The servant who was set over the reapers answered, “It is the Moabite lady who came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab.
Parallel translations
- KJV And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab:
- BSB The foreman answered, “She is the Moabitess who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab.
- NKJV So the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered and said, “It is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab.
- NASB And the servant in charge of the reapers replied, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab.
- NLT And the foreman replied, “She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The foreman identifies Ruth as the Moabite who returned with Naomi. Her foreign origin and her loyalty are both highlighted.
Overview
The servant's answer reminds Boaz—and the reader—of Ruth's outsider status and her connection to Naomi. Her reputation has evidently preceded her. This identification sets up Boaz's generous response, showing that grace will reach even a Moabite who has taken refuge under the wings of Israel's God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ruth 1:22So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, who returned out of the country of Moab. They came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
- Matt 24:45“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season?
- Matt 20:8When evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.’
- Ruth 1:19So they both went until they came to Bethlehem. When they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was excited about them, and they asked, “Is this Naomi?”
- Gen 24:2Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please put your hand under my thigh.
- Gen 39:4Joseph found favor in his sight. He ministered to him, and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
- Ruth 1:16Ruth said, “Don’t urge me to leave you, and to return from following you, for where you go, I will go; and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God.
- Gen 15:2Abram said, “Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, since I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Boaz the kinsman-redeemer who buys back the destitute and takes a bride foreshadows Christ, our Redeemer who pays the price to make a people his own; and from Ruth's line comes David, and David's greater Son.
How Ruth 2:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.