Ruth 2:4
in Ruth 2Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and said to the harvesters, “The LORD be with you.” “The LORD bless you,” they replied.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the reapers, Jehovah be with you. And they answered him, Jehovah bless thee.
KJV
And, behold, Boaz came from Beth–lehem, and said unto the reapers, The Lord be with you. And they answered him, The Lord bless thee.
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This verse in Ruth 2
Commentary
5 notes on this verseBoaz came from Beth-lehem - This salutation between Boaz and his reapers is worthy of particular regard; he said, יהוה עמחם Yehovah immachem, “Jehovah be with you!” They said, יברכך יהוה yebarechecha Yehovah, “May Jehovah bless thee!” Can a pious mind read these godly salutations without wishing for a return of those simple primitive times? The words may be thus paraphrased: “May God be with you, to preserve you from accidents, and strengthen you to accomplish your work!” “May God bless Thee with the increase of the field, and grace to use his bounty to the glory of the Giver!”
This site's exposition
So Ruth departed and went out into the field
on Ruth 2:3-4
The narrator's phrase, "she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz", is the flattest Hebrew way of saying chance. Matthew Henry and later writers read it as understatement, since verse 1 has named the field's owner.
This site's exposition
The LORD be with you
Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greets his harvesters with the name of the LORD, and they answer him with a blessing in the same terms. Adam Clarke reads the exchange as the ordinary speech of a godly household. Ruth has found a good master.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And, behold, Boaz came to Bethlehem,....
(2.) Let us hence learn to use, [1.] Courteous salutations, as expressions of a sincere good-will to our friends. [2.] Pious ejaculations, lifting up our hearts to God for his favour, in such short prayers as these.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהִנֵּה־ | vehineh- | and there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| בֹ֗עַז | voaz | Boaz | H1162 → | 24 times |
| בָּ֚א | ba' | [was] coming | H935 → | 2568 times |
| מִבֵּ֣ית | mibeit | from Beth- | H1035 → | 82 times |
| לֶ֔חֶם | lechem | -lehem | H1035 → | 82 times |
| וַיֹּ֥אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לַקּוֹצְרִ֖ים | lakotzrim | to the harvesters | H7114 → | 49 times |
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| עִמָּכֶ֑ם | ʾimakhem | [be] with you | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| וַיֹּ֥אמְרוּ | vaiyomeru | and they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| ל֖וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| יְבָרֶכְךָ֥ | yevarekha | may he bless you | H1288 → | 330 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וְהִנֵּה־and there!
vehineh-H2009 →843 times
בֹ֗עַזBoaz
voazH1162 →24 times
בָּ֚א[was] coming
ba'H935 →2568 times
מִבֵּ֣יתfrom Beth-
mibeitH1035 →82 times
לֶ֔חֶם-lehem
lechemH1035 →82 times
וַיֹּ֥אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לַקּוֹצְרִ֖יםto the harvesters
lakotzrimH7114 →49 times
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
עִמָּכֶ֑ם[be] with you
ʾimakhemH5973 →1050 times
וַיֹּ֥אמְרוּand they said
vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times
ל֖וֹto <the> him
lo
יְבָרֶכְךָ֥may he bless you
yevarekhaH1288 →330 times
יְהוָֽה׃Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Thessalonians 3:16Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
it leads to
- Psalms 29:11
The LORD gives His people strength; the LORD blesses His people with peace.
- John 16:33
I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”
- Matthew 1:23
“Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).
- Psalms 29:11
Through
Luke 1:28The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
it leads to
- Judges 6:12
And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
- Luke 1:30
So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
- Daniel 10:19
“Do not be afraid, you who are highly precious,” he said. “Peace be with you! Be strong now; be very strong!” As he spoke with me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord,…
- Ephesians 1:6
to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.
- Daniel 9:21–23
while I was still praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.
- Judges 6:12
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Ruth
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonJudgesBoazThe mighty man of wealth in Bethlehem who spread his skirt over Ruth as kinsman-redeemer (goel), bought the inheritance at the gat…
- PlaceBethlehemBethlehemDavid’s town, six miles south of Jerusalem, where Ruth gleaned, where Samuel anointed a shepherd boy, and where Jesus was born as…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.