RUTH 2:9 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=minor/spelling Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Watch where the men are harvesting and follow along behind them. I’ve told them not to bother you. And whenever you’re thirsty, help yourself from the water jars that the men keep filled.”

2:9 OSHB note: Marks a place where we agree with BHQ against BHS in reading L.

2:9 OSHB note: Marks an anomalous form.

2:9 OSHB note: We read one or more vowels in L differently from BHS.

Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς τὸν ἀγρὸν οὗ ἐὰν θερίζωσι, καὶ πορεύσῃ κατόπισθεν αὐτῶν· ἰδοὺ ἐνετειλάμην τοῖς παιδαρίοις τοῦ μὴ ἅψασθαί σου· καὶ ὅτε διψήσεις καὶ πορευθήσῃ εἰς τὰ σκεύη, καὶ πίεσαι ὅθεν ἐὰν ὑδρεύωνται τὰ παιδάρια.
(Hoi ofthalmoi sou eis ton agron hou ean therizōsi, kai poreusaʸ katopisthen autōn; idou eneteilamaʸn tois paidariois tou maʸ hapsasthai sou; kai hote dipsaʸseis kai poreuthaʸsaʸ eis ta skeuaʸ, kai piesai hothen ean hudreuōntai ta paidaria. )

BrTr Let thine eyes be on the field where my men shall reap, and thou shalt go after them: behold, I have charged the young men not to touch thee: and when thou shalt thirst, then thou shalt go to the vessels, and drink of that which the young men shall have drawn.

ULT Keep your eyes on the field where they are reaping and follow behind them. Have I not instructed the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the waterpots and drink from what the young men draw.”

UST Watch where the men are harvesting and follow along behind my servant girls. I have told the men who are harvesting not to molest you. Whenever you are thirsty, go and get some water to drink from the jars that the men have filled.”

OEB Watch where the men are reaping and follow the gleaners. I have told the young men not to trouble you. When you are thirsty, go to the jars and drink of that which the young men have drawn.’

WEBBE Let your eyes be on the field that they reap, and go after them. Haven’t I commanded the young men not to touch you? When you are thirsty, go to the vessels, and drink from that which the young men have drawn.”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET 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.”

LSV your eyes [are] on the field which they reap, and you have gone after them; have I not charged the young men not to touch you? When you are thirsty then you have gone to the vessels, and have drunk from that which the young men draw.”

FBV Pay attention to what part of the field the men are reaping and follow the women.[fn] I've told the men not to bother you. When you get thirsty, go and have a drink from the water jars the servants have filled.”

2:9 It is thought that the men did the work of cutting the stalks of grain, while the women followed behind tying them into sheaves.

T4T Watch where the men are harvesting, and follow along behind the servant girls. I will tell the men who are working not to touch/molest you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get some water to drink from the jars that the men have filled.”

LEB Keep your eyes on the field that they reap and go after them. Have I not ordered the servants not to bother you? And if you get thirsty, you shall go to the containers and drink from where the servants have drawn.”

BBE Keep your eyes on the field they are cutting, and go after them; have I not given orders to the young men not to put a hand on you? And when you are in need of drink go to the vessels and take of what the young men have put there.

Moff No Moff RUTH book available

JPS Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them; have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.'

ASV Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.

DRA And follow where they reap. For I have charged my young men, not to molest thee: and if thou art thirsty, go to the vessels, and drink of the waters whereof the servants drink.

YLT thine eyes [are] on the field which they reap, and thou hast gone after them; have not I charged the young men not to touch thee? when thou art athirst then thou hast gone unto the vessels, and hast drunk from that which the young men draw.'

Drby Let thine eyes be on the field which is being reaped, and go thou after them; have I not charged the young men not to touch thee? And when thou art athirst, go to the vessels and drink of what the young men draw.

RV Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.
(Let thine/your eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou/you after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee/you? and when thou/you art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn. )

SLT Thine eyes upon the field which they shall reap, and thou wentest after them: did I not command the young men not to touch thee? And being thirsty and go thou to the vessels and drink from what the young men shall draw.

Wbstr Let thy eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art thirsty go to the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.

KJB-1769 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.
(Let thine/your eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou/you after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee/you? and when thou/you art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn. )

KJB-1611 Let thine eyes be on the field that they doe reape, and go thou after them: Haue I not charged the young men, that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, goe vnto the vessels, and drinke of that which the yong men haue drawen.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation))

Bshps Let thyne eyes be on the fielde that they do reape, & go thou after the maydens: Haue I not charged the young men, that they shall do thee no hurte? Moreouer, when thou art a thyrst, go vnto the vessels, & drinke of that which the laddes haue drawen.
(Let thine/your eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou/you after the maidens: Have I not charged the young men, that they shall do thee/you no hurte? Moreover/What’s_more, when thou/you art a thirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the laddes have drawn.)

