Ruth 2:2 And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Please let me go into the fields and glean heads of grain after someone in whose sight I may find favor." "Go ahead, my daughter," Naomi replied.

◄ Ruth 2:2 ►

New International Version
And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.”

New Living Translation
One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go out into the harvest fields to pick up the stalks of grain left behind by anyone who is kind enough to let me do it.” Naomi replied, “All right, my daughter, go ahead.”

English Standard Version
And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

Berean Standard Bible
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go into the fields and glean heads of grain after someone in whose sight I may find favor.” “Go ahead, my daughter,” Naomi replied.

King James Bible
And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

New King James Version
So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

New American Standard Bible
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain following one in whose eyes I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

NASB 1995
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

NASB 1977
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one whom I may find favor in his eyes.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

Amplified Bible
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one [of the reapers] in whose sight I may find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

Christian Standard Bible
Ruth the Moabitess asked Naomi, “Will you let me go into the fields and gather fallen grain behind someone with whom I find favor? ” Naomi answered her, “Go ahead, my daughter.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Ruth the Moabitess asked Naomi, “Will you let me go into the fields and gather fallen grain behind someone who allows me to?” Naomi answered her, “Go ahead, my daughter.”

American Standard Version
And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

English Revised Version
And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Ruth, who was from Moab, said to Naomi, "Please let me go to the field of anyone who will be kind to me. There I will gather the grain left behind by the reapers." Naomi told her, "Go, my daughter."

Good News Translation
One day Ruth said to Naomi, "Let me go to the fields to gather the grain that the harvest workers leave. I am sure to find someone who will let me work with him." Naomi answered, "Go ahead, daughter."

International Standard Version
Ruth the Moabite told Naomi, "Please allow me to go out to the fields and glean grain behind anyone who shows me kindness." So Naomi replied, "Go ahead, my daughter."

Majority Standard Bible
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go into the fields and glean heads of grain after someone in whose sight I may find favor.” “Go ahead, my daughter,” Naomi replied.

NET Bible
One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, "Let me go to the fields so I can gather grain behind whoever permits me to do so." Naomi replied, "You may go, my daughter."

New Heart English Bible
Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor." She said to her, "Go, my daughter."

Webster's Bible Translation
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said to her, Go, my daughter.

World English Bible
Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I find favor.” She said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
And Ruth the Moabitess says to Naomi, “Please let me go into the field, and I gather among the ears of grain after him in whose eyes I find grace”; and she says to her, “Go, my daughter.”

Young's Literal Translation
And Ruth the Moabitess saith unto Naomi, 'Let me go, I pray thee, into the field, and I gather among the ears of corn after him in whose eyes I find grace;' and she saith to her, 'Go, my daughter.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And Ruth the Moabitess will say to Naomi, I will now go to the field and I will gather among the ears after; whom I shall find favor in his eyes. And she will say to her, Go, my daughter.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Ruth the Moabitess said to her mother in law: If thou wilt, I will go into the field, and glean the ears of corn that escape the hands of the reapers, wheresoever I shall find grace with a householder that will be favourable to me. And she answered her: Go, my daughter.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And Ruth, the Moabite, said to her mother-in-law, “If you order, I will go into the field and gather the ears of grain which escape the reaping hand, wherever I will find favor with the father of a family, who will be compassionate to me.” She answered her, “Go, my daughter.”

New American Bible
Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “I would like to go and glean grain in the field of anyone who will allow me.” Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.”

New Revised Standard Version
And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain, behind someone in whose sight I may find favor.” She said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And Ruth the Moabitess said to her mother-in-law Naomi, Let me now go to the field and glean ears of wheat after the reapers in whose sight I may find favor. And her mother-in-law said to her, Go, my daughter.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Namei, her mother in law: “I shall go to the field and I shall gather the gleaning after the laborers of him in whose eyes I shall find favor.” And her mother in law said to her: “Go, my daughter”

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi: 'Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find favour.' And she said unto her: 'Go, my daughter.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Noemin, Let me go now to the field, and I will glean among the ears behind the man with whomsoever I shall find favour: and she said to her, Go, daughter.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Boaz Meets Ruth
1Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a prominent man of noble character from the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go into the fields and glean heads of grain after someone in whose sight I may find favor.” “Go ahead, my daughter,” Naomi replied. 3So Ruth departed and went out into the field and gleaned after the harvesters. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Leviticus 19:9-10
When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. / You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 24:19-22
If you are harvesting in your field and forget a sheaf there, do not go back to get it. It is to be left for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. / When you beat the olives from your trees, you must not go over the branches again. What remains will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow. / When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you must not go over the vines again. What remains will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow. ...

