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Tuesday, July 15th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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The NET Bible®

Ruth 2:5

Boaz asked his servant in charge of the harvesters, "To whom does this young woman belong?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ruth;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Reaping;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Farming;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Contribution;   Hospitality;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Economic Life;   Reap;   Ruth;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Gleaning;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Damsel;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Harvest;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Gleaning;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for July 24;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Boaz asked his servant who was in charge of the harvesters, “Whose young woman is this?”
Hebrew Names Version
Then said Bo`az to his servant who was set over the reapers, Whose young lady is this?
King James Version
Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
Lexham English Bible
And Boaz said to his servant in charge of the reapers, "To whom does this young woman belong?"
English Standard Version
Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, "Whose young woman is this?"
New Century Version
Then Boaz asked his servant in charge of the workers, "Whose girl is that?"
Amplified Bible
Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, "Whose young woman is this?"
New American Standard Bible
Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, "Whose young woman is this?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then saide Boaz vnto his seruant that was appointed ouer the reapers, Whose maide is this?
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, "Whose young woman is this?"
Contemporary English Version
Then Boaz asked the man in charge of the harvest workers, "Who is that young woman?"
Complete Jewish Bible
Then Bo‘az asked his servant supervising the reapers, "Whose girl is this?"
Darby Translation
And Boaz said to his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose maiden is this?
Easy-to-Read Version
Then Boaz spoke to his servant who was in charge of the workers. He asked, "Whose girl is that?"
George Lamsa Translation
Then Boaz said to the young man who was in charge of the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
Good News Translation
Boaz asked the man in charge, "Who is that young woman?"
Literal Translation
And Boaz said to his young man who had been set over the reapers, Whose is this young woman?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Boos sayde vnto his yongman which had the ouersight of ye reapers. Whose damsell is this?
American Standard Version
Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
Bible in Basic English
Then Boaz said to his servant who was in authority over the cutters, Whose girl is this?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then sayde Booz vnto his young man that stode by the reapers? Whose damosel is this?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers: 'Whose damsel is this?'
King James Version (1611)
Then said Boaz vnto his seruant, that was set ouer the reapers, Whose damosell is this?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Booz said to his servant who was set over the reapers, Whose is this damsel?
English Revised Version
Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? r
Berean Standard Bible
And Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, "Whose young woman is this?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Booz seide to the yong man that was souereyn to the reperis, Who is this damysel?
Young's Literal Translation
And Boaz saith to his young man who is set over the reapers, `Whose [is] this young person?'
Update Bible Version
Then Boaz said to his attendant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
Webster's Bible Translation
Then said Boaz to his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel [is] this?
World English Bible
Then said Boaz to his servant who was set over the reapers, Whose young lady is this?
New King James Version
Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, "Whose young woman is this?"
New Living Translation
Then Boaz asked his foreman, "Who is that young woman over there? Who does she belong to?"
New Life Bible
Then Boaz said to his servant who was watching over those who gathered grain, "Whose young woman is this?"
New Revised Standard
Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, "To whom does this young woman belong?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said Boaz to his young man, that was set over the reapers, - Whose is this maiden?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Booz said to the young man that was set over the reapers: Whose maid is this?
Revised Standard Version
Then Bo'az said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, "Whose maiden is this?"
THE MESSAGE
Boaz asked his young servant who was foreman over the farm hands, "Who is this young woman? Where did she come from?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, "Whose young woman is this?"

Contextual Overview

4 Now at that very moment, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, "May the Lord be with you!" They replied, "May the Lord bless you!" 5 Boaz asked his servant in charge of the harvesters, "To whom does this young woman belong?" 6 The servant in charge of the harvesters replied, "She's the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the region of Moab. 7 She asked, ‘May I follow the harvesters and gather grain among the bundles?' Since she arrived she has been working hard from this morning until now—except for sitting in the resting hut a short time." 8 So Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen carefully, my dear! Do not leave to gather grain in another field. You need not go beyond the limits of this field. You may go along beside my female workers. 9 Take note of the field where the men are harvesting and follow behind with the female workers. I will tell the men to leave you alone. When you are thirsty, you may go to the water jars and drink some of the water the servants draw." 10 Ruth knelt before him with her forehead to the ground and said to him, "Why are you so kind and so attentive to me, even though I am a foreigner?" 11 Boaz replied to her, "I have been given a full report of all that you have done for your mother-in-law following the death of your husband—how you left your father and your mother, as well as your homeland, and came to live among people you did not know previously. 12 May the Lord reward your efforts! May your acts of kindness be repaid fully by the Lord God of Israel, from whom you have sought protection!" 13 She said, "You really are being kind to me, sir, for you have reassured and encouraged me, your servant, even though I am not one of your servants!"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Ruth 4:21, 1 Chronicles 2:11, 1 Chronicles 2:12

