What is the context?
The narrator introduces Boaz before Ruth meets him: he is a prominent man of noble character from Elimelech’s clan. Ruth asks Naomi for permission to glean, gathering grain left behind by harvesters. Leviticus 19:9–10 and Deuteronomy 24:19–22 provide for the poor, foreigners, and widows in this way.
She happens to enter Boaz’s part of the field. When he arrives from Bethlehem, he and the workers greet one another in the LORD’s name. The foreman identifies Ruth as the Moabite woman who came with Naomi and reports her request and steady work that morning.
Boaz tells her to stay close to his young women, use his fields, and drink from the jars his