Bible Strands
Ruth 3:17
And she said, “He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said, ‘Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Ruth speaks to her mother-in-law Naomi immediately after returning from the threshing floor. She reports Boaz's provision and relays his direct instruction regarding her departure.
The words — The text specifies שֵׁשׁ (shesh, "six") and הַשְּׂעֹרִים (ha-sse'orim, "the barley"), marking the exact quantity and type of grain given. Ruth also repeats the negative imperative אַל (al, "may not") from Boaz's command not to return empty-handed.
The thread — The six measures of barley align with harvest regulations in Leviticus 23:10 and Deuteronomy 16:9, placing Ruth's experience within Israel's covenantal agricultural cycle. Boaz's pledge to act "today" (Ruth 3:18) mirrors the urgent fulfillment required in Leviticus 25:25 and Deuteronomy 25:5-10.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to recognize that covenantal provision arrives through specific, quantifiable acts of human loyalty. It demands a posture of patient observation while the responsible party fulfills his stated word.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.