Reciprocal: Ruth 4:13 - the Lord

Cross-References

Genesis 2:9
The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)
Genesis 2:11
The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.
Genesis 2:12
(The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there).
Genesis 3:23
So the Lord God expelled him from the orchard in Eden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken.
Genesis 4:2
Then she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground.
Genesis 4:12
When you try to cultivate the ground it will no longer yield its best for you. You will be a homeless wanderer on the earth."
Job 5:10
he gives rain on the earth, and sends water on the fields;
Psalms 104:14
He provides grass for the cattle, and crops for people to cultivate, so they can produce food from the ground,
Psalms 135:7
He causes the clouds to arise from the end of the earth, makes lightning bolts accompany the rain, and brings the wind out of his storehouses.
Jeremiah 14:22
Do any of the worthless idols of the nations cause rain to fall? Do the skies themselves send showers? Is it not you, O Lord our God, who does this? So we put our hopes in you because you alone do all this."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers,.... To direct them their work, what part each was to do, and to see that they did it well; to take care for provisions for them, and to pay them their wages when their work was done. Josephus t calls him

αγροκομος, that had the care of the field, and all things relative to it; the Jews u say, he was set over two and forty persons, whom he had the command of:

whose damsel is this? to whom does she belong? of what family is she? whose daughter is she? or whose wife? for he thought, as Aben Ezra notes, that she was another man's wife; the Targum is, of what nation is she? perhaps her dress might be somewhat different from that of the Israelitish women.

t Antiqu. l. 5. c. 9. sect. 2. u Midrash Ruth, fol. 32. 1.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ruth 2:5. His servant that was set over the reapers — This was a kind of steward or hind who had the under management of the estate. Some think that an officer of this kind is intended in the description given by Homer of the labours of a harvest field, as represented by Vulcan on one compartment of the shield which he made for Achilles: -

Εν δ' ετιθει τεμενος βαθυληΐον· ενθα δ εριθοι

Ἡμων, οξειας δρεπανας εν χερσιν εχοντες·

Δραγματα δ' αλλα μετ' ογμον επμον επητριμα πιπτον εραζε,

Αλλα δ' αμαλλοδετηρες εν ελλεδανοισι δεοντο.

Τρεις δ' αρ' αμαλλοδετηρες εφεστασαν· αυταρ οπισθε

Παιδες δραγμευοντες, εν αγκαλιδεσσι φεροντες,

Ασπερχες παρεχον· βασιλευς δ' εν τοισι σιωπῃ

Σκηπτρον εχων ἑστηκει επ' ογμου γηθοσυνος κηρ.

Κηρυκες δ' απανευθεν ὑπο δρυΐ δαιτα πενοντο·

Βουν δ' ἱερευσαντες μεγαν, αμφεπον· αἱ δε γυναικες

Δειπνον εριθοισιν, λευκ' αλφιτα πολλα παλυνον.

Iliad xviii., v. 550.

There too he form'd the likeness of a field

Crowded with corn, in which the reapers toil'd,

Each with a sharp-tooth'd sickle in his hand.

Along the furrow here, the harvest fell

In frequent handfuls; there, they bound the sheaves.

Three binders of the sheaves their sultry task

All plied industrious, and behind them boys

Attended, filling with the corn their arms,

And offering still their bundles to be bound.

Amid them, staff in hand, the master stood,

Enjoying, mute the order of the field:

While, shaded by an oak, apart his train

Prepared the banquet - a well thriven ox

New slain, and the attendant maidens mix'd

Large supper for the hinds, of whitest flour.

COWPER.


This scene is well described; and the person who acts as overseer is here called βασιλευς, king, and his staff is called σκηπτρον, a sceptre; and he stands in mute dignity, merely to see that the work is well done, and that each person performs his task; and there appear to me to be gleaners in the description, viz., the boys who gather the handfuls after the three binders. See the Greek.


 
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