Ruth 3:9

Rth 3:9 And he said, Who [art] thou? And she answered, I [am] Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou [art] a near kinsman.

Ver. 9. Spread therefore thy skirt.] Tostatus thinketh that by this speech she desired him to lie with her; which is gross. Rather, hereby she desired him to marry her - see Eze 16:8, - and as a husband to nourish and cherish her; {Eph 5:29} and he understandeth her no otherwise, as appeareth by his answer.

For thou art a near kinsman.] And so hast the right of redemption, and reason to raise up seed to my deceased husband. Let us go boldly to Jesus Christ our elder Brother, and say to him in like sort, Thou, Lord, art my near and dear kinsman, Oh spread thy skirt over me, &c.

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.

3:9 your servant: Ruth deliberately identified herself with the female workers. • Spread . . . your covering over me: This was a way of asking Boaz to marry her (cp. Ezek 16:8). • Ruth appealed to Boaz’s status as a family redeemer (Hebrew go’el) to persuade him to marry her (see Ruth 4:5; “The Family Redeemer” Theme Note).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman--She had already drawn part of the mantle over her; and she asked him now to do it, that the act might become his own. To spread a skirt over one is, in the East, a symbolical action denoting protection. To this day in many parts of the East, to say of anyone that he put his skirt over a woman, is synonymous with saying that he married her; and at all the marriages of the modern Jews and Hindus, one part of the ceremony is for the bridegroom to put a silken or cotton cloak around his bride.

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. Spread therefore thy skirt over thine hand maid] Hebrew, Spread thy wing. The wing is the emblem of protection, and is a metaphor taken from the young of fowls, which run under the wings of their mothers, that they may be saved from birds of prey. The meaning here is, Take me to thee for wife; and so the Targum has translated it, Let thy name be called on thy handmaid to take me for wife, because thou art the redeemer; i.e., thou art the גאל goel, the kinsman, to whom the right of redemption belongs. See on Ru 2:20. Even to the present day, when a Jew marries a woman, he throws the skirt or end of his talith over her, to signify that he has taken her under his protection.

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

(9) Skirt.—Literally wing; Heb. canaph, as in Rth_2:12. The Targum treats this as in itself the claim to espousal on her part. The metaphor may be illustrated from Eze_16:8, and more generally from Mat_23:37.

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

9. spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid] This symbolic act denoted that the kinsman claimed the widow as his wife. Cf. Eze_16:8. The custom prevailed among the early Arabs; a good illustration is given in Ṭabarî’s commentary on the Koran (Sura 4:23, forbidding men to ‘inherit women against their will’): ‘In the Jâhilîya, when a man’s father or brother or son died and left a widow, the dead man’s heir, if he came at once and threw his garment over her, had the right to marry her under the dowry of [i.e. already paid by] her [deceased] lord, or to give her in marriage and take her dowry. But if she anticipated him and went off to her own people, then the disposal of her hand belonged to herself’; Robertson Smith, Kinship etc., p. 87. See also Sale’s translation of the Koran (Warne & Co.), p. 56 and note.

a near kinsman] The primary meaning of the Hebr. go’el is ‘one who enforces a claim’ which has lapsed; so ‘one who re-claims’ or ‘re-vindicates.’ Hence the verb is used of redeeming a house or field after it has been sold, or an Israelite who has been obliged to sell himself as a slave (Lev_25:25 ff., Lev_25:47 ff.), or something which has been vowed to Jehovah; in the expression go’el had-dâm, ‘the avenger of blood,’ Deu_19:6; Deu_19:12 etc., it denotes ‘one who vindicates the rights of the murdered man;’ see Driver in loc. But since a man was not as a rule able himself to redeem a right which had lapsed, the duty fell upon his family and more particularly upon his nearest relative; in this way go’el came to mean ‘the next of kin.’ Boaz, however, was not the nearest relative (Rth_3:12), so he could not act unless the next of kin declined; nor did the Pentatenchal law require the go’el to marry the widow of the deceased in addition to redeeming his property, though custom sanctioned the marriage. Hence Ruth’s appeal to the generosity of Boaz.

