The Pulpit Commentary — Ruth — Section 50

winnowing barley on the threshing-:8.oor to- N.E. slope of a long rirlgc; another deep night. Literally, "Lo, he is winnowing the valley, Wady Ta.'amirah, being on the south threshing-floor of barley." The Hebrews side, which passes down north of the Frank could idiomatically speak of " the threshing- Mountain toward the Dead Sea., receiving floor of barley," meaning "the threshing- the valley under Mar Elyas not far below. floor-ful of barley." Tho barley lay heaped Toward the west the hill is higher than the up iu Boaz'e threshing-floor~- and he was village, and then sinks down very gradually engaged in winnowing it. J:ie threw up toward W ady Ahmed" (' Biblical Researches ' against tho wind the mingled mass that was vol. ii. p. 158). Let not your preaence be on his floor, after the stalks had been care- known to the me.n before he he.a finished fully trodden or beaten. "Not far," says ea.ting and drinking. It would have been Dr. Horatio Hackett, "from the site of imprudent and impolitic to have discovered ancient Corinth, I passed a heap of grain, her presence while his servants and himself which some labourers were employed in were blISied in operations which required to winnowing. They used for throwing up the be actively prosecuted while the breeze was mingled wheat and chaff a three-pronged favourable, and the light of the moon service- wooden fork, having a handle three or four able. Ruth was to wait till the servants feet long" ('Illustrations,' p. 106). "The having finished their work and their repast' winnowing," says Dr. Kitto, "was performed had retired to their respective homes. Th; by throwing up the grain with a fork against master, as Naomi knew, would remain the wind, by which the chaff and broken gratefully and joyfully on the spot, to keep straw were dispersed, and the grain fell to watch in the midst of his cereal treasures the ground. The grain was afterwards passed and under the still magnificence of the broad through a. sieve to separate the morsels of canopy of heaven. Speaking of Hebron, earth and other impurities, o.nd it then Dr. Robinson says, " Here we needed no underwent a final pwification by being guard a.round our tent. The owners of the tossed up with wooden scoops, or short- crops came every night and slept upon their handed shovels, such as we see s~ulptured threshing-floors to guard them, and this we on the monuments of Egypt" ('Illustrations,' had found to be universal in all the region of in loc., p. 40). In some of the Egyptian Gaza. We were in the midst of scenes pre- sculptures the winnowers are represented as cisely like those of the Book of Ruth, when having scoops in both hands. n~;~tt, to- Boaz winnowed barley in his threshing-floor, and laid himself down at night to guard the night (Scottice, " the nicht "). The agri- heap of corn" (' Biblical Researches,' vol. ii. culturist in Palestine and the surrounding p. 446). Boaz's heart, when e.11 was quiet districts would often carry on his winnowing around him, would be full of calm and com- operations after sunset, taking advantage of fort. He would pace about his well-heaped the evewng breeze that then blows. The threshing-floor contentedly, contemplatively; Cha.Idea Targumist makes express reference and, as he paced, and thought, and adored, to this breeze, explaining the word to-night the figure of the beautiful and industrious e.s meaning in the wind which blD'IDB by gleaner might persist in coming in within night. the field of meditation. It might linger Ver. 3. - So then wash thyself, and an- there, and be gladly e.llowed to linger. oint thyself, and dress thyaelf. This latter Ver. 4. - And let it be, when he lies phrase is in the original, " and put thy gar- down, that thou take note of the place where he lies ; and go, and uncover the ments on thee." The verb 11;1'?~), with its parts a.bout his feet, and lay thee down ; fine.I yod, was the archaic form of the second and he shall declare to thee what thou person feminine, though still much cut down and contracted from its oldest form. See she.It do. The denominative word i•p'S~")Q- Raabe's ' Zuriickfiihring,' and note the freely rendered in King Ja.mes' s version '' his conduct of the verb, in its relation to the feet" -we have rendered '' the parts about his pronominal suffixes, when these are affixed. feet." It is the exact opposite of i•pi!i~~r;,, And go down to the threshing-:8.oor. The which never means "his head," but is town of Bethlehem lay on the summit of always translated correctly either "his pil- " the narrow ridge of a long !ray hill " lows " or " his bolster." It denotes " the (Stanley's 'Sinai and Palestine, p. 163), supports on which the head was laid in while the corn-fields, that gave the fortified place its name of Bread-town, stretched out lying;" and nf?nQ, having reference to expe.ndingly in the ve.lleys below. Dr. members of the body which do not need Robinson says, "We ascended gradually such supports as the head, sim;ply means '' the toward Bethlehem Rround the broad head of places occupied by the feet.' Naomi ven- 11 valley running N.E. to join that under tured on e. boll e::qJedient to bring speedy Miir Elyiis. The town lies on the E. und 'rest' to her daughter-in-law. But Wd  48 THE BOOK OF RUTH. [CH. TTI, 1-18,