RUTH 3:3 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

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

3:3 OSHB variant note: שמלת/ך: (x-qere) ’שִׂמְלֹתַ֛יִ/ךְ’: lemma_8071 n_1.0.0 morph_HNcfpc/Sp2fs id_08i9m שִׂמְלֹתַ֛יִ/ךְ

3:3 OSHB variant note: ו/ירדתי: (x-qere) ’וְ/יָרַ֣דְתְּ’: lemma_c/3381 morph_HC/Vqq2fs id_08XPV וְ/יָרַ֣דְתְּ

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).

Q שִׂמְלֹתַ֛יִךְ

K ו⁠ירדתי

BrLXX Σὺ δὲ λούσῃ, καὶ ἀλείψῃ, καὶ περιθήσεις τὸν ἱματισμόν σου ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ ἀναβήσῃ ἐπὶ τὸν ἅλω· μὴ γνωρισθῇς τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἕως τοῦ συντελέσαι αὐτὸν τοῦ φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν.
(Su de lousaʸ, kai aleipsaʸ, kai perithaʸseis ton himatismon sou epi se, kai anabaʸsaʸ epi ton halō; maʸ gnōristhaʸs tōi andri heōs tou suntelesai auton tou fagein kai piein. )

BrTr But do thou wash, and anoint thyself, and put thy raiment upon thee, and go up to the threshing-floor: do not discover thyself to the man until he has done eating and drinking.

ULT Now wash yourself and anoint yourself and put on your cloak, and go down to the threshing floor. Do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.[fn]

your cloak or perhaps your clothes (Hebrew Qere)

UST Bathe yourself and put on some perfume. Put on your full outer cloak. Then go down to the place where they thresh the grain. But do not let him know that you are there until he has finished his evening meal.

BSB Therefore wash yourself, put on perfume, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but do not let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.

OEB Tonight he is going to winnow barley on the threshing-floor. So bathe and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing-floor. But do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.

WEBBE Therefore wash yourself, anoint yourself, get dressed, and go down to the threshing floor; but don’t make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET So bathe yourself, rub on some perfumed oil, and get dressed up. Then go down to the threshing floor. But don’t let the man know you’re there until he finishes his meal.

LSV and you have bathed, and anointed yourself, and put your garments on you, and gone down to the threshing-floor; do not let yourself be known to the man until he completes to eat and to drink;

FBV Have a bath, put on some perfume, wear your best[fn] clothes, and go down to the threshing floor—but don't let him recognize you. Once he's finished eating and drinking,

3:3 The Hebrew does not specifically say “best” but this would surely be implied.

T4T Bathe yourself and put on some perfume. Put on your best clothes. Then go down to the ground where they have threshed the grain. But do not let Boaz know that you are there while he is eating supper and drinking.

LEB Wash, anoint yourself, put your clothing on, and go down to the threshing floor. Do not make yourself known to the man until he finishes eating and drinking.

BBE So take a bath, and, after rubbing your body with sweet oil, put on your best robe, and go down to the grain-floor; but do not let him see you till he has come to the end of his meal.

Moff No Moff RUTH book available

JPS Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the threshing-floor; but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.

ASV Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the threshing-floor, but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.

DRA Wash thyself therefore and anoint thee, and put on thy best garments, and go down to the barnfloor: but let not the man see thee, till he shall have done eating and drinking.

YLT and thou hast bathed, and anointed thyself, and put thy garments upon thee, and gone down to the threshing-floor; let not thyself be known to the man till he complete to eat and to drink;

Drby Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thyself, and put thy raiment upon thee, and go down to the floor; make not thyself known to the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.

RV Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put on thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the threshing-floor: but make not thyself known to the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.
(Wash thyself/yourself therefore, and anoint thee/you, and put on thy/your raiment/clothing upon thee/you, and get thee/you down to the threshing-floor: but make not thyself/yourself known to the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. )

SLT And wash thou and anoint thyself, and put thy garments upon thee, and go down to the threshing-floor: thou shalt not make thyself known to the man till his finishing to eat and to drink.