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.

And he said, who art thou?.... He spoke quick and short, as one displeased, or however surprised and frightened, just coming out of sleep, and in the night:

and she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid; that had gleaned in his fields with his maidens, and with whom he had conversed there, and knew her by name:

spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid; which seems to account for the reason of her uncovering his feet, or turning up the skirt of his garment that was upon them; not through wantonness and immodesty, but to direct him, when opportunity offered, to spread it over her as a token of his taking her in marriage, and of her being under his care and protection, and of her subjection to him; so the Targum,"let thy name be called upon me to take me for a wife,''Whether the custom now used with the Jews at marriage, for a man to cast the skirt of his "talith", or outward garment, over the head of his spouse, and cover it, was in use so early, is questionable; and yet something like it seems to have been done, as this phrase intimates, and to which there is an allusion in Eze 16:8. So Jarchi,"spread the skirt of thy garments to cover me with thy talith, and this is expressive of marriage;''and Aben Ezra says, it intimates taking her to him for wife; though as the word signifies a wing, the allusion may be to the wings of birds spread over their young, to cherish and protect them, which are acts to be done by a man to his wife:

for thou art a near kinsman; as she had been informed by Naomi, to whom the right of redemption of her husband's estate belonged, and in whom it lay to marry her, and raise up seed to his kinsman, her former husband.

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

Spread thy skirt ... - The phrase indicates receiving and acknowledging her as a wife.

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

Kinsman. Hebrew, "a redeemer;" (Calmet) one bound to defend and to espouse a brother’s widow, if others more nearly akin refuse. (Haydock) --- Ruth modestly admonishes him of this duty, and begs that he would take her to wife, (Calmet) as he might then have done without any other formality. (Serarius, q. vii.) --- We find a similar expression [in] Ezechiel xvi. 8., and Deuteronomy xxii. 80. Some think that she only asked for protection. The custom of the husband, stretching a part of his garment over his bride, was perhaps already established among the Hebrews. (Calmet) --- Hebrew and Septuagint, "stretch thy wing over," &c. Chaldean, "Let thy name be invoked upon thy handmaid, to take me to wife." (Menochius; Isaias iv. 1.)

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).

Spread thy skirt over thine hand-maid, i.e. take me to be thy wife, and perform the duty of an husband to me. This phrase is used in this sense Deu 22:30; 27:20; Eze 16:8. Either, first, Because the wife is admitted into the same bed with her husband, and both are covered with one and the same covering. Or, secondly, From an ancient ceremony of the husband’s throwing the skirt of his garment over her head, in token both of her subjection, 1Co 11:5,6,10, and appropriation to him, being hereby as it were hid from the eyes of others; see Gen 20:16; and also of that protection which he oweth to her: see Rth 2:12.

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

9. Spread… thy skirt over thine handmaid — Literally, spread thy wing. The meaning is, Take me into the protection and intimacy of the marriage relation. The figure, taken originally from birds that cover their young with their wings for protection, is appropriately used of the marriage state. Thus in Eze_16:8, Jehovah represents himself as spreading his wing over Jerusalem in the time of love, and thus taking her to wife. Also in Deu_22:30; Deu_27:20, a man guilty of incest is represented as one that uncovereth his father’s wing, or skirt, because he meddles with that which is closed and legally sealed to all but the married pair.

Thou art a near kinsman — A goel, from whom I have a legal right to claim this relation.

