J nmo9'e English version, "the Monbitish the young women who bound the reaped damsol," it ie better, with Michaelis, Wright, corn into sheaves, moved onwarcl to thR Ro.a.be, to ndh&re to tho original indefinite- place where Ruth, keeping modeRtly far in ness, "a Moabitish maiden." Note the the rear, was gleaning. He entered into Zeu~ntio use of the word retwrned as conversation with her, and, amon" other e.pphed here, ns well as in eh. i 22, not only things, said to her, Rea.rest thou ;ot, my to Naomi, but also to Ruth. It is thus daughter 1 A grave antique way of drawin" used on the same Zeugmatic principle as the special attention to what is about to follow~ word di.e in Gen. xlvii. 19: "Wherefore "My daughter" is a fatherly expression, shall we die before thine eyes, both we and appropriate on the part of an elderly person our land?" when addressing a young woman. Do not Ver. 7. -The steward continues his account go to glean in the other field. Pointing, no of Ruth. She had respectfully solicited doubt, as he spoke, to a 'parcel' of adjoin- leave to glean. She said, Let me glean, I ing fields, belonging to a neigh bom- pro- pray thee, aud gather in bundles after the prietor. Boaz's interest and sympathy went reapers. The expression, "and gather in ?ut strong, ~II at once, towai:d the daughter- bundles," is in Hebrew C'~??V,~ 'f:l!?Q~1, m-law of his deceased relative. His heart and is rendered in King James's version, as was smitten with admiration for the modest also by Coverdale, Tremellius, Castellio, and fascinating widow. He said further to Luther, Michaelis, '' and gather among" or her, as he walked on along with her in the " beside the sheaves." But such a request direction of the reapers, and also do not on the part of Ruth would seem to be too po.ea ou hence. The expression is not a bold, the more especially as we find Boaz redundant repetition of the preceding utter- afterwards giving instructions to the young ance. It was intended, apparently, to direct men to allow her, without molestation, to Ruth to a particular line of gleaning-ground, glean "even between the sheaves" (ver. probably right behind the sheaf - binders 15). Hence Pagnin's free version is to be which it would be advantageous for her t~ preferred, " and gather bundles " (et congre- occupy. He would point it out with his gabo manipulos). Carpzov pleads for the hand. And so keep close by my young same interpretation, and translates thus : women. Their proximity would give the " Let me, I pray thee, glean, and collect the stranger a feeling of security, and her near- gleanings into bundles" (colligam obsecro ness to them in their work would be mani- spicas, collectasque accumulem in mani- festly for her benefit. pulos). Montanus too adopts it, and Raabe Ver. 9.-Boaz continues his talk, led on likewise (und sammele zu Hau/en). • The by an interest that was, probably, surprising steward praises Ruth's industry. And she to himself. Let thine eyes be ou the field came, and has remained ever since the which they are reaping. He feels increas- morning until just now. She had worked ingly anxious concerning the fascinating diligently, with scarcely any intermission, stranger, and gives her excellent counsel. from early morning. Drusius says that the "Let not thine eyes be wiled awav, wander- following expression, rendered in King ingly, from the work ou which thou art so James's version that she tarried a little in praiseworthily engaged." And go thou be- the house, occasioned him critical torture hind ' them.' The reference is not to the (locus hie et diu et acriter me torsit). same parties, who are indeterminately spoken Coverdale also had been inextricably per- of in the preceding clause-" which 'they' plexed. He renders it, "And within a litel are renping." A determinate feminine pro- whyle slie wolde have bene gone home noun makes it evident that the reference is agayne. w The word house troubled these to the maidens, who were working in the and many other interpreters, as if the refer- rear of the reapers (lg'JIJ,~ post e!M). Have ence were to Naomi's dwelling-house in the not r charged the young meu not to touch town. The reference, however, is evidently thee l A fine euphemistic injunction; that to a temporary hut, shed, tent, or booth was best obeyed, however, when most liter- erected in the harvest-field for the siesta of ally construed. And when thou thirstest, the workers, and the accommodation of the go to the jars, and drink of whatever the master, when he wns visiting by day, or young men may draw. Most likely it would exercising supervision by night. We would be from the well that was "by the gate" of translate the clause thus-" Her resting !It the city that the young men would draw- the J;iut (has been) little." Her siesta in that very well of which her illustrions the shade of the hut was but brief. She felt descendant, King David, spalce, when ha ns if she could not afford a long repose. "longed, and so.id, 0 that one would give Ver. 8.-And Boaz said to Ruth. We are me drink of the water of the well in Bethle- to suppose that Boaz, havin~ communicated hem, which is by the gate" (see 2 Sa.n1. with his overseer, nnd h11vmg inven some uiii. 14, 15 ; l Chron. xi. 17 18). When instructions to his re[lpers, and likewise to the water was drawn by the young men, 32 THE BOOK OF RUTH. [en. 11. 1--9.
then the mai<lPns would can-y the filled says Dean Stanley-, " close by the gate" of j,u:~ upon their heads to the resting-place. the town (' Sin1t1 and Palestine,' p. 163), Gleaners could not be expected to get the Yet not vei-y elose. "It is," says Dr. John freedom of the water which was thus so Wilson, "less than half 1t mile distant from laboriously drawn, and then fatiguingly the present village, and is in a rude enclo- carried from a distance. But Boaz made sure, and consists of a large cistern with Ruth free, nnd thus conferred on her a dis- several small apertures" (' Lands of tho tinguishing privilege, that must have been Bible,' vol. i. p. 399). Dr. Wilson has no at once most acceptable and most valuable. do~bt of its identity, though Dr. Robinson The Vulgate renders the last clause too hesitated to como to the same conclusion freely-" of which the young men' drink.'" (' Researches,' vol. ii. p. 168). The familiar well referred to "appears,"