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Sunday, July 13th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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The NET Bible®

Ruth 3:8

In the middle of the night he was startled and turned over. Now he saw a woman lying beside him!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Chastity;   Continence;   Inheritance;   Ruth;   Threshing;  

Dictionaries:

- Holman Bible Dictionary - Economic Life;   Ruth;   Skirt;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Anointing, Anointed;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for June 22;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman!
Hebrew Names Version
It happened at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself; and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
King James Version
And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
Lexham English Bible
And it happened in the middle of the night the man was startled and he reached out and behold, a woman was lying at his feet.
English Standard Version
At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet!
New Century Version
About midnight Boaz was startled and rolled over. There was a woman lying near his feet!
Amplified Bible
In the middle of the night the man was startled and he turned over, and found a woman lying at his feet.
New American Standard Bible
And it happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And at midnight the man was afraide and caught holde: and loe, a woman lay at his feete.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then it happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet.
Contemporary English Version
In the middle of the night, Boaz suddenly woke up and was shocked to see a woman lying at his feet.
Complete Jewish Bible
In the middle of the night the man was startled and turned over, and — there was a woman lying at his feet!
Darby Translation
And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was startled, and turned himself; and behold, a woman lay at his feet.
Easy-to-Read Version
About midnight, Boaz rolled over in his sleep and woke up. He was very surprised. There was a woman lying near his feet.
George Lamsa Translation
And it came to pass at midnight that the man woke up and was startled when he saw a woman lying at his feet.
Good News Translation
During the night he woke up suddenly, turned over, and was surprised to find a woman lying at his feet.
Literal Translation
And it happened in the middle of the night, that the man trembled and turned himself. And, behold, a woman was lying at his feet!
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now wha it was midnight, the man was afrayed, and groped aboute him, and beholde, a woman laye at his fete.
American Standard Version
And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself; and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
Bible in Basic English
Now in the middle of the night, the man awaking from his sleep in fear, and lifting himself up, saw a woman stretched at his feet.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And at midnight, the man was afraide, and caught holde: and beholde, a woman lay at his feete.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was startled, and turned himself; and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himselfe: and behold, a woman lay at his feete.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it came to pass at midnight that the man was amazed, and troubled, and behold, a woman lay at his feet.
English Revised Version
And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
Berean Standard Bible
At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman!
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And lo! now at mydnyyt `the man dredde, and was troblid; and he siy a womman lyggynge at hise feet;
Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass, at the middle of the night, that the man trembleth, and turneth himself, and lo, a woman is lying at his feet.
Update Bible Version
And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself; and saw that a woman lay at his feet.
Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and behold, a woman lay at his feet.
World English Bible
It happened at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself; and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
New King James Version
Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet.
New Living Translation
Around midnight Boaz suddenly woke up and turned over. He was surprised to find a woman lying at his feet!
New Life Bible
The man was surprised late in the night. He turned and saw that a woman was lying at his feet.
New Revised Standard
At midnight the man was startled, and turned over, and there, lying at his feet, was a woman!
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass, in the middle of the night, that the man started up, and turned, - and lo! a woman, lying at his feet.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And behold, when it was now midnight the man was afraid, and troubled: and he saw a woman lying at his feet,
Revised Standard Version
At midnight the man was startled, and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet!
THE MESSAGE
In the middle of the night the man was suddenly startled and sat up. Surprise! This woman asleep at his feet!
New American Standard Bible (1995)
It happened in the middle of the night that the man was startled and bent forward; and behold, a woman was lying at his feet.

Contextual Overview

6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had instructed her to do. 7 When Boaz had finished his meal and was feeling satisfied, he lay down to sleep at the far end of the grain heap. Then Ruth crept up quietly, uncovered his legs, and lay down beside him. 8 In the middle of the night he was startled and turned over. Now he saw a woman lying beside him! 9 He said, "Who are you?" She replied, "I am Ruth, your servant. Marry your servant, for you are a guardian of the family interests." 10 He said, "May you be rewarded by the Lord , my dear! This act of devotion is greater than what you did before. For you have not sought to marry one of the young men, whether rich or poor. 11 Now, my dear, don't worry! I intend to do for you everything you propose, for everyone in the village knows that you are a worthy woman. 12 Now yes, it is true that I am a guardian, but there is another guardian who is a closer relative than I am. 13 Remain here tonight. Then in the morning, if he agrees to marry you, fine, let him do so. But if he does not want to do so, I promise, as surely as the Lord lives, to marry you. Sleep here until morning."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more shrewd than any of the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Is it really true that God said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard'?"
Genesis 3:2
The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard;
Genesis 3:3
but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.'"
Genesis 3:9
But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"
Genesis 3:10
The man replied, "I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid."
Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman whom you gave me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it."
Genesis 3:21
The Lord God made garments from skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.
Genesis 3:22
And the Lord God said, "Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."
Deuteronomy 4:33
Have a people ever heard the voice of God speaking from the middle of fire, as you yourselves have, and lived to tell about it?
Deuteronomy 5:25
But now, why should we die, because this intense fire will consume us! If we keep hearing the voice of the Lord our God we will die!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass at midnight,.... So long Boaz slept without knowledge of any person being at his feet, and so long Ruth had lain there; but awaking, and perceiving something at his feet, which pressed them, it made him look about and feel, and so affected him,

that the man was afraid; though a man, and a man of spirit, he was afraid, a panic seized him, not knowing but it might be a spectre, a spirit, or a demon, as Jarchi; and such an instance we have in history s of an apparition, which seemed to put off clothes, and place itself in a bed where a man lay, c.

and turned himself to see who it was:

and, behold, a woman lay at his feet; which he knew by putting his hand upon her head, as Jarchi thinks, and so knew her by her headdress, or vail; or rather by her voice, as Aben Ezra, and who supposes the moon might shine, and he might be able to discern she had no beard, as well as also discover her by her clothes.

s Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 2. c. 9.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Turned himself - Rather, “bent forward,” so as to feel what it was which was at his feet. The same word is translated “took hold of,” in Judges 16:29.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ruth 3:8. The man was afraid, and turned himself — The verb ילפת yillapheth, which we render he turned himself, has puzzled even the Targumist, who translates the clause thus: "The man trembled, and his flesh became like a (boiled) turnip through fear." It is fully evident Boaz had no intimation of the present proceedings. To this verse the Targumist adds much; he says, "Boaz subdued his concupiscence, and acted towards her as Joseph did to the Egyptian wife of his master, and as Pelatiel, the son of Laish the pious, did to Michal, the daughter of Saul, the wife of David, who put a sword between Michal and himself, because he would not approach to her."


 
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