A Blessing for Being Bold! (Ruth 3.10) ‣ Praying Through the Bible
May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.
Background
This is the fourth prayer-blessing in Ruth. The first and second were blessings by Boaz upon his workers and then upon Ruth. The third and fourth were blessings upon Boaz by Naomi. Here, in 3.10, Boaz asks God again for a blessing upon Ruth.
Naomi had hatched a plan to secure a sound future for Ruth and herself. This part of the story is filled with obscurity, double-meanings, and some things that might offend modern people. Values, customs, and conditions in the ancient world were quite different from our world, so it is necessary to place the story in its original context to understand its meaning and the prayer.
Ruth carries out Naomi’s plan. She washes and puts on perfume, just as one might do for a special event. After dark, she goes back to the field. As Boaz eats and drinks with his men, she stays hidden from him. When he goes to sleep in his tent (somewhat drunk, the story implies), she slips past the dozing workers, tents, bundles of grain. She enters his tent and lies down beside him. Many translations describe her as uncovering his “feet,” but the Hebrew word for “feet” can mean “legs,” “thighs,” or “genitals”—in fact, it usually means the latter. Given the setting and other words and phrases with double meanings in this scene (“to lay,” “to know,” “to go into”), it is clear that Ruth is offering herself to Boaz. (Boaz’ response and his prayer confirm this interpretation.)
