RUTH 3:15 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Then Boaz said, “Bring your cloak here and hold it out.” So she held it while he poured a generous amount of barley into it, and lifted it onto her shoulder. Then he or she[fn] went into the town.

3:15 TC: There’s no separate Hebrew word for ‘he’ or ‘she’ here—it’s part of the verb ‘he/she_went’ but it’s unclear if this original verb was marked masculine or feminine, hence you’ll find both alternatives in various Bible translations.

Key: khaki:verbs.
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 Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ, Φέρε τὸ περίζωμα τὸ ἐπάνω σου· καὶ ἐκράτησεν αὐτὸ, καὶ ἐμέτρησεν ἓξ κριθῶν, καὶ ἐπέθηκεν ἐπʼ αὐτὴν, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν.
(Kai eipen autaʸ, Fere to perizōma to epanō sou; kai ekrataʸsen auto, kai emetraʸsen hex krithōn, kai epethaʸken epʼ autaʸn, kai eisaʸlthen eis taʸn polin. )

BrTr And he said to her, Bring the apron that is upon thee: and she held it, and he measured six measures of barley, and put them upon her, and she went into the city.

ULT Then he said, “Bring the cloak that is on you and hold it.” So she held it. And he measured six of barley and put it on her. Then he went into the city.[fn]

Then he went or perhaps Then she went (variant Hebrew manuscripts)

UST Then Boaz said to her, “Bring your shawl over here and hold it out.” When she did that, he poured a generous amount of barley into it and put it on her back. Then he went into town.

3:15 Possibly six seahs (two ephahs), or approximately 39.6 dry quarts or 43.8 liters (about 58 pounds or 26.3 kilograms of barley)

3:15 Most Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate, and Syriac she went

OEB He also said, ‘Bring the cloak which you have on and hold it.’ So she held it while he poured into it six measures of barley and laid it on her shoulders. Then he went into the city.

WEBBE He said, “Bring the mantle that is on you, and hold it.” She held it; and he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her; then he went into the city.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Then he said, “Hold out the shawl you are wearing and grip it tightly.” As she held it tightly, he measured out about sixty pounds of barley into the shawl and put it on her shoulders. Then he went into town,

LSV And he says, “Give the covering which [is] on you, and keep hold on it”; and she keeps hold on it, and he measures six [measures] of barley, and lays [it] on her; and he goes into the city.

FBV He also told her, “Bring me the cloak you're wearing and hold it out.” So she held it out and he poured out six measures[fn] of barley into it. He helped her put it on her back and she[fn] went back to town.

3:15 Estimated at 24 liters or 50 pounds.

3:15 The majority of Hebrew manuscripts read “he.” The minority manuscripts are followed here.

T4T He also said to her, “Bring to me your cloak and spread it out.” When she did that, he poured into it six measures/24 liters/50 pounds of barley, and put in on her back. Then he (OR, she) went back to the town.

LEB And he said, “Bring the cloak that is on you and _⌊hold it out_⌋.”[fn] And she held it out and he measured six measures of barley and put it on her cloak. Then she went into the city.

3:15 Literally “hold on her”

BBE And he said, Take your robe, stretching it out in your hands: and she did so, and he took six measures of grain and put them into it, and gave it her to take: and she went back to the town.

Moff No Moff RUTH book available

JPS And he said: 'Bring the mantle that is upon thee, and hold it'; and she held it; and he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her; and he went into the city.

ASV And he said, Bring the mantle that is upon thee, and hold it; and she held it; and he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and he went into the city.

DRA And again he said: Spread thy mantle, wherewith thou art covered, and hold it with both hands. And when she spread it and held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it upon her. And she carried it and went into the city,

YLT And he saith, 'Give the covering which [is] on thee, and keep hold on it;' and she keepeth hold on it, and he measureth six [measures] of barley, and layeth [it] on her; and he goeth into the city.

Drby And he said, Bring the cloak that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And she held it, and he measured six [measures] of barley, and laid [it] on her; and he went into the city.