Gnva Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reape, and goe thou after the maidens. Haue I not charged the seruants, that they touche thee not? Moreouer whe thou art a thirst, go vnto ye vessels, and drinke of that which ye seruants haue drawen.
(Let thine/your eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou/you after the maidens. Have I not charged the servants, that they touch thee/you not? Moreover/What’s_more when thou/you art a thirst, go unto ye/you_all vessels, and drink of that which ye/you_all servants have drawn. )

Cvdl and loke where they reape in ye felde, go thou after them: for I haue comaunded my seruauntes that no man touch the. And yf thou be a thyrst, go thy waye to the vessell & drynke, where my seruauntes drawe.
(and look where they reap in ye/you_all field, go thou/you after them: for I have commanded my servants that no man touch them. And if thou/you be a thirst, go thy/your way to the vessel and drink, where my servants drawe.)

Wycl and sue thou where thei repen; for Y comaundide to my children, that `no man be diseseful to thee; but also if thou thirstist, go to the fardels, and drynke `watris, of whiche my children drynken.
(and sue thou/you where they repen; for I commanded to my children, that no man be diseaseful to thee/you; but also if thou/you thirstist, go to the fardels, and drink waters, of which my children drinking.)

Luth und siehe, wo sie schneiden im Felde, da gehe ihnen nach. Ich habe meinem Knaben geboten, daß dich niemand antaste. Und so dich dürstet, so gehe hin zu dem Gefäß und trinke, da meine Knaben schöpfen.
(and see/look, where they/she/them schneiden in_the field, there go to_them after. I have my boys/lads offered, that you/yourself no_one antaste. And so you/yourself thirsts, so go there/therefore to/for to_him vessel/container and drink(v), there my boys/lads draw/create.)

ClVg et ubi messuerint, sequere. Mandavi enim pueris meis, ut nemo molestus sit tibi: sed etiam si sitieris, vade ad sarcinulas, et bibe aquas, de quibus et pueri bibunt.
(and where messuerint, follow. Mandavi because children mine, as nobody/no_one molestus be to_you: but also when/but_if thirsteris, go to sarcinulas, and bibe waters, from/about to_whom and children bibunt. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:1–23: Ruth gathered grain in a field belonging to Boaz

This third section in the book of Ruth tells how Ruth met Boaz. Since Naomi and Ruth were poor at this time, Ruth asked Naomi for permission to glean in the grain fields in order to find them some food.

Ruth chose a field in which to glean. Although she did not know it, the man who owned that field, Boaz, was a relative of Elimelech. Boaz had heard about Ruth already, but he had not met her. He was sympathetic and kind to her that day, and told her to continue to work in his field during the rest of the harvest time.

That evening, Ruth returned home and told Naomi that the owner of the field where she had gleaned was called Boaz and that he had treated her well. Naomi was very pleased. She encouraged Ruth to continue to work there just as Boaz had invited her to do.

Here are some other examples of section headings:

Ruth Meets Boaz (ESV)

Ruth Works in the Field of Boaz (NET)

Paragraph 2:8–13

In this paragraph, Boaz told Ruth that she should stay and glean in his field along with his other women workers. He told her that he had instructed the young men not to bother her. He also said that she should feel free to drink from the water jars that the young men had filled. Ruth asked Boaz why he was being so kind to her. He replied that he had heard about everything she had done for her mother-in-law. He had also heard about her decision to leave her homeland and come to live with people she did not previously know.

2:9a

Let your eyes be on the field they are harvesting, and follow along after these girls.

Observe carefully which field my workers are harvesting, and follow close behind the female workers.
Follow right behind the women wherever you see my harvesters working.

Let your eyes be on the field they are harvesting: The fields for the residents of Bethlehem were outside the village and one man’s field would be adjacent to that of another person. So Boaz instructed Ruth to watch carefully where his harvest crew was working and to stay with them. That is where she would be able to gather the most grain, and where she would be safest (2:9b).

they are harvesting: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as they are harvesting is literally “they (masculine) are harvesting.” Masculine gender in Hebrew can be used for a mixed group of men and women, so scholars have interpreted this in two ways:

It refers to all the harvest workers including both men and women. In versions that translate with they, the referent will be understood as “the women who work for me” (2:8c.) For example:
Keep your eyes on the field they are reaping (NJPS)
Watch to see into which fields they go to cut grain and follow them. (NCV) (BSB, ESV, NJB, KJV, NASB, NJPS, GNT, NCV, NLT; NRSV, NABRE)The NRSV and NABRE both use passive constructions which give attention to “the field that is being reaped” (NRSV) and leave implicit who the reapers are. This results in the reapers not being limited to one gender or the other.
It refers only to the male workers. For example:
Take note of the field where the men are harvesting (NET)
and follow along behind them, as they gather up what the men have cut (CEV) (NIV, NET, REB, GW, CEV)

The Notes will follow interpretation (1) and use a word that can refer to all the harvest workers. However, both interpretations have good commentary support.Commentaries that support interpretation (1) include: WBC, AYB, ZECOT, and NICOT. Commentaries that support (2) include: UBS, ZIBBC, KEL, and NET note. It is clear that the men did the actual harvesting/reaping, whereas the women gathered and tied the stalks into bundles. You may follow whatever interpretation people will understand best in your culture.

and follow along after these girls: Boaz here granted Ruth the privilege of gleaning close to the women workers, not just after them. For example:

Stay right behind the young women working in my field. (NLT)

continue following closely behind my women workers (NCV)

2:9b

Indeed, I have ordered the young men not to touch you.

