Ruth 2:9

Rth 2:9 [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.

Ver. 9. Go thou after them.] Mercy is not miserly: charity is no churl. Love is full of good works. This age aboundeth with mouth mercy, {Jas 3:15-16} but a little handful were better than a great many such mouthfuls.

That they should not touch thee.] With a wanton touch, as young men are apt to do, or otherwise wrong thee. Let masters of families make Nebuchadnezzar’s law, that nothing be said or done, by those under their charge, against the God of heaven.

Drink of that which the young men have drawn.] Not without hard labour in those hot and high countries: the courtesy, therefore, was the greater.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That is, take heed in what field they do reap.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn--Gleaners were sometimes allowed, by kind and charitable masters, to partake of the refreshments provided for the reapers. The vessels alluded to were skin bottles, filled with water--and the bread was soaked in vinegar (Rut 2:14); a kind of poor, weak wine, sometimes mingled with a little olive oil--very cooling, as would be required in harvest-time. This grateful refection is still used in the harvest-field.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 9. The young men that they shall not touch thee] This was peculiarly necessary, as she was a stranger and unprotected.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(9) Have drawn.—Literally, shall (from time to time) draw. Possibly from that self-same well at Bethlehem from which David desired to drink (2Sa_23:15).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

9. after them] i.e. the maidens Rth_2:8, who followed the reapers and did the binding.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Let thine eyes be upon the field that they do reap, and go thou after them,.... And gather up the loose ears of corn dropped and left by them:

have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? do her no hurt, or offer any incivility or rudeness to her, or even play any wanton tricks with her, as is too common with young persons in the fields at harvest time. This charge he now gave in her hearing, or however suggests that he would, and therefore she might depend upon it she should have no molestation nor any affront given her:

and when thou art athirst: as at such a season of the year, and in the field at such work, and in those hot countries, was frequently the case:

go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn; which they had fetched from wells and fountains in or near the city, and had put into bottles, pitchers, &c. for the use of the reapers and gatherers; we read of the well of Bethlehem, Sa2 23:15 now she is ordered to go to these vessels, and drink when she pleased, without asking leave of any; and Boaz no doubt gave it in charge to his young men not to hinder her.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

After them - i. e. “after my maidens.” The fields not being divided by hedges, but only by unplowed ridges, it would be easy for her to pass off Boaz’s land without being aware of it, and so find herself among strangers where Boaz could not protect her.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Thee. The men tied the corn after the female reapers, (Calmet) and Ruth was authorized to follow, close at their heels, without fear. (Haydock) --- The waters. This is not expressed in Hebrew but it is in the Septuagint and the Chaldean. (Calmet) --- The privilege of having water in those countries was very considerable. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

That they shall not touch thee, so as to offer any incivility or injury to thee. Touching is oft taken for hurting, Gen 26:11; Psa 105:15.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

9. That they do reap… go after them — The words they and them refer respectively to the reapers and the maidens of Boaz, for in the Hebrew the verb יקצרון reap, is in the masculine, and the suffix הן them, is in the feminine form. In the absence of fences to mark the exact limits of Boaz’s field, Ruth might, if she allowed herself to become far separated from his reapers, go unlicensed on another’s possessions; hence the charge to keep near his maidens.

Have I not charged the young men — From this remark it seems that the reapers were apt to be rude in their deportment towards defenceless females, if they received no charge from their masters. “Such precautions,” says Dr. Thomson, “are not out of place at this day.

The reapers are gathered from all parts of the country, and largely from the ruder class, and, living far from home, throw off all restraint, and give free license to their tongues, if nothing more.”

Go unto the vessels — This was doubtless a special indulgence to a gleaner. The harvest field was often at some distance from springs or wells, but the occasional refreshment of a drink of water was all important to the heated labourers; hence the vessels of water provided by the young men.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Boaz continues his talk, led on by an interest that was, probably, surprising to himself. Let thine eyes be on the field which they are reaping. He feels increasingly anxious concerning the fascinating stranger, and gives her excellent counsel. Let not thine eyes be wiled away, wanderingly, from the work on which thou art so praiseworthily engaged." And go thou behind "them. The reference is not to the same parties, who are indeterminately spoken of in the preceding clause "they" are reaping." A determinate feminine pronoun makes it evident that the reference is to the maidens, who were working in the rear of the reapers (hyreja post eas). Have not I charged the young men not to touch thee? A fine euphemistic injunction; that was best obeyed, however, when most literally construed. And when thou thirstest, go to the jars, and drink of whatever the young men may draw. Most likely it would be from the well that was "by the gate of the city that the young men would draw that very well of which her illustrious descendant, King David, spake, when he "longed, and said, O that one would give me drink of the water of the well in Bethlehem, which is by the gate". (see 2Sa_23:4, 15 1Ch_11:17, 1Ch_11:18) When the water was drawn by the young men, then the maidens would carry the filled jars upon their heads to the resting-place. Gleaners could not be expected to get the freedom of the water which was thus so laboriously drawn, and then fatiguingly carried from a distance. But Boaz made Ruth free, and thus conferred on her a distinguishing privilege, that must have been at once most acceptable and most valuable. The Vulgate renders the last clause too freely which the young men "drink. The familiar well referred-to appears," says Dean Stanley, "close by the gate" of the town ("Sinai and Palestine," p. 163). Yet not very close. It is ," says Dr. John Wilson, "less than half a mile distant from the present village, and is in a rude enclosure, and consists of a large cistern with several small apertures" ("Lands of the Bible," vol. 1. p. 399). Dr. Wilson has no doubt of its identity, though Dr. Robinson hesitated to come to the same conclusion ("Researches," vol. 2. p. 158).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Touch - So as to offer any incivility or injury to thee.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

And [if] you are thirsty, you may go to the vessels And if you are thirsty, do not be ashamed to go and drink from the vessels of water that the young men will draw.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

And when thou art thirsty. It appears among words that have a final "hey" (ה) at the end.

Ibn Ezra on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0); and “Commentary of Ibn Ezra on Isaiah - trans. by M. Friedlander, 1873” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.