RV And he said, Bring the mantle that is upon thee, and hold it; and she held it: and he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and he went into the city.
(And he said, Bring the mantle that is upon thee/you, and hold it; and she held it: and he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and he went into the city. )

SLT And he will say, Bring me the upper garment which is upon thee, and hold fast upon it. And she will hold fast upon it, and he will measure six of barley, and he will place upon her: and he will go to the city.

Wbstr Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.

KJB-1769 Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.[fn]
(Also he said, Bring the veil that thou/you hast upon thee/you, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city. )

3.15 vail: or, sheet, or, apron

KJB-1611 Also he said, Bring the [fn]vaile that thou hast vpon thee, and holde it. And when she helde it, he measured sixe measures of barley, and laide it on her: and he went into the citie.
(Also he said, Bring the veil that thou/you hast upon thee/you, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and he went into the city.)

3:15 Or, sheete, or, apron.

Bshps And he sayde againe: Bring the mantel that thou hast vpon thee, & holde it. And when she held it, he mette in sixe measures of barlye, and layde it on her: And she gat her into the citie.
(And he said again: Bring the mantel that thou/you hast upon thee/you, and hold it. And when she held it, he mette in six measures of barley, and laid it on her: And she gat her into the city.)

Gnva Also he sayd, Bring the sheete that thou hast vpon thee, and holde it. And when she helde it, he measured sixe measures of barly, and layde them on her, and she went into the citie.
(Also he said, Bring the sheete that thou/you hast upon thee/you, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid them on her, and she went into the city. )

Cvdl and he sayde: Reach me the cloke yt thou hast on the, & holde it forth. And she helde it forth. And he meet her sixe measures of barlye, and layed it vpon her, & she wente in to the cite,
(and he said: Reach me the cloak it thou/you hast on them, and hold it forth. And she held it forth. And he meet her six measures of barley, and laid it upon her, and she went in to the city,)

Wycl And eft he seide, Stretche forth thi mentil `with which thou `art hilid, and holde thou with euer either hond. And while sche stretchide forth and helde, he mete sixe buyschels of barly, and `puttide on hir; and sche bar, and entride in to the citee,
(And after he said, Stretche forth thy/your mantle with which thou/you art held, and hold thou/you with ever either hand. And while she stretched forth and helde, he meet six buyschels of barley, and put on hir; and she bar, and entered in to the city,)

Luth Und sprach: Lange her den Mantel, den du anhast, und halt ihn zu. Und sie hielt ihn zu. Und er maß sechs Maß Gerste und legte es auf sie. Und er kam in die Stadt.
(And spoke: Lange her the coat/cloak, the you(sg) anhast, and halt him/it to/for. And they/she/them held/kept him/it to/for. And he measure(v) six measure(n)/extent barley and laid it on/in/to they/she/them. And he came in the city.)

ClVg Et rursum: Expande, inquit, pallium tuum, quo operiris, et tene utraque manu. Qua extendente, et tenente, mensus est sex modios hordei, et posuit super eam. Quæ portans ingressa est civitatem,
(And again: Expande, he_said, cloak your(sg), where to_covers, and tene both by_hand. Qua extendente, and tenente, measured it_is six modios barley, and put over her. Which gate/doorns entered it_is the_city, )

SOTN 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.

3:15a

And he told her, “Bring the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.”

Then he said to Ruth, “Take^(sing) the shawl that you have on and bring it to me and stretch it out.”
Then he asked Ruth to bring him the shawl/cape that she was wearing and grip its corners to hold it open.

Bring the shawl you are wearing and hold it out: Boaz asked Ruth to unwrap the shawl from around her shoulders, and then hold it open so that he could put grain into it.

This shawl was probably a wrap for her head and shoulders on top of her dress. It must have been fairly large and strong enough to carry a large amount of grain in it.

The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as hold…out also means “seize” or “grip (tightly).” The shawl was only a large piece of cloth, and not a bag. So Ruth would have to hold it firmly on the corners as Boaz poured the grain to prevent it from spilling.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Hold out the shawl you are wearing and grip it tightly. (NET)

Bring me your shawl and hold it open. (NCV)

Stretch out the cape you’re wearing and hold it tight. (GW)

In some languages, it may be more natural to use an indirect quotation here. For example:

Then he told her to bring her shawl and hold it firmly.