Wbstr Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and go down to the floor: but make not thyself known to the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.

KJB-1769 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.
(Wash thyself/yourself therefore, and anoint thee/you, and put thy/your raiment/clothing upon thee/you, and get thee/you down to the floor: but make not thyself/yourself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. )

KJB-1611 Wash thy selfe therefore, and annoint thee, and put thy raiment vpon thee, and get thee downe to the floore: but make not thy selfe knowen vnto the man, vntill hee shall haue done eating and drinking.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps Wasshe thy selfe therfore, and annoynt thee, and put thy rayment vpon thee, & get thee downe to the floore: but let not the man knoweof thee, vntill he haue left eating and drincking.
(Wasshe thyself/yourself therefore, and anoint thee/you, and put thy/your raiment/clothing upon thee/you, and get thee/you down to the floor: but let not the man knoweof thee/you, until he have left eating and drincking.)

Gnva Wash thy sellfe therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment vpon thee, and get thee downe to the floore: let not the man know of thee, vntill he haue left eating and drinking.
(Wash thy/your sellfe therefore, and anoint thee/you, and put thy/your raiment/clothing upon thee/you, and get thee/you down to the floor: let not the man know of thee/you, until he have left eating and drinking. )

Cvdl Bathe thyselfe therfore, and moffell the, and put on thy clothes, and go downe vnto the barne, so yt noma knowe the, tyll they haue all eaten and dronken.
(Bathe thyself/yourselfe therefore, and moffell them, and put on thy/your clothes, and go down unto the barn, so it noma know them, till they have all eaten and dronken.)

Wycl Therfor be thou waischun, and anoyntid, and be thou clothid with onestere clothis, and go doun in to the corn floor; the man, `that is, Booz, se not thee, til he haue endid the mete and drynke.
(Therefore be thou/you washing, and anointed, and be thou/you clothed with onestere clothes, and go down in to the corn-floor/storage-barn; the man, that is, Booz, see not thee/you, till he have ended the meet and drink.)

Luth So bade dich und salbe dich und lege dein Kleid an und gehe hinab auf die Tenne, daß dich niemand kenne, bis man ganz gegessen und getrunken hat.
(So bade you/yourself and salbe you/yourself and lay your(s) garment at/to and go down on/in/to the Tenne, that you/yourself no_one know, until man all eaten and drank has.)

ClVg Lavare igitur, et ungere, et induere cultioribus vestimentis, et descende in aream: non te videat homo, donec esum potumque finierit.[fn]
(Lavare therefore, and ungere, and to_put_on cultioribus clothes, and descende in/into/on area: not/no you(sg) let_him_see human, until esum drinkque finierit. )

3.3 Non te. Quia fides gentium Ecclesiæ non ante apparuit, quam Christus mysterium incarnationis suæ implevit, quando corporaliter inter homines vivens cibo ac potu usus est, et tandem cœnans cum discipulis suis corporis et sanguinis sui sacramenta communicavit eis. Impleto autem mysterio dispensationis, Christi Ecclesia de gentibus ad fidem fiducialiter accessit.

3.3 Not/No you(sg). Because faith nations Assemblies/Churches not/no before appeared, how Christ/Messiah mystery incarnation his/her_own he_fulfilled, when physically/bodily between people/men living with_food/feed and potu use(n) it_is, and tandem dinnerns when/with students to_his_own body and blood self sacraments communicavit to_them. Impleto however mystery dispensationis, of_Christ Assembly/Church from/about nations to faith confidently came.

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

3:3a

Therefore wash yourself, put on perfume, and wear your best clothes.

So, bathe, rub on sweet-swelling oil, and put on your nicest clothes.
This is what you must do. Take a bath, rub on sweet-smelling oil, and dress in your best clothing.

Therefore: In Hebrew, this sentence starts with a conjunction that the BSB translates as Therefore. It begins a series of instructions from Naomi to Ruth. So far, Naomi’s speech to Ruth which began in 3:1b has been describing a situation. Here in 3:3a she switched to giving instructions.

