וַתֹּ֖אמֶר ר֣וּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּ֑ה גַּ֣ם ׀ כִּי־אָמַ֣ר אֵלַ֗י עִם־הַנְּעָרִ֤ים אֲשֶׁר־לִי֙ תִּדְבָּקִ֔ין עַ֣ד אִם־כִּלּ֔וּ אֵ֥ת כָּל־הַקָּצִ֖יר אֲשֶׁר־לִֽי׃
Respondeu Rute, a moabita: Ele me disse ainda: Seguirás de perto os meus moços até que tenham acabado toda a minha sega.
Ruth Rabbah
“Ruth the Moavite said: He even said to me: Cleave to my young men until all my harvest is finished” (Ruth 2:21).
“Ruth the Moavite said: He even said to me: Cleave to my young men…” Rabbi Ḥanin bar Levi said: Clearly she is a Moavite, as he said: “But cleave to my young women” (Ruth 2:8), and she said: “Cleave to my young men.”
“She cleaved to Boaz’s young women.” Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: From the beginning of the barley harvest until the end of the wheat harvest is three months. “She lived with her mother-in-law” – Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her: My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you…. Now isn’t there Boaz, our acquaintance?” (Ruth 3:1–2).202The rest that Naomi sought for Ruth was through marriage, and she therefore mentioned Boaz, as she intended to bring about the marriage of Boaz and Ruth.
“Ruth the Moavite said: He even said to me: Cleave to my young men…” Rabbi Ḥanin bar Levi said: Clearly she is a Moavite, as he said: “But cleave to my young women” (Ruth 2:8), and she said: “Cleave to my young men.”
“She cleaved to Boaz’s young women.” Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: From the beginning of the barley harvest until the end of the wheat harvest is three months. “She lived with her mother-in-law” – Naomi, her mother-in-law, said to her: My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you…. Now isn’t there Boaz, our acquaintance?” (Ruth 3:1–2).202The rest that Naomi sought for Ruth was through marriage, and she therefore mentioned Boaz, as she intended to bring about the marriage of Boaz and Ruth.
Midrash Tanchuma Buber
(Exod. 12:29:) AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT THAT THE LORD SMOTE ALL THE FIRST-BORN…. This text is related (to Ps. 119:62): AT MIDNIGHT I WILL ARISE TO THANK YOU.61See PRK 7:4; PR 17:3. David said: I am obliged to stand and thank you for what you did with my great grandfather and my great grandmother at midnight. When? When Naomi and Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law, returned. What is written (in Ruth 1:19): <AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT, WHEN THEY CAME TO BETHLEHEM,> THE WHOLE CITY WAS EXCITED [OVER THEM, AND THE WOMEN SAID: IS THIS NAOMI?]62Cf. Ruth R. 3:6. This is the woman who went away in a covered wagon!63Gk.: skepaste. The word can also denote a sedan chair. This Naomi is the one who went away and dressed in fine wool!64Gk.: melote (“sheepskin”). (Lam. 4:5:) THOSE WHO WERE REARED IN PURPLE <HAVE EMBRACED REFUSE HEAPS >…. Both of them dwelt in a single house. (Ruth 3:1:) THEN [HER MOTHER-IN-LAW NAOMI SAID TO HER:] {NAOMI SAID UNTO HER DAUGHTER-IN-LAW RUTH:} SHALL I NOT SEEK A RESTING PLACE [FOR YOU]…? Hence they said that a woman has a resting place, not in her father's house, but in her husband's house. (Ruth 3:2:) AND NOW, IS THERE NOT OUR ACQUAINTANCE BOAZ? What is <meant that he is> OUR ACQUAINTANCE (moda'tanu)? He is one of our relatives (qarov). {Is not (according to Ruth 2:21) THE MAN RELATED (qarov) TO US…?} [Thus it is stated (in Ruth 2:21): THE MAN IS RELATED (qarov) TO US…. ] But as a prince of <his> generation, why did he go out and sleep on the threshing floor?65Below, Lev. 9:8. Simply because the generation was extremely lawless. So he went out and slept on the threshing floor. <He did so> in order to ward off the lawless. However (according to Ruth 3:3), YOU (Ruth) ARE TO WASH AND ANOINT YOURSELF. She did not do so. Rather Ruth was extremely pure. She said: Whatever woman saw me thus would say: This is a whore. What did she do (according to vs. 6)? SHE WENT DOWN TO THE THRESHING FLOOR AND DID JUST AS HER MOTHER-IN-LAW HAD COMMANDED HER. <It was only> after she went down, <that> she did everything that her mother-in-law had commanded her.