Matthew 15:22-28
And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.” / But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” / He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ...

Exodus 22:21-24
You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt. / You must not mistreat any widow or orphan. / If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to Me in distress, I will surely hear their cry. ...

Leviticus 23:22
When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident. I am the LORD your God.’”

Deuteronomy 10:18-19
He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing. / So you also must love the foreigner, since you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

James 1:27
Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Galatians 6:10
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.

Matthew 25:35-40
For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, / I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’ / Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? ...

Hebrews 13:2
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

1 Timothy 5:3-4
Honor the widows who are truly widows. / But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to show godliness to their own family and repay their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.

Isaiah 58:7
Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Luke 10:30-37
Jesus took up this question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. / Now by chance a priest was going down the same road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. / So too, when a Levite came to that spot and saw him, he passed by on the other side. ...

Romans 12:13
Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.

1 John 3:17-18
If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him? / Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.

Treasury of Scripture

And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said to her, Go, my daughter.

glean ears

Leviticus 19:9,16
And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest…

Leviticus 23:22
And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 24:19-21
When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands…

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Ruth 2

1. Ruth gleans in the field of Boaz
4. Boaz takes notice of her
8. and shows her great favor
18. That which she got, she carries to Naomi

Berean Study Bible

Ruth the Moabitess
This phrase highlights Ruth's identity as a foreigner, specifically from Moab. The Moabites were often seen as outsiders and even enemies of Israel, stemming from their origin in Genesis 19:30-38 and their opposition to Israel during the Exodus (Numbers 22-25). Ruth's designation as a Moabitess underscores her outsider status and sets the stage for the remarkable acceptance and integration she will experience in Israel. Her account is a testament to God's inclusive love and the breaking down of ethnic barriers.

said to Naomi
Ruth's relationship with Naomi is central to the narrative. Naomi, her mother-in-law, represents a connection to the Israelite community and faith. Ruth's willingness to speak to Naomi and seek her guidance reflects her respect and loyalty. This relationship is a model of familial devotion and mutual support, illustrating the importance of intergenerational bonds and the wisdom that can be shared between them.

Please let me go
Ruth's request is humble and respectful. The Hebrew root for "please" (נָא, na) conveys a sense of earnest entreaty. Ruth's approach is not one of entitlement but of humility and deference, which is a powerful example of how believers should approach God and others—with humility and respect.

into the fields
The fields represent the place of provision and sustenance. In ancient Israel, fields were not only agricultural spaces but also places where God's laws of provision for the poor and the foreigner were enacted (Leviticus 19:9-10). Ruth's desire to go into the fields is a step of faith, trusting in God's provision through the kindness of others.

and glean heads of grain
Gleaning was a practice commanded by God in the Law, allowing the poor and foreigners to gather leftover crops (Deuteronomy 24:19-22). This practice reflects God's heart for justice and care for the marginalized. Ruth's willingness to glean shows her industriousness and determination to provide for herself and Naomi, embodying the virtues of hard work and reliance on God's provision.

after someone in whose sight I may find favor
Ruth seeks favor, or grace, which in Hebrew (חֵן, chen) implies kindness and acceptance. Her hope to find favor is a step of faith, trusting that God will lead her to someone who will show her kindness. This reflects the biblical theme of grace, where God often uses human agents to extend His favor and kindness to others.