3:15b

When she did so, he shoveled six measures of barley into her shawl.

While she held it tightly, he poured six measures of barley into her shawl, and then he placed it on her.
Ruth gripped the corners of her shawl, and Boaz poured about thirty (30) kilograms of barley into it. Then he lifted it onto her head.

When she did so: This clause is more literally “And she held it.” In some languages, you may want to make explicit what she did as in the Hebrew. For example:

As she held it tightly (NET)

So Ruth held her shawl open (NCV)

So she held it tight while (GW)

he shoveled six measures of barley: The Hebrew of this clause is more literally “He measured (out) six (of) barley.” It means that Boaz measured the barley as he put it in Ruth’s shawl. The text does not say what measuring container or unit was used. However it is clear that this was a generous amount but not too much for a strong young woman to carry alone. Most scholars think it was around thirty kilograms (sixty-five pounds).

If you can, use a special unit of weight that can be used for grain, such as rice. Then use the number of units that will make a total of about thirty kilograms. If you do not have a special unit of weight for grain, you may translate six measures as “Thirty (30) kilograms” or “sixty-five (65) pounds.”

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

and he measured six measures of barley (NASB)

he poured about 30 kilograms of barley into her shawl

He poured more than fifty pounds of barley into it (NIrV)

And he filled it with a lot of grain (CEV)

into her shawl: Women at that time often carried heavy loads on their heads. Sometimes they needed help to get a very heavy load into position to carry it. Boaz helped her lift this heavy weight and get it properly balanced on her head, or possibly on her back or shoulders.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Boaz then put it on her head (NCV)

and placed it on her back (NLT)

and helped her lift it to her shoulder (GNT)

3:15c

Then he went into the city.

After that, he returned to the town.
Then Boaz left the threshing floor and went into town.

Then he went into the city: There is a textual problem with this verse:

The Masoretic Text has “he went into the town.” For example:
Then he returned to the town. (NLT) (BSB, GW, NABRE, NCV, NET, NIV, NLT, NRSV)
The Syriac and Vulgate have “she went into the town.” Some scholars think that the feminine verb was the original text because 3:16a continues the story with Ruth arriving home. For example:
When Ruth got back to town (CEV) (CEV, GNT, KJV, NASB, NJB, NJPS, REB, RSV)

It is recommended that you follow option (1).ZECOT. There does not seem to be a strong reason to not follow it. Boaz wanted to take care of his responsibility quickly, and the text here indicates that he returned to town as soon as he gave RuthThe KJV has “Who are thou, my daughter? No other versions understand the question this way, so the Notes have not made it an interpretation issue. the grain.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: translate-unknown

הַ⁠מִּטְפַּ֧חַת

the,shawl

A cloak was a long, thick outer garment usually made of cloth. Your language and culture may have a term for such a piece of clothing that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: [the cape] or [the coat]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

שֵׁשׁ־שְׂעֹרִים֙

six barley

The actual amount is not stated. There is no word referring to the container that Boaz filled six times with barley. The original readers probably knew how big this container was, but we do not. The total amount was enough to be considered generous, yet not too much for Ruth to carry alone. Most scholars think that the total amount was around 25 to 30 kilograms. Alternate translation: [six measures of barley]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

וַ⁠יָּ֣שֶׁת עָלֶ֔י⁠הָ

and,he_put_[it] on/upon=it(f)

The writer is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: [into it and then put the cloak full of barley on Ruth’s back]

Note 4 topic: translate-textvariants

וַ⁠יָּבֹ֖א הָ⁠עִֽיר

and,he_came the=city

Many ancient manuscripts read he went, referring to Boaz. The ULT follows that reading. Other ancient manuscripts read “she went,” referring to Ruth. If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it uses. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading of the ULT.

Parallel RUTH 3:15

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

Paragraph 3:14–15

3:15a

3:15b

3:15c

The Setting of Ruth