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

And he said, Who art thou? And she said, I am Ruth, thy handmaid; and thou hast spread thy wings over thy handmaid, for thou art kinsman. The Syriac translator spoils the question of Boaz by metamorphosing it from Who art thou?" into What is thy message?" Tremulous would be the voice of Ruth as she replied, "I am Ruth, thy handmaid." What she said in continuance has been very generally, and by Driver, among others ("Hebrew Tenses," p. 135), misapprehended. Not by Raabe, however. It has been regarded as a petition presented to Boaz thy wings (or, thy wing) over thy handmaid, for thou art kinsman." The literal translation, however, and far the more delicate idea, as also far the more effective representation, is, "And thou hast spread thy wings over thy handmaid, for thou art kinsman." Ruth explains her position under Boaz"s coverlet as if it were his own deliberate act. Such is her felicitous way of putting the ease. It is as if she had said, "The position in which thy handmaid actually is exhibits the true relation in which thou standest to thy handmaid. She is under thy wings. Thou hast benignantly spread them over her, for thou art kinsman." The Masorites have correctly regarded pnk as a scriptio defectiva for the dual of the noun, and hence have punctuated it "thy wings." The majority of interpreters, however, have assumed that the word is singular, and have hence translated it as if it had been punctuated The dual reading is to be preferred. Boaz himself had represented Ruth as having come trustfully under the wings of Yahveh. (see Rth_2:12) She accepted the representation. It was beautifully true. But, as she was well aware that God often works through human agency, she now recognized the Divine hand in the kindness of Boaz. Thou hast spread thy wings over thine handmaid." She was under his wings because she had come under the wings of Yahveh. She felt like a little timid chicken; but she had found a refuge. It is the wings of tender, gentle, sheltering care that are referred to. There is only indirect allusion to the typical coverlet under which she lay. For thou art kinsman. (see Rth_2:20) The native modesty of Ruth led her to account for her position by a reference to the law of kinship. She had rights, and she stood upon them. She conceived that Boaz had correlative duties to discharge; but we may be sure that she would never have made the least reference to her rights, or to the correlative duties which she regarded as devolving on Boaz, had she not known that his heart was already hers.

His touch had satisfied him that it was a woman who was at his feet. Who was she? Ruth at once declared herself, no doubt in accents of sweet modesty. The statement with which she follows up the declaration of herself is variously interpreted. In King James"s version there are two departures from literality.

1. The word skirt is not a literal rendering of the Hebrew term. Wings is the proper translation.

2. The entreaty Spread therefore is also a departure from literality. The verb is not in the imperative, but in the affirmative And thou hast spread. It is Ruth"s own interpretation of the position of affairs. She had come to Judaea to take shelter under the wings of Jehovah; and Boaz had, on his part, in harmony with the heavenly kindness of Jehovah, spread over her his wings of terrestrial kindness. She thus does not speak at all of Boaz"s skirt, or skirts. There was beautiful delicacy in her representation. She did not need to enter into particular details. Her position, viewed in the light of custom, explained the whole case.

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

Spread thy Skirt - That is, take me to be thy wife, and perform the duty of an husband to me.

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

In answer to his inquiry, "Who art thou?" she said, "I am Ruth, thine handmaid; spread thy wing over thine handmaid, for thou art a redeemer." כּנפך is a dual according to the Masoretic pointing, as we cannot look upon it as a pausal form on account of the position of the word, but it is most probably to be regarded as a singular; and the figurative expression is not taken from birds, which spread their wings over their young, i.e., to protect them, but refers, according to Deu 23:1; Deu 27:20, and Eze 16:8, to the wing, i.e., the corner of the counterpane, referring to the fact that a man spreads this over his wife as well as himself. Thus Ruth entreated Boaz to marry her because he was a redeemer. On this reason for the request, see the remarks in the introduction to the chapter.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

and you shall spread your skirt the skirt of your garments to cover me with your cloak, and this is a term connoting marriage.

for you are a near kinsman to redeem my husband’s estate, as it is written (Lev. 25:25): “then his near kinsman who is closest to him shall come and redeem, etc.” My mother-in-law and I must sell our estate, and now it is incumbent upon you to buy [it]. Acquire me also, along with it, so that the name of the deceased be remembered on his estate. When I come to the field, they will say: This is Mahlon’s wife.

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.

"ופרשת (and you shall spread):" A hint to take her as a wife.

"כי גואל אתה (for you are a kinsman-redeemer):" For this is the custom of all Israel, as No῾omi had informed her.

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.