a i.e. Waich he formerly ſhewed to thoſe who are now dead, to wit, my Husband and his Sons whilit they were living, and now continues to us, tieir Wives, who are now alive. b Hebs ne of our Redeeme's, or Avengers, t9 whom it b-iongs to Avenge our perlions, and to Redeem our Lands, and ro M-.rry thee, che Widow and Re- lIi& of his next kinſman, as is expreſſed, Ruth 3: 9: She ſaith, one of them, not that there were many who were immedi tely ſuch, bur that he was a very near Kinſman, and one ro wiaom that Office be- longed, in caſc of the r:tufal of cn? perſon, of whom ſhe cighcl, conjeftured that he would refuſe, as he did.
21 And Ruth the Moabitels faid, He ſaid unto me alſo, Thou ſhalt keep faſt by my young men, until they have ended all my harveſt c.
c Both Barley-harveſt, and Wheat-harveſt, as 1s ſaid, v. 23.
22 And Naomi {aid unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his mai- dens, and that they || meet thee not in any other heid 4.
d Whereby thou wiltlt both expoſe thy ſelf to many inconvenien- cies, which thou may'ſt exp<& from Strangers ; and incur his diſ-
pleaſure, as if thou didft either deſpiſe his pr.ffered kindneſs, or doubt of the ſincerity of his AffeCtion and Off-rs.
23 So ſhe kept faſt by the maidens of Boaz to glean: unto the end of barley-harveſt, and of wheat-harveſt and dwelt e with her mother in jaw.
e Heb. ſar, or continued at home, when ſhe had diſpatched her oc
caſion> abroad, and did not wan4er or gad abroad, atter the manner of idle Perſons and Harlots, Prov; 7. 11, 12.
CHAP. III.
By Naomies Advice, Ruth lieth at Bos his fort, 5m —7, He awaking commenaeth what fhe had done, and acknow!ec or! the Right of a Kinſman. Tells her there was a nearer Kinſman, to whom he would offer her refuſmng, he would redeem her, 8x 13+ of Barley, 14, 18-
right t0 r= deems
[ Or, fall
upon thee,
w/1) Senas her away with 6 meaſures
© -
| bay” Naomi her mother in law ſaid unto her, My daughter, ſhall I nor ſzek reſt 2 for thee, that it
may be well with thee ?
a i, e. Alife ofReſt, and Comfort, and Safety, under the Care of a good Husband. The Dueſticn tuppoleth an Affirmative Anſwer: I will ſeek it, as my Dury binds me.
2 Andnow, #s not Boaz of our kindred, with whoſe maidens thou waſt ? Behoid, he winnoweth barley to night in the threſhing floor 6.
b Which was in a place covered at the top, but open elſewhere, whither Ruth might eaſily come. And this work of winnowing Corn was uſuaily begun or ended with « Feaſr, as may be gathered both from wv. 7. and trom other Inſtances, wh: rein they uſ-d to do ſo upon !ike occations: and this work was to begin this Evening, and 25 ſome chink, was done only in the Evenings, when the heat grew oſs, and the wind began ro blow. Sce Gen. 3+ 8.
3 Waſh thy ſeit therefore, and anovint thee, and put thy raiment c upon thee, and get thee down to the toors bus make not thy ſelf known unco the man d, until he ſhall have done eating and drinking. :
c To wit, thy beſt Raimenr. All rhis was done to render herſelf more Amiable inthe Eyes of Boaz. O%4j. Bur Boaz could not ſee her, the whole buſineſs being to be rranſatted by Night. Anſwe Firſt, Tt was begun in the beginning of the Night, as ſoon as Boaz had ſup- ped and compoſed himſelf to reſt ; as appears from wv. 4, 7 when there was ſo much Light left as might diſcover her to him: Se- cordly, There being a Solemn Feaft this Evening, as is very pro- bably cheughty and the Maſter of the Feaſt having Invired his La- bouring Peop'eto it, and Ruth among the reſt, it 1s likely that both ſhe and the reſt did put themſelves into their beſt Dreſs upon that occaſion, as the manner is even at this day ; and ſo he had oppor- tunity enough to ſee her. d To wit, not in fo familiar a way, as ſhe was appointed to do, fo as he might know her, in the ſeriſe in which that word is ſometimes uſed.
4 Andit ſhall be, when he lieth down e, that thou (halt mark the place where he ball lie, and thou ſhalt
g0 in f, and || uncover his feer g, and lay thee down, || Or, lift and he will tell thee what thou thalt do h. up the
thoſe hot Counties. f Though Naomi and Ruth ſeem to be ver- 47? 97 his ruous and modeſt Women, and their intent was Lawful and Honeſt; fe*t- y<t there ſeems to be a manifold irregulariry in the manner of ir. ! Or, 700k Firſt, Ic ſeems to bz againſt thar Modefty, which ſhould be emi- #014 on» nent in thar Sex, and in unmarricd perſons. Secondiy, Agaioſt Honeſty, both becauſe it was an ivjury to ancther Perſon, who was nearer akin, whoſe right this was ; which Nami could not be Ig norant of: and becaule it was a Prepoſterovs and Precipitant Me- thod, not agreeabie either to che Rules of Scripture, or the Uſage of well-mannered N.tions, or that Decency which even Nature requires. Thirdly, Againſt Prudence ; for it might have proved the occaſion, as cf many Sins. ſo of great ſhame to all of them ;; and a means to Alienate his AffeC&ion from her, which ſhe ſought to engage. Ard though there be ſome Circumſtances which Al- leviite the FaQ, as the experience which Naomi had of che Wiſdom and Sobriety both of Boaz and of Ruth, y<t ſhe knew nor what the event would be ; and that there was ſfomerhing cf ſhame fulneſs in the thing, may be gathered both from Naom!”'s choice of the Night for it, as if it were a work of Darkneſs; and from Boaz his fear leaſt this ſhould be known, v. 14+ And it is an aggravation of it, thar this C-urſe was unneceſſary, and ſhe bad a plain and likely way, which was dire&!y to Addreſs her ſe}f to Boaz, or thenext Kinſman, and to require the Duty, which by G:ds Law he was bound to per- form, and this befere Wirn«fles, as Boaz did! Ard her Clande» ſtine proceeding ſeems to have ariſen from adiſtruſt of Gods pros vidence, to bring abour what ſhe deſired in the ordinary ways g Remove the Clothes which were upon his feet ; thereby to awaken bim. þ How thou ſhouli-it carry thy ſelf, or what courſe thou ſhalr tak-ro obrain tbar Marriage which belongs unto thee. Only there were ſome Ritestobe obſerved, and Circumſtznce«to be done, efore they came to the concluſtcn of the Marriage, about which Boaz wou'd inſtrutt her.
5 And ſhe {aid unto her, All that thou ſaiſt unto me, T will do z.