The Pulpit Commentary — Ruth — Section 42

Yahveh God of Israel, to trust under whose the specification of the male workers. ' And wings thou &rt oome. Alreacly there were he prepared for her a bunch of parched stronks of light shooting athwart Boaz's com. !:)~~'. is only conjecturally rendered horizon. His very phraseology is getting "reached'' in King James's version, and by tippecl with unwontecl beauty. He sees Ruth many other translators. The renclerin" ill cowering trustfully uncler the outstretched given under the leadership of the Chaldee wings of Him who is "good to a.II, and whose Paraphrast, who explains the worcl by i:,•,~~, tender mercies are over all his works " in all lancls (see Pa. xci. 1-4). The metaphor, which is a pure Chaldec word for " reached." says Fuller, "is borrowecl from a hen, which, But light is thrown on the old Hebrew word with her clucking, summons together her by both Arabic and Sanscrit cognates, as straggling chickens, and then outstretcheth well as by the Septuagint version (i{3ovv,u,). the fan of her wings to cover them." "Who It meant to bind into a bunch or bv;nche& would not," says Topsell, "forsake the (see Fiirst and Raabe). The word is illus- shadow of all the trees in the wor Id to be trated by modern Oriental usage. Dr. W. covered under ' such ' wings ! " M. Thomson says, " Harvest is the time for parched corn. It is made thus :-A quantity Ver. 13.-May I continue to :find favour, of the best ears, not too ripe, are plucked air, in thine eyes, for indeed thou hast with the stalks attached. These are tied comforted me, and cheered the heart of into small parcels ; a blazing fire is kindled thine handmaid, and yet I have not the with dry grass and thorn bushes, and the position of one of thy maidens. To be one corn-heads are held in it until the chaff ill of his maidens was, in her estimation, to be mostly burnt off. The grain is thus suffi- in a most desirable condition. She could ciently roasted to be eaten, and it is a. not aspire to that. But as he had spoken favourite article all over the country" (' The so graciously to her heart, and soothed its Land and the Book,' p. 648). Mr. Legh, in sorrows, she trusted he would still befriend like manner, states, in MacMichael' s 'Journey, her. N,'?l,'t should not be rendered, with 1819, that, travelling in harvest-time in the the Vulgate, "I have found" (inveni) ; nor, country east of the Dead Sea, they one day with Tremellius and J u.nius, " I find " (in- rested near some cornfields, " where one of venio) ; but, with Piscator, opto.tively, "may the Arabs, having plucked some green ears I find" (inveniam), that is, "may I still of corn, parched them for us by putting find, may I continue to find." So Luther, them into the fire, e.nd then, when roasted, Coverdale, e.nd Michaelis. The courtesy- rubbing out the grain in his hands" (Kitto's expression, rendered in King J ames's version 'Pictorial Bible,' in loc. ). Sometimes, how- "my lord" ('?."l~=Mein-Herr or Mon- ever, the parched corn is otherwise prepared. aieur), is used, as Carpzov remarks, in "hu- Dr. Robinson says, " In one field, as we mility and civility." approached Kubeibeh, nearly 200 reapers Ver. 14.-And Boaz, at meal-time, said and gleaners were at work ; the latter being to her, Come along hither. Luther, Cover- nearly as numerous as the former. A few dale, and King's James's English translators were taking their refreshment, and offered took the expression "at meal-time" as part us some of their ' parched corn.' In the of the report of Boaz's words: "And Boaz season of harvest the grains of wheat, not said, At meal-time come along hither." yet fully dry and hard, are roasted in a pan But it is evidently to be taken, in accordance or on an iron plate, and constitute a very with the Masoretic punctuation, as the his- palatable article of food. This is eaten with torical statement of the narrator: "At bread, or instead of it. Indeed, the use of it meal-time, Boaz said, Come along hither." is so common at this time amon" the labour- At meal-time Boaz rejoined Ruth, and said ing classes, that this parched wheat is sold to her, " Come along hither." Then they in the markets ; e.nd it was among our list would walk along in company, till they of articles to be purchased at Hebron for our reached the siesta-hut. And eat of the journey to Wady Musa. The Arabs, it was bread, that is going, and dip thy morsel in said, prefer it to rice ; but this we did not the vinegar, or the sour wine that was find to be the case. The whole scene of the quite a favourite beverage with out-door reapers and gleaners, o.nd their 'parched workers. It had a peculiarly cooling and corn,' gave us II lively representation of the refreshing effect. It corresponded to the story of Ruth e.nd the ancient harve~t-timo posca used by the Roman soldiery, and in the fields of Boaz" (' Biblical Researches,' would, according to circumstances and in- vol. ii. p. 394, ed. 1841). Boaz had given dividual taste, be taken either " neat " or Ruth a kind of Benjamin's portion of parched diluted with water. And she sat by the rorn. She could not use it 1111. And she aide of the ree.pera. Probably along with ate, and was satisfied, and left over. Care- tho other young women, although the refer- fully reserving, however, aml " bnsketing ence tc them is accidentally overlapped by up" the liberal surplus.  THE BOOK OF RUTH. rca. II. 10-17