Here are some ways to introduce the series of instructions:

So… (NET)

Now do as I tell you (NLT)

Therefore I want you to…

You should… (CEB)

Consider the way that your language naturally switches from describing the important facts about a situation to giving instructions.

wash yourself, put on perfume: Naomi told Ruth to wash yourself, which means to bathe. The verb which the BSB translates as put on perfume means to “anoint” or “apply oils or perfumes to the body.” Perfumed oil was a luxury item. Poor people would have used it only on special occasions.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

So bathe yourself, rub on some perfumed oil (NET)

take a bath and put on perfume (NLT)

and wear your best clothes: The Hebrew clause that the BSB translates as and wear your best clothes is literally “and you will put your clothing on yourself.” There is no Hebrew word that means best here, but many translations supply a description of the clothes as “best,” “nice,” or “good,” because it fits the context.

clothes: There is a textual issue here:

In some Hebrew manuscripts the word for clothes is plural and refers to clothing in general. For example:
and put on your best clothes (NRSV) (BSB, CEV, GNT, GW, KJV, NET, NIV, NABRE, NASB, NRSV, NCV, NLT, REB)
In other Hebrew manuscripts and in the LXX, the word for clothes is singular, referring specifically to a “cloak,” “robe,” or “outer garment.” For example:
and put on your cloak (ESV) (ESV, NJB)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with most versions. Also, it has strong manuscript support.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

and dress in your nicest clothes (NLT)

and get dressed up (NET)

dress up (NJPS)

3:3b

Go down to the threshing floor,

Then go over to the threshing place,
Then get up and go to the place where they remove the chaff/husks from the barley grain.

Go down to the threshing floor: Bethlehem was built on a hill that is higher than the surrounding land. A person would need to Go down to get to any place nearby. Threshing floors were also located on the tops or ridges of hills in order to catch good wind for blowing away the chaff. The threshing floor where Boaz worked was probably on the top of a lower hill close to Bethlehem.

In some languages, it may not be natural to say “go down” if a person goes slightly downhill. If that is true in your language, see the last three examples below.

Then go down the hill to the threshing place

After that, go over to the place where they crush/thresh the grain

Then go to the threshing floor (NLT)

Go where he is working (CEV)

3:3c

but do not let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.

but do not let him know that you are there before/until he has finished eating and drinking.
But stay where Boaz cannot see you while he is having his meal.

but: The instructions in 3:3a-b have all been positive commands (“wash…put on…wear…Go down…”). Here in 3:3c, she gave a negative command, telling Ruth what not to do. The Hebrew text does not use any conjunction here. In many languages, it will be natural to use a conjunction that indicates contrast. For example:

However,

But be careful…

But make sure…

do not let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking: Naomi told Ruth to remain out of Boaz’s sight until he had finished eating and had gone to sleep.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Do not let him recognize you while he is still eating and drinking

but don’t let Boaz see you until he has finished eating and drinking (NLT)

but don’t let him recognize you. Once he’s finished eating and drinking,… (FBV)

In some languages, it may be more natural to use a positive command here rather than a negative one. For example:

But keep yourself out of his sight while…

But stay hidden until…

the man: There are three ways to translate this phrase:

Translate it literally as the man, as in the BSB.Boaz is referred to as “the man” here and in 3:8, 16, and 18. (Compare the use of “woman” in reference to Ruth in 3:8, 11, and 14.) Hubbard (page 202) explains that this form of reference reminds the reader that this is a story about the relationship between a man and a woman. Consider whether referring to Boaz here as “the man” would have a similar effect in your language. If not, use the form of reference that is most natural in your language.
Use the pronoun “him.”
Refer to him by his name “Boaz.”

eating and drinking: The phrase eating and drinking is a Hebrew idiom that means “having a meal.”

Parallel RUTH 3:3

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

3:3a

3:3b

3:3c

The Setting of Ruth