Have I not commanded the young men not to harm you?
By my words, I am ordering my men workers not to disturb/bother you.

Indeed, I have ordered the young men not to touch you: In Hebrew, this statement is a rhetorical question. Boaz used it to emphasize the certainty of his instructions to the men. There are two ways to translate this question:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
Have I not commanded the young men to do you no harm? (NABRE)
As a statement. For example:
I will tell the men to leave you alone. (NET)

not to touch: There are two ways to interpret the Hebrew verb in this context that the BSB translates as to touch :

It means “to bother, harm, or treat roughly.” For example:
I have ordered the young men not to bother you. (NRSV)
I have ordered the young men not to treat you roughly. (NLT) (CEV, NABRE, NET, NRSV)
It mean to come against a person violently or to abuse sexually. For example:
I have forbidden my men to molest you. (NJB) (GNT, NAB, NJB, NJPS, REB, RSV)

Phrases such as “lay a hand on” (NIV) and touch (BSB) are ambiguous.

The Notes will follow interpretation (1).Some feel that sexual assault is not in view in this context. CBC, for example, points out that this is harvest time and the fields were full of workers who could respond to a cry for help. KEL similarly finds it “highly unlikely that Boaz’s workers were so prone to attack women that he had to prohibit such an action!” Boaz had given special permission to Ruth to glean close to his female workers. Without this command his male workers may have treated her roughly and told her that she could only glean after those workers were finished with their work.

However, you should also fee free to follow interpretation (2). It is followed by a majority of versions and a number of scholars. Ruth 2:9 is mentioned specifically as one of the OT references where “touch a woman” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.Church of Christ study on 1 Corinthians 7, AYB7, IBC, Schwab. As IBC states: It is quite possible that any young woman working alone in the fields might be subject to unsolicited advances by men in the area…A foreigner from a disliked ethnic group would be even more likely to be victimized It is unlikely that a man would molest Ruth in broad daylight, but someone might well attempt it in the evening as she walked home.

2:9c

And when you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.”

When you become thirsty, go and drink from the containers of water that the young men have filled.”
When you are thirsty, you may drink from the water jars that my my servants have filled for themselves.”

And when you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled: Boaz was again granting Ruth a special favor. Normally, a gleaner would have to get her own water. She would not be allowed to drink from the water jars that the workers had filled for themselves.

the jars: These are not specified as water containers in the Hebrew text, but are just called “containers” or “vessels.” However, from the context it is clear that they were containers for water.

the young men have filled: The Hebrew verb that the BSB translates as have filled refers specifically to drawing (pulling up) water from a well. In your translation, use the words that people in your culture normally use to describe filling their water containers.

the young men: The masculine plural noun that the BSB translates as the young men can refer to a mixed group of servants. So if it would seem strange to your readers that men would fill water jars, you may use a general term such as “servants” or “workers.”

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

עֵינַ֜יִ⁠ךְ בַּ⁠שָּׂדֶ֤ה

eyes_of,your in_the=field

Here, the word eyes represents the capability of a person to see, watch or observe. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use an equivalent expression from your language or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [Watch only the field] or [Pay attention only to the field]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / pronouns

אַחֲרֵי⁠הֶ֔ן

אַחֲרֵי,הֶן

Here, them is feminine and refers back to the “young female workers” in verse 8. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that makes that clear. Alternate translation: [behind the women]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

הֲ⁠ל֥וֹא צִוִּ֛יתִי אֶת־הַ⁠נְּעָרִ֖ים לְ⁠בִלְתִּ֣י נָגְעֵ֑⁠ךְ

am=not צִוִּיתִי DOM the, to=not נָגְעֵ,ךְ

Boaz is using the question form to emphasize his hospitality—that he had already made provision to help Ruth. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [I have given the men strict instructions not to interfere with you.]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

אֶת־הַ⁠נְּעָרִ֖ים

DOM the,

The writer assumes that his readers will understand the implications of a woman toiling in a field near young male workers. You can include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [the workmen]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / euphemism

לְ⁠בִלְתִּ֣י נָגְעֵ֑⁠ךְ

to=not נָגְעֵ,ךְ

The writer is referring to harm or sexual assault in a polite way by using the phrase touch you. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a polite way of referring to this in your language, or you could state this plainly. Alternate translation: [not to assault you sexually]

מֵ⁠אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִשְׁאֲב֖וּ⁠ן הַ⁠נְּעָרִֽים

from, יִשְׁאֲבוּ,ן the,

Alternate translation: [from water pulled up from the well by the workmen]

Parallel RUTH 2:9

Section 2:1–23: Ruth gathered grain in a field belonging to Boaz

Paragraph 2:8–13

2:9a

2:9b

2:9c

The Setting of Ruth