RUTH 3:14 Interlinear View

1. Hebrew word
2. Hebrew lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. Gloss
8. CAPS codes
9. OET tags
10. OET word #
1. וַ,תִּשְׁכַּב
2. 180657,180658
3. And she lay down
4. So but
5. 7901
6. SV-C,Vqw3fs
7. and,she_lay_down
8. S
9. Y-1307
10. 124852
1. מרגלת,ו
2. 180659,180660
3. feet of his
4. feet
5. 4772
6. S-Ncfsc,Sp3ms
7. feet_of,his
8. -
9. Y-1307
10. 124853
2. 180661
3. -
4. -
6. -
8. -
9. -
10. 124854
2. 180662
3. -
4. -
6. -
8. -
9. -
10. 124855
2. 180663
3. -
4. -
6. -
8. -
9. -
10. 124856
2. 180664
3. -
4. -
6. -
8. -
9. -
10. 124857
2. 180665
3. -
4. -
6. -
8. -
9. -
10. 124858
1. עַד
2. 180666
3. until
4. until
5. 5704
6. S-R
7. until
8. -
9. Y-1307
10. 124859
2. 180667
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 124860
1. הַ,בֹּקֶר
2. 180668,180669
3. the morning
4. morning
5. 1242
6. S-Td,Ncmsa
7. the,morning
8. -
9. Y-1307
10. 124861
1. וַ,תָּקָם
2. 180670,180671
3. and she/it arose
4. -
6. SV-C,Vqw3fs
7. and=she/it_arose
8. -
9. Y-1307
10. 124862
1. ב,טרום
2. 180672,180673
3. before
4. before
5. 2958
6. S-R,D
7. before,
8. -
9. Y-1307
10. 124863
2. 180674
3. -
4. -
6. -
8. -
9. -
10. 124864
1. יַכִּיר
2. 180675
3. he recognized
4. recognised
6. V-Vhi3ms
7. he_recognized
8. -
9. Y-1307
10. 124865
1. אִישׁ
2. 180676
3. anyone
4. -
5. 376
6. S-Ncmsa
7. anyone
8. -
9. Y-1307
10. 124866
1. אֶת
2. 180677
3. DOM
4. -
5. 853
6. O-To
7. DOM
8. -
9. Y-1307
10. 124867
2. 180678
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 124868
1. רֵעֵ,הוּ
2. 180679,180680
3. his/its neighbour
4. -
5. 7453
6. O-Ncmsc,Sp3ms
7. his/its=neighbour
8. -
9. Y-1307
10. 124869
1. וַ,יֹּאמֶר
2. 180681,180682
3. and he/it said
4. said
5. 559
6. SV-C,Vqw3ms
7. and=he/it_said
8. -
9. Y-1307
10. 124870
1. אַל
2. 180683
3. not
4. -
5. 408
6. S-Tn
7. not
8. -
9. Y-1307
10. 124871
2. 180684
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 124872
1. יִוָּדַע
2. 180685
3. let it be known
4. -
5. 3045
6. V-VNj3ms
7. let_it_be_known
8. -
9. Y-1307
10. 124873
1. כִּי
2. 180686
3. if/because that
4. -
6. S-C
7. if/because_that
8. -
9. Y-1307
10. 124874
2. 180687
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 124875
1. בָאָה
2. 180688
3. she came
4. she
5. 935
6. V-Vqp3fs
7. she_came
8. -
9. Y-1307
10. 124876
1. הָ,אִשָּׁה
2. 180689,180690
3. the woman
4. woman
5. 802
6. S-Td,Ncfsa
7. the=woman
8. -
9. Y-1307
10. 124877
1. הַ,גֹּרֶן
2. 180691,180692
3. the threshing floor
4. threshing floor
5. 1637
6. S-Td,Ncbsa
7. the_threshing,floor
8. -
9. Y-1307
10. 124878
2. 180693
3. -
4. -
6. -x-sof-pasuq
8. -
9. -
10. 124879

3:14 OSHB variant note: מרגלת/ו: (x-qere) ’מַרְגְּלוֹתָי/וֹ֙’: lemma_4772 n_1.2.0 morph_HNcfpc/Sp3ms id_08EAT מַרְגְּלוֹתָי/וֹ֙

3:14 OSHB note: Marks a place where we agree with BHQ against BHS in reading L.

3:14 OSHB note: We read one or more consonants in L differently from BHS.

3:14 OSHB note: Marks an anomalous form.

3:14 OSHB note: We read one or more vowels in L differently from BHS.

3:14 OSHB variant note: ב/טרום: (x-qere) ’בְּ/טֶ֛רֶם’: lemma_b/2962 n_1.0.0 morph_HR/D id_08vSy בְּ/טֶ֛רֶם

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:1–18: Ruth asked Boaz to help her and Naomi

Life for widows in ancient Israel was difficult, especially for those who had no grown sons, because women depended on men to protect and provide for them. This fourth section tells how Naomi wanted to find a new husband for Ruth so that she could have a better living situation. So, she instructed Ruth to go and meet Boaz secretly at night. Ruth followed Naomi’s plan and asked him to take her into his care as his wife. She told him that this was his duty as a relative of her dead husband.

Boaz was happy to do this, but there was a problem. There was another relative who was more closely related to Naomi and Ruth than he was. If that man did not want to marry Ruth, Boaz promised that he would marry her. When Ruth returned home and told Naomi what had happened, Naomi assured her that Boaz would work hard to take care of the situation that very day.

Here are some other examples of a heading for this section:

Naomi’s Plan for Ruth’s Marriage (GW)

Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing Floor (NIV)

Ruth asked Boaz to marry her

Paragraph 3:14–15

This paragraph says that Ruth spent the rest of the night at Boaz’s feet. Then it describes what they did when they first woke up.

3:14a

So she lay down at his feet until morning,

¶ So she lay by Boaz’s feet until nearly sunrise,
¶ So Ruth slept near Boaz’s feet until the night was ending.

So she lay down at his feet: The Hebrew conjunction that the BSB translates as So introduces what Ruth did in response to what Boaz told her in 3:13.

Because this is the beginning of a new paragraph, it may be appropriate to identify the participants by name here. For example:

So Ruth stayed near his feet until morning (NCV)

Ruth lay beside Boaz’s feet… (EASY)

until morning: From the statement in 3:14b, it is obvious that Ruth got up before the sun arose. Use a suitable word that can indicate a time very early in the morning, even before the sun rises.

3:14b

but she got up before anyone else could recognize her.

but she got up while it was still too dark for people to see one another’s faces.
But she got up before there was enough light for a person to recognize someone else.

but she got up before anyone else could recognize her: In some languages, it will be necessary to explain why people could not recognize one another. They could not recognize one another because it was still too dark to see well. For example:

but she got up before it was light enough for her to be seen (GNT)

But she got up and left before it was light enough that people would be able to recognize her (T4T)

but rose before it was light enough for one man to recognize another (REB)

She got up while it was still dark, before it was light enough for people to recognize each other. (ERV)

A few translations just translate the meaning that it was still dark. They leave implied the idea that people could not recognize others. For example:

She woke up while it was still dark. (NET)

but she got up before daylight (CEV)

The Hebrew phrase that the BSB translates as before anyone else could recognize her is more literally “before one could recognize his companion.”

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

She rose before one person could distinguish another (NJPS)

Then she got up before anyone could see her. (EASY)

3:14c

Then Boaz said, “Do not let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.”

Boaz thought, “No one should find out that this woman came here to this place for threshing.”
And Boaz said to himself that no one should know that Ruth was there at the area for threshing grain.

Then Boaz said: The Hebrew verb that the BSB translates as said can be used in some cases for a person speaking to himself (thinking). Therefore, there are two ways to interpret 3:14c:

This is something Boaz thought. For example:
for he thought (NJPS) (GW, NET, NCV, NJB, NJPS, REB)
This is something Boaz said aloud. For example:
for Boaz had said (NABRE) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GNT, KJV, NABRE, NASB, NIV, NLT, NRSV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).UBS (page 57), WBC, ZECOT. If Boaz were talking aloud to Ruth, he would probably not refer to her in the third person, especially as “the woman” (see below).

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Boaz thought (NET)

And Boaz said to himself

“Do not let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.”: There is a textual issue concerning the Hebrew word that the BSB translates as a woman:

The Masoretic Text (Hebrew) has “the woman.” For example:
“People in town must not know that the woman came here to the threshing floor.” (NCV) (CEV, ESV, GNT, GW, NABRE, NASB, NCV, NJB, NJPS, NRSV, REB)
The Septuagint (LXX) has “a woman.” For example:
“No one must know that a woman visited the threshing floor.” (NET) (BSB, KJV, NET, NIV, NLT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). There is no reason to doubt the accuracy of the MT. Boaz was worried about the reputation of Ruth, not the reputation of any woman.

The BSB does not follow interpretation (1) for either of the above issues, so the NJB has been used as an alternate Source Line in the Display.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

“Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” (NJPS)

“I hope that no one will ever know that this woman came to the threshing floor.” (GW)

In some languages, it might be better to use an indirect quotation to report what Boaz thought. For example:

Boaz had it in mind that no one should know that the woman had been to the threshing-floor. (REB)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וַ⁠תִּשְׁכַּ֤ב מַרְגְּלוֹתָיו֙

and,she_lay_down (Some words not found in UHB: and,she_lay_down feet_of,his until the,morning and=she/it_arose before, recognize (a)_man DOM his/its=neighbour and=he/it_said not known that/for/because/then/when came the=woman the_threshing,floor )

The implication of So she lay at his feet is that although Ruth and Boaz were alone together all night, they did not sin sexually. You can include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [Ruth slept at the feet of Boaz]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

בְּטֶ֛רֶם יַכִּ֥יר אִ֖ישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵ֑⁠הוּ

(Some words not found in UHB: and,she_lay_down feet_of,his until the,morning and=she/it_arose before, recognize (a)_man DOM his/its=neighbour and=he/it_said not known that/for/because/then/when came the=woman the_threshing,floor )

The idiom before a man could recognize his friend means that it was very early in the morning, before there was enough light to recognize the face of a familiar person. If this phrase does not have that meaning in your language, you could use an idiom from your language that does have that meaning or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [before you could see your hand in front of your face] or [while it was still quite dark]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

וַ⁠יֹּ֨אמֶר֙

and=he/it_said

Boaz probably said this before Ruth lay down to sleep. If it would be helpful in your language, you could move this to the beginning of the verse, as in the UST, or indicate that this happened before Ruth lay down. Alternate translation: [She did this because Boaz had said]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

אַל־יִוָּדַ֔ע

not known

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [Do not let anyone know]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)