Naomi said to her, 'Go ahead, my daughter.'
Naomi's response is one of encouragement and affirmation. By calling Ruth "my daughter," Naomi expresses a deep bond and acceptance of Ruth into her family. This acceptance is significant, as it shows the breaking down of cultural and ethnic barriers. Naomi's blessing over Ruth's endeavor is a reminder of the power of words to encourage and empower others in their faith journey.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(2) Let me now go.--The character of Ruth comes out strongly here. She does not hesitate to face the hard work necessary on her mother-in-law's account; nor is she too proud to condescend to a work which might perhaps seem humiliating. Nor does one hanker after her old home in the land of Moab and the plenty there. Energy, honesty of purpose, and loyalty are alike evinced here.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 2. - And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, Let me go, I pray thee, to the cornfields, that I may glean among the ears after whosoever shall show me favor. In modern style one would not, in referring, at this stage of the narrative, to Ruth, deem it in the least degree necessary or advantageous to repeat the designation "the Moabitess." The repetition is antique, and calls to mind the redundant particularization of legal phraseology - "the aforesaid Ruth, the Moabitess." She was willing and wishful to avail herself of an Israelitish privilege accorded to the poor, the privilege of gleaning after the reapers in the harvest-fields (see Leviticus 19:9; Leviticus 23:22: Deuteronomy 24:19). Such gleaning was a humiliation to those who had been accustomed to give rather than to get. But Ruth saw, in the pinched features of her mother-in-law, that there was now a serious difficulty in keeping the wolf outside the door. And hence, although there would be temptation in the step, as well as humiliation, she resolved to avail herself of the harvest season to gather as large a store as possible of those nutritious cereals which form the staff of life, and which they would grind for themselves in their little handmill or quern. She said, with beautiful courtesy. "Let me go I, pray, thee;" or, "I wish to go, if you will please to allow me." Such is the force of the peculiar Hebrew idiom. "There is no place," says Lawson, "where our tongues ought to be better governed than in our own houses." To the cornfields. Very literally, "to the field." It is the language of townspeople, when referring to the land round about the town that was kept under tillage. It was not customary to separate cornfield from cornfield by means of walls and hedges. A simple furrow, with perhaps a stone here and there, or a small collection of stones, sufficed, as in Switzerland at the present day, to distinguish the patches or portions that belonged to different proprietors. Hence the singular word field, as comprehending the sum-total of the adjoining unenclosed ground that had been laid down in grain. "Though the gardens and vineyards," says Horatio B. Hackett, "are usually surrounded by a stone wall or hedge of prickly pear, the grain-fields, on the contrary, though they belong to different proprietors, are not separated by any enclosure from each other. The boundary between them is indicated by heaps of small stones, or sometimes by single upright stones, placed at intervals of a rod or more from each other. This is the ancient landmark of which we read in the Old Testament" ('Illustrations of Scripture,' p. 110). The word field in Hebrew, שָׂדֶה, denotes radically, not so much plain, as ploughed land (see Raabe's 'Glosser'). In English there is a slightly varied though corresponding idiom lying at the base of the Teutonic term in use. A field (German Fold) is a clearance, a place where the trees of the original forest have been felled. The expression, that I may glean 'among' the ears, proceeds on the assumption that Ruth did not expect that she would "make a clean sweep" of all the straggled ears. There might likely be other gleaners besides herself, and even though there should not, she could not expect to gather all. After whosoever shall show me favor. A peculiarly antique kind of structure in the original: "after whom I shall find favor in his eyes." Ruth speaks as if she thought only of one reaper, and he the proprietor. She, as it were, instinctively conceives of the laborers as "hands." And she said to her, Go, my daughter. Naomi yielded; no doubt at first reluctantly, yet no doubt also in a spirit of grateful admiration of her daughter-in-law, who, when she could hot lift up her circumstances to her mind, brought down her mind to her circumstances

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

And Ruth
ר֨וּת (rūṯ)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 7327: Ruth -- 'friendship', a Moabite ancestress of David

the Moabitess
הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּ֜ה (ham·mō·w·’ă·ḇî·yāh)
Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4125: Moabite -- descendant of Moab

said
וַתֹּאמֶר֩ (wat·tō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to Naomi,
נָעֳמִ֗י (nā·‘o·mî)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 5281: Naomi -- mother-in-law of Ruth

“Please
נָּ֤א (nā)
Interjection
Strong's 4994: I pray', 'now', 'then'

let me go
אֵֽלְכָה־ (’ê·lə·ḵāh-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

into the fields
הַשָּׂדֶה֙ (haś·śā·ḏeh)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7704: Field, land

and glean
וַאֲלַקֳטָּ֣ה‪‬‪‬ (wa·’ă·la·qo·ṭāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular
Strong's 3950: To pick up, to gather, to glean

heads of grain
בַשִׁבֳּלִ֔ים‪‬‪‬ (ḇaš·šib·bo·lîm)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 7641: A stream, an ear of grain, a branch

behind [someone]
אַחַ֕ר (’a·ḥar)
Adverb
Strong's 310: The hind or following part

in whose
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

sight
בְּעֵינָ֑יו (bə·‘ê·nāw)
Preposition-b | Noun - cdc | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

I may find
אֶמְצָא־ (’em·ṣā-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present

favor.”
חֵ֖ן (ḥên)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2580: Graciousness, subjective, objective

“Go ahead,
לְכִ֥י (lə·ḵî)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - feminine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

my daughter,”
בִתִּֽי׃ (ḇit·tî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1323: A daughter

Naomi replied.
וַתֹּ֥אמֶר (wat·tō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

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OT History: Ruth 2:2 Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi Let (Ru Rut.)