Ruth 2:20
New International Version
“The LORD bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.”

New Living Translation
“May the LORD bless him!” Naomi told her daughter-in-law. “He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband. That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers.”

English Standard Version
And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.”

Berean Standard Bible
Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our kinsman-redeemers.”

King James Bible
And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.

New King James Version
Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.”

New American Standard Bible
Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed of the LORD who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living and from the dead.” Again Naomi said to her, “The man is our relative; he is one of our redeemers.”

NASB 1995
Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed of the LORD who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead.” Again Naomi said to her, “The man is our relative, he is one of our closest relatives.”

NASB 1977
And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed of the LORD who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead.” Again Naomi said to her, “The man is our relative, he is one of our closest relatives.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed of Yahweh who has not forsaken his lovingkindness to the living and to the dead.” Then Naomi said to her, “The man is our relative; he is one of our kinsman redeemers.”

Amplified Bible
Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed of the LORD who has not ceased His kindness to the living and to the dead.” Again Naomi said to her, “The man is one of our closest relatives, one who has the right to redeem us.”

Christian Standard Bible
Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May the LORD bless him because he has not abandoned his kindness to the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our family redeemers.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, who has not forsaken his kindness to the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our family redeemers.”

American Standard Version
And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of Jehovah, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is nigh of kin unto us, one of our near kinsmen.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Namei said to her daughter in law: “Blessed is LORD JEHOVAH who not removed his mercy from the living and from the dead!” And Namei said to her, “The man is near us and he is one of the Avengers!”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Noemin said to her daughter-in-law, Blessed is he of the Lord, because he has not failed in his mercy with the living and with the dead: and Noemin said to her, The man is near akin to us, he is one of our relations.

Contemporary English Version
"The LORD bless Boaz!" Naomi replied. "He has shown that he is still loyal to the living and to the dead. Boaz is a close relative, one of those who is supposed to look after us."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Noemi answered her: Blessed be he of the Lord: because the same kindness which he shewed to the living, he hath kept also to the dead. And again she said: The man is our kinsman.

English Revised Version
And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is nigh of kin unto us, one of our near kinsmen.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "May the LORD bless him. The LORD hasn't stopped being kind to people-living or dead." Then Naomi told her, "That man is a relative of ours. He is a close relative, one of those responsible for taking care of us."

Good News Translation
"May the LORD bless Boaz!" Naomi exclaimed. "The LORD always keeps his promises to the living and the dead." And she went on, "That man is a close relative of ours, one of those responsible for taking care of us."

International Standard Version
Naomi replied, "May the one who hasn't abandoned his gracious love to the living or to the dead be blessed by the LORD." Naomi added, "This man is closely related to us, our related redeemer, as a matter of fact!"

JPS Tanakh 1917
And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law: 'Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off His kindness to the living and to the dead.' And Naomi said unto her: 'The man is nigh of kin unto us, one of our near kinsmen.'

Literal Standard Version
And Naomi says to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed [is] he of YHWH who has not forsaken His kindness with the living and with the dead”; and Naomi says to her, “The man is a relation of ours; he [is] of our redeemers.”

Majority Standard Bible
Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our kinsman-redeemers.”

New American Bible
“May he be blessed by the LORD, who never fails to show kindness to the living and to the dead,” Naomi exclaimed to her daughter-in-law. She continued, “This man is a near relative of ours, one of our redeemers.”

NET Bible
Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "May he be rewarded by the LORD because he has shown loyalty to the living on behalf of the dead!" Then Naomi said to her, "This man is a close relative of ours; he is our guardian."

New Revised Standard Version
Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a relative of ours, one of our nearest kin.”

New Heart English Bible
Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead." Naomi said to her, "The man is a close relative to us, one of our near kinsmen."

Webster's Bible Translation
And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said to her, The man is near of kin to us, one of our next kinsmen.

World English Bible
Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by Yahweh, who has not abandoned his kindness to the living and to the dead.” Naomi said to her, “The man is a close relative to us, one of our near kinsmen.”

Young's Literal Translation
And Naomi saith to her daughter-in-law, 'Blessed is he of Jehovah who hath not forsaken His kindness with the living and with the dead;' and Naomi saith to her, 'The man is a relation of ours; he is of our redeemers.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Boaz Meets Ruth
19Then her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today, and where did you work? Blessed be the man who noticed you.” So she told her mother-in-law where she had worked. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said. 20Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our kinsman-redeemers.” 21Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also told me, ‘Stay with my young men until they have finished gathering all my harvest.’ ”…

Cross References
Leviticus 25:25
If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his nearest of kin may come and redeem what his brother has sold.

Ruth 2:21
Then Ruth the Moabitess said, "He also told me, 'Stay with my young men until they have finished gathering all my harvest.'"

Ruth 3:10
Then Boaz said, "May the LORD bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.

2 Samuel 2:5
So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead to tell them, "The LORD bless you, because you showed this kindness to Saul your lord when you buried him.


Treasury of Scripture

And Naomi said to her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said to her, The man is near of kin to us, one of our next kinsmen.

Blessed

Revelation 3:10
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

2 Samuel 2:5
And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the LORD, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him.

Job 29:12,13
Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him…

hath not

2 Samuel 9:1
And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake?

Proverbs 17:17
A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Philippians 4:10
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

one of our.

Ruth 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.

Ruth 4:6
And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.

Leviticus 25:25
If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.

Jump to Previous
Bless Blessed Close Closest Daughter Daughter-In-Law Dead Kin Kindness Kinsmen Law Naomi Na'omi Nearest Nigh Ours Relative Relatives Stopped Withdrawn
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Bless Blessed Close Closest Daughter Daughter-In-Law Dead Kin Kindness Kinsmen Law Naomi Na'omi Nearest Nigh Ours Relative Relatives Stopped Withdrawn
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














(20) Who hath not . . .--It is not clear whether the grammatical antecedent is God or Boaz. Either way a good sense is obtained. As our lost dear ones had kindness shown them of old, so we too now. If Boaz is the antecedent, it may seem curious that Naomi (knowing that she was dwelling near to a kinsman of her husband's, and, further, one who had shown kindness before they departed to Moab) should not have made herself known to him. It is, at any rate, a proof of the independence of her character. However, the name once named evidently suggests the train of thought which at length leads Naomi to appeal to him for a kinsman's special aid, the aid of the Goel or redeemer.

One of our next kinsmen.--One of those who must redeem.

Verse 20. - And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, Blessed 'of' Yahveh be he who - . The expression is literally, "Blessed 'to' Yahveh be, he who," that is, "Blessed in relation to Yahveh be he who," or "Blessed be he! I carry the desire and prayer up to Yahveh," which just amounts, in meaning, to this: "Blessed ' by' Yahveh be he who." See other instances of the same construction in Genesis 14:19, and Psalm 115:15. Who has not let go his kindness to the living and to the dead. Some take these words to be descriptive of Yahveh. Others take them to be descriptive of Boaz. If they be regarded in the former point of view, then the foregoing clause must be rendered, not, "Blessed by Yahveh be he who," but, "Blessed be he by Yahveh who." Dr. Cassel assumes, but without any formal reasoning or apparent reason, that the reference of the relative is to Yahveh, and hence he makes out an ingenious argument in defense of the doctrine, that those who are dead to us are yet alive to God - the doctrine of immortality. It is strained. Yet Raabe thinks that the reference is to Yahveh, inasmuch as Naomi had as yet no evidence of Boaz's kindness to the deceased. The reason thus given for carrying the reference up to God is certainly unsatisfactory; for, looking at the subject from the human point of view, it is obvious that Boaz's peculiar kindness to the living was his kindness to the deceased; whereas, if we look at the case from the Divine point of view, it is difficult, if not impossible, to account for the discrimination between the living and the dead. The first feeling that sprang up in the heart of Naomi at the mention of the name of Boaz was one of adoration. The next was a generous desire in reference to Boaz himself. She prayed that he might be graciously recompensed by Yahveh for the kindness he had shown that day, both toward the living - Ruth and herself - and toward the deceased - Elimelech and his sons. A man of less noble nature might have been ready, in reference to relatives in reduced circumstances, to ignore the present, and to bury in oblivion the past. After giving scope to her feelings of adoration and benediction, Naomi, with the prompt and practical directness of a true woman, said to her daughter-in-law. The man is near to us, adding immediately, and with a rapid glance at bright contingencies that were in the region of the possible, He is one of our peculiar kinsmen (our Goelim). She meant that he was one of those peculiarly near kinsmen who had a right of redemption over' whatever lands may have formerly belonged to her, and the first right of purchase over whatever lands might yet remain in the possession of herself or of her daughter-in-law. Naomi and Ruth, though greatly reduced in circumstances, and painfully pent up in present straits, were far from being Paupers. They were proprietors (see Ruth 4:3, 5). But their property was not, for the time being, available for income or sustenance. It had either been farmed out on usufruct or allowed to lie waste. In the absence of the yod in מִלֺגּאֲלֵגוּ we have an instance of scriptio defectiva, as distinguished from scriptio plena. Such defective manuscription might be expected to occur occasionally in transcription from dictation, when, as here, the presence or the absence of the letter made no difference in the pronunciation of the reader. Michaelis, however ('Mosaisches Recht,' § 137), and Gesenius ('Thesaurus,' in voc.), instead of regarding the absence of the yod as an instance of scriptio defectiva, have conjectured that מִלֺגּאֵל is a noun, or name, meaning the seemed in order of the Goelim. But, notwithstanding the ingenuity of the conjecture, there is not a shadow of evidence to evince that the Hebrews themselves ever knew of such a word. Nor does the supposition or subsumption of such a word in the least facilitate the construction on the one hand, or illumine the narrative on the other.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then Naomi
נָעֳמִ֜י (nā·‘o·mî)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 5281: Naomi -- mother-in-law of Ruth

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

to her daughter-in-law,
לְכַלָּתָ֗הּ (lə·ḵal·lā·ṯāh)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 3618: Daughter-in-law, bride

“May he
הוּא֙ (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

be blessed
בָּר֥וּךְ (bā·rūḵ)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 1288: To kneel, to bless God, man, to curse

by the LORD,
לַיהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

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

has not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

withdrawn
עָזַ֣ב (‘ā·zaḇ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5800: To loosen, relinquish, permit

his kindness
חַסְדּ֔וֹ (ḥas·dōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 2617: Kindness, piety, reproof, beauty

from
אֶת־ (’eṯ-)
Preposition
Strong's 854: Nearness, near, with, by, at, among

the living
הַחַיִּ֖ים (ha·ḥay·yîm)
Article | Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life

or the dead.”
הַמֵּתִ֑ים (ham·mê·ṯîm)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

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

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

“The man
הָאִ֔ישׁ (hā·’îš)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

is a close relative.
קָר֥וֹב (qā·rō·wḇ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7138: Near

He
הֽוּא׃ (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

[is] one of our
לָ֙נוּ֙ (lā·nū)
Preposition | first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew

kinsman-redeemers.”
מִֽגֹּאֲלֵ֖נוּ (mig·gō·’ă·lê·nū)
Preposition-m | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 1350: To redeem, act as kinsman


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OT History: Ruth 2:20 Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Blessed be (Ru Rut.)
Ruth 2:19
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