The perfect with prefixed vav (ו) consecutive here introduces a series of instructions. See GKC 335 §112.aa for other examples of this construction.
2 tn For the meaning of the verb סוּךְ (sukh), see HALOT 745-46 s.v. II סוך, and F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 150. Cf. NAB, NRSV “anoint yourself”; NIV “perfume yourself”; NLT “put on perfume.”
3 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) has the singular שִׂמְלֹתֵךְ (simlotekh, “your outer garment”), while the marginal reading (Qere) has the plural שִׂמְלֹתַיִךְ (simlotayikh) which might function as a plural of number (“your outer garments”) or a plural of composition (“your outer garment [composed of several parts]).”
tn Heb “and put your outer garment on yourself”; NAB “put on your best attire.” The noun שִׂמְלָה (simlah) may refer to clothes in general (see R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth [NICOT], 197, n. 7) or a long outer garment (see F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 150-51). Mourners often wore mourning clothes and refrained from washing or using cosmetics (Gen 38:14, 19; 2 Sam 12:20; 14:2), so Ruth’s attire and appearance would signal that her period of mourning was over and she was now available for remarriage (see Bush, 152).
4 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) has וְיָרַדְתִּי (vÿyaradtiy, “then I will go down”; Qal perfect 1st person common singular), while the marginal reading (Qere) is וְיָרַדְתְּ (vÿyaradt, “then you go down”; Qal perfect 2nd person feminine singular) which makes more much sense in context. It is possible that the Kethib preserves an archaic spelling of the 2nd person feminine singular form (see F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 144-45).
5 tn Heb “until he finishes eating and drinking”; NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV, CEV “until he has finished.”
6 tn Heb “and Boaz ate and drank and his heart was well and he went to lie down at the end of the heap”; NAB “at the edge of the sheaves.”
7 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Ruth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 sn Ruth must have waited until Boaz fell asleep, for he does not notice when she uncovers his legs and lies down beside him.
9 tn See the note on the word “legs” in v. 4.
10 tn The words “beside him” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Cf. TEV “at his feet”; CEV “near his feet.”
11 tn Or “blessed” (so NASB, NRSV).
12 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.
13 tn Heb “latter [act of] devotion”; NRSV “this last instance of your loyalty.”
14 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).
15 tn Heb “by not going after the young men” (NASB similar); TEV “You might have gone looking for a young man.”
16 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.
17 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Naomi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18 tn Heb “sit”; KJV “Sit still”; NAB “Wait here”; NLT “Just be patient.”
19 tn The disjunctive clause structure (note the pattern vav [ו] + subject + verb) here signals the beginning of a new scene.
20 tn Sometimes translated “redeemer.” See the note on the phrase “guardian of the family interests” in 3:9.
21 tn Heb “look, the guardian was passing by of whom Boaz had spoken.”
22 tn Heb “turn aside” (so KJV, NASB); NIV, TEV, NLT “Come over here.”
23 tn Heb “a certain one”; KJV, ASV “such a one.” The expression פְלֹנִי אַלְמֹנִי (pÿloni ’almoni) is not the name of the nearest relative, but an idiom which literally means “such and such” or “a certain one” (BDB 811-12 s.v. פְלֹנִי), which is used when one wishes to be ambiguous (1 Sam 21:3; 2 Kgs 6:8). Certainly Boaz would have known his relative’s name, especially in such a small village, and would have uttered his actual name. However the narrator refuses to record his name in a form of poetic justice because he refused to preserve Mahlon’s “name” (lineage) by marrying his widow (see 4:5, 9-10). This close relative, who is a literary foil for Boaz, refuses to fulfill the role of family guardian. Because he does nothing memorable, he remains anonymous in a chapter otherwise filled with names. His anonymity contrasts sharply with Boaz’s prominence in the story and the fame he attains through the child born to Ruth. Because the actual name of this relative is not recorded, the translation of this expression is difficult since contemporary English style expects either a name or title. This is usually supplied in modern translations: “friend” (NASB, NIV, RSV, NRSV, NLT), “so-and-so” (JPS, NJPS). Perhaps “Mr. So-And-So!” or “Mr. No-Name!” makes the point. For discussion see Adele Berlin, Poetics and Interpretation of Biblical Narrative, 99-101; R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth (NICOT), 233-35; F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 196-97. In the present translation “John Doe” is used since it is a standard designation for someone who is a party to legal proceedings whose true name is unknown.
24 tn Heb “and he turned aside” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “And he went over.”
25 tn Heb “and he will become for you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age” (NASB similar).
26 tn Heb “who, she”; KJV “which is better to thee.”
