3:10 He said, “May you be rewarded34 by the Lord, my dear!35 This act of devotion36 is greater than what you did before.37 For you have not sought to marry38 one of the young men, whether rich or poor.39
tnHeb “my daughter.” This form of address is a mild form of endearment, perhaps merely rhetorical. A few English versions omit it entirely (e.g., TEV, CEV). The same expression occurs in v. 11.
36
tnHeb “latter [act of] devotion”; NRSV “this last instance of your loyalty.”
37
tnHeb “you have made the latter act of devotion better than the former”; NIV “than that which you showed earlier.”
snGreater than what you did before. Ruth’s former act of devotion was her decision to remain and help Naomi. The latter act of devotion is her decision to marry Boaz to provide a child to carry on her deceased husband’s (and Elimelech’s) line and to provide for Naomi in her old age (see Ruth 4:5, 10, 15).
38
tnHeb “by not going after the young men” (NASB similar); TEV “You might have gone looking for a young man.”
39
tnHeb “whether poor or rich” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); the more common English idiom reverses the order (“rich or poor”; cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
snWhether rich or poor. This statement seems to indicate that Ruth could have married anyone. However, only by marrying a גֹּאֵל (go’el, “family guardian”; traditionally “redeemer”) could she carry on her dead husband’s line and make provision for Naomi.