SECTION XXX

 

Ruth 3:16-17

 

Text:

 

:Ah!t7v š„7k‘v`7a7g r‚#A4t‘k7ƒ ,ˆ2t šÜ7k‘sŁŹ«*Ż•u h×!Ż1c }Ż±*t‘h!n r#nt`„Ż•u šÜ7,¨n4j‘k#t «t¨c7Ż•u   zy

o„7eh2r h!t¨‚c7Ż‘k*t [hÜ8k2t] Ü8 2  r±*n7t h1ƒ‰ h×1k i*,±¶b v3¦„2t7v oh‚!r`g}Ľ8v‘A2A r#nt`´Ż•u   zh

:L2,¨n4j‘k#t

 

Targum:

 

TANAKH

Translation

SEPTUAGINT

Translation

«t¨c7Ż•u

and she came

 

 

‘k#t

to

 

 

šÜ7,¨n4j

her mother-in-law

 

 

r#nt`„Ż•u

and she asked

 

 

‘h!n

who

 

 

}Ż±*t

 

 

 

h×!Ż1c

my daughter

 

 

‘sŁŹ«*Ż•u

and she told

 

 

šÜ7k

to her

 

 

,ˆ2t

 

 

 

‘k7ƒ

all

 

 

r‚#A4t

that

 

 

‘v`7a7g

he did

 

 

š„7k

to her

 

 

:Ah!t7v

the man

 

 

r#nt`´Ż•u

and she said

 

 

‘A2A

six

 

 

oh‚!r`g}Ľ8v

the barleys

 

 

v3¦„2t7v

the these

 

 

i*,±¶b

he gave

 

 

h×1k

to me

 

 

h1ƒ‰

for

 

 

Ü8 2  r±*n7t

he said

 

 

[hÜ8k2t]

to me

 

 

‘k*t

not

 

 

h!t¨‚c7Ż

you return

 

 

o„7eh2r

empty handed

 

 

‘k#t

to

 

 

:L2,¨n4j

your mother-in-law

 

 

 

Peshitta

 

3:16 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said to her, Who are you, my daughter? And she an­swered, I am Ruth, and she told her all that Boaz had done for her;

 

3:17 And how he had given her six measures of barley, and had said to her, Go not empty-handed to your mother-in-law.

 

Stone’s Translation

 

3:16 She came to her mother-in-law who said, “Who are you, my daughter?” So she told her all that the man had done for her,

 

3:17 and she said, “He gave me these six measures of barley for he said to me, ‘Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’”

 

KJV

 

3:16 And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who [art] thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.

 

3:17 And she said, These six [measures] of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.  

 

Septuagint

Ruth 3:16 kai; Rouq eijsh'lqen pro;" th;n penqera;n aujth'" hJ de; ei\pen tiv" ei\ quvgater kai; ei\pen aujth'/ pavnta o{sa

ejpoivhsen aujth'/ oJ ajnhvr

Ruth 3:17 kai; ei\pen aujth'/ ta; e}x tw'n kriqw'n tau'ta e[dwkevn moi o{ti ei\pen prov" me mh; eijsevlqh/" kenh; pro;" th;n penqeravn sou

 

Ruth 3:16-17 And Ruth came to her mother-in-law, who then said to her, “My daughter!” And she told her all that the man had done for her. 17 And she said to her, “These six measures of barley he gave me, for he said to me, 'Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.'” 

 

 

Peshat Level:

 

Targum

 

3:16 She came to her mother-in-law at daybreak, and Naomi said to her: "Who are you? My daughter?" Then she told her everything that the man had done. He had acted on instructions revealed to him through the medium of prophecy.

 

3:17 "The man gave me these six se’ah of barley," said she, "Saying to me: 'You must not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed."'

 

 

Gemarah Level:

 

Talmud Babli

 

Nedarim 37b  for he said – It is written: “for he said,” and read: “for he said to me” – a “halachah to Moses from Sinai”.

 

 

Midrash Level:

 

Midrash Rabbah

 

Ruth VII:4 AND WHEN SHE CAME TO HER MOTHER-IN-LAW, SHE SAID: WHO ART THOU MY DAUGHTER (III, 16). Did she then not recognize her? Yes, but she meant, ‘Are you still a virgin or a married woman?’ She answered, A virgin, AND SHE TOLD HER ALL THAT THE MAN HAD DONE TO HER (ib.).

 

Ruth VII:5 AND SHE SAID: THESE SIX MEASURES OF BARLEY GAVE HE TO ME (III, 17). R. Alexander said: Wherever the children of Israel went, they did not depart there from empty-handed. From the spoil of Egypt they did not depart empty-handed, nor did they leave empty handed the spoil of Sihon and Og, nor did they depart empty-handed from the spoil of the thirty-one kings. The word rekam (empty-handed) occurs in connection with Egypt, as it is said, And it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty-handed-rekam (Exodus III, 21). And in connection with the Festival pilgrims, as it is said, And none shall appear before Me empty-handed-rekam (ib. XXIII, 15); and in connection with the righteous, as it is said, FOR HE SAID UNTO ME: GO NOT EMPTY-HANDED UNTO THY MOTHER-IN-LAW (III, 17). The word ’rekam‘ which occurs in connection with the righteous is to be compared not to that of Egypt, but to that of the Festival Pilgrims, as we have learnt: The re'iyyah-offering must be not less than two pieces of silver in value, and the Festival-offering not less than one ma'ah of silver.         

 

 

Zohar Level:

 

 

Other Commentaries:

 

Me’am Lo’ez

 

3:16 She came to her mother-in-law, who said, “Who are you, my daughter?” So she told her all that the man had done for her.

 

Despite her heavy load, Ruth walked the long distance home with her characteristic quickness, and arrived while it was yet dark and the door was still locked. Her knock startled Naomi, who had just dozed off after a sleepless night of worry about Ruth. At the sight of a woman— concealed by a veil or perhaps by darkness—Naomi asked, “Who are you?”

 

She quickly recovered her presence of mind, however, and Ruth did not have to identify herself. Instead, she launched directly into an account of the night’s events.

 

According to the Midrash, Naomi asked, “What is your situation? Are you despondent or hopeful? Are you single or married?” Ruth responded by recounting all that Boaz had done for her.

 

3:17 And she said, “These six barley-corns he gave me, for he said (to me), “Come not empty-handed to your mother-in-law.”

 

Naomi might well have taken the grain as a sign that Boaz did not intend to redeem Ruth. For if she were about to enter his house, why was he sending provisions to her house? Therefore Ruth wisely added that the grain was for Naomi.

 

By sending Naomi a gift, she said, Boaz had indicated his wish that Ruth continue to remain close to her mother-in-law. In this way Ruth reassured Naomi that she would not forsake her after her marriage.

 

The term hkt, “to me,” though pronounced, is not written in the text, to hint at Ruth’s hidden potential to become the forebear of the six right­eous men (see earlier, on v. 15), symbolized by the six seedling grains.

 

Abraham Ibn Ezra

 

 

Malbim

 

16. [Ruth] came to her mother-in-law. This implies that Boaz accompanied her on the road. However, they separated when they approached the city -Boaz continuing on alone into the city while Ruth went to her mother-in-law unaccompanied, who said, "Who are you, my daughter?" From Naomi's question it is understood that when Ruth arrived at the house of her mother-in-law it was still too dark for her to be readily identified and therefore she asked who it was that came.

 

17. She then said, "He gave me these six barley grains. " Not for the purpose of betrothal, for he said to me, "Do not come to your mother-in-law empty-handed," but that we should have enough for breakfast.

 

Alshich