; The Confidence ſhe had in Naomi's Wiſdom and Piery, and -ru: Love to her, made her ready to f:'!low her Advice, wherein he was the more excuſable, becauſe ſhe did not underſtand the Laws and Cuitoms of the Ccuntry, as Nami did.
64 And ſhe went down uncothe floor, and did ac- cording to all that her mother in law bade her.
7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk &, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and ſhe came ſoftly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.
k& To wir, liberally, as the manner was upon thoſe occaſions. See Juag. 9. 27. Pſal. 4. 7 Iſa. 9. 3+
8 C And it came to paſs at midnight /, that the man - was afraid, and || curned himleif »z, and behold, awo- man lay at his feet ».
I He did not diſcover her ſocner, though ſhe did uncover his Feet, beiny ir teems 1a a deep ſleep, as is uſual after Feaſts, and ſhe deg 10 more than her Mctaer command-d ter, anduſing no words or geſtures which mighr provoke his Luſt « wherein ſhe ſhewed her
ſemperance and Medetty, and that what ſh+ did was only by b<r Mo hers Inſtigation and advice, which p/«inly appeared from her de= 11 exprelled, ve 9, which he knew, ſhe being a Stranger, was unac- quainr-d with And this was the reaſon why Boaz was not in the _ ei{t off-nded with her, but only commends her Vertuz, without any refl:&tion upon her for this Fatt. » From the place where he 'ay, he raiſed and turned himſelf rowards the Feer, to learn who or what was there. Or, he was troubl:d, os afraid, or wondared, For
the Hebrew word bring but once uſed, is diverſly rendred. | 2-32 a Whick
Ld
il Wl t
i
Clup m
e To reſt or {leep, as upon ſuch occaſions they uſed to do in clothes thi *
| | Chap.
that hath r:ght to Yeacem.
+} H«b.
£3te.
Or, apr0%.
IV:
Or> ane OVeETr
I] Or, /h-er,
s t of f 1 might nhderſtand, either by ſome glimmerings © —_— 90. afcer midnight, which diſcovered her ; or —_— , wk voice, or out of her own nate being asked, told him much in general, before he made particular enquiry» - 9 And he ſaid, Who art thou? And ſhe anſwered, 1 am Ruth thine hand-maid : ſpread therefore thy skirt thine hand-maid o, for thou art || a near kinſman« o (i. e. ) Take me to be thy Wife, and perform the Duty of by Husband to me. This phraſe is uſed in this ſenſe, Deur. 22. _ 27 20, Exek, 16. 8. Either, Firſt, Becauſe the Wife is rp ey in- ro the ſame Bed with her Husband, and both are covered with one and the ſame covering. Or, Secondly, From an ancient _— of the Husbands throwing the Skirt of his Garment over her Head, in token borh of her ſubje&ion. 1 Cor, 11. 5, 6, 10- and approPria- tion to him, being hereby as it were kid from the Eyes of __ ; See Gen. "="; 6. and alſo of that proteQtion which he oweth to her; ſee Ruth 2: 12. |
io And he ſaid, Bleſſed be thou of the LORD, my daughter : for thou haſt bewed more kindneſs p in the lacter end, than at the Ieguaning, in as much as _
llowedft not young men q, whether poor, Or ricn. = Both to thy A fe Hardand, the continuance of whoſe Name and Memory thou preferreſt before the ſatisfation ofthy own Luſt; and to thy Mother-in-law, whoſe Commands thou haſt punCtually obeyed, even with thy own hazard in to doubtful an Eaterprize. 9 Toſeck thy Marriage either here, or in thy own Country as thou wouldeſt have done if thou hadſt not preferred Obcdience to Gods Command, before the pleaſing of thy 1elf.
11 And now my daughter, fear not r, I will do to thee all that thou requireſt (: for all the + city of my people doth know, that thou art a vertuous woman.
y Taink not that I deſpiſe and Reje&rhee, becautc I do not 1m- mediarely comply with thy Deſire. / (6. ) Marry thee, upon the Condition here following. : .
12 And now it is true, that I am zby near kinſman: howbeic, there is a kin{man nearer than I. :
12 Tarry this night, and it ſhall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinſ- man z, weli, let him do the kinſmans part : but if he wiil not-do the part of a kin{man to thee, then will I do the part of a kinſman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning. ' | .
t (i. e.) Take thee to Wife, to raiſe up Seed to his Brother, as he ougkr ro do. ; { es
14 And ſhe lay at his feet until the morning : and ſhe roſe up before one could know another x. And he ſaid, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor x.
u (7.6. } While it was yetſo dark that one perſon could not dif- cern another. Or, before one did know the other ; ( i.e. ) before they were carnal'y known to one another. x He takes care to preſerve not only his Conſcience cowards God, but his Reputation, and hers alio amorig Men. , j
i5 Alito he ſaid, Bring the || veil y that thou haſt upon thee, and hold it. And when ſhe held it, he meaſured ſix meaſures & of barley, and laid i# on her : and ſhe
crit into the City. af ir, the apron, = as Women ordinarily Wear. Z Known and ofh 1meaiue : Iris nor d:termined kow large thoſe Meaſures were, bur this *! e Na-ure of the thing ſhews» that they were no Jarger than one Woman could carry in her Ve1!, or Apron. |
16 Ard when ſhe came to her mother in law, ſhe ſaid, Who art chou, my daughter *.'? and ſhe told her all that the man had done to her.
** Eirher. Firſt, She did not diſtintly know who ſhe was, be- cauie it was dark, and ſo calls her Daughter only 1n genera], as elder Women call the younger. But ſhe could as eaſily have diſcerned
ho ſb , as what her Age was. Or, Secondly, This is not a Queſtion of doubting, but of wonder, as if ſhe had ſaid Art thou
' in very deed my D-ughter ? I can hardly believe it, How comeſt
tn-u hither in his manner, and thus early ?
1- And the ſaid, Theſe ſix meaſures of barley gave he me, for he ſaid to me, Go not empty to thy mother in law. | :
18 "Then ſaid ſhe, Sit ſtill my daughter until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be inreft, until he have finiſhed the thing this day.
CR ADP. | IY. th up to the gate, calleth his kinſman 2 enquires whether he would re- 1; 5 oginl I-94 eur 1 ——5. He refuſeth, 6,—8. Boaz, the people witneſſmg and congratulatingy buyeth the Inheritance and marrieth Ruth, I2. She beareth Obed the grand-father of David, 13, I7. The Genealogie from Pharez unto David, 18z 22%
£ gran went Boaz up to the gate 4, and fate him
down there: and behold, the kinſman of whom Boaz ſpake, came by, unto whom he ſaid, Ho, ſuch an one b, turn aſide, ſit down here c. And he turned
aſide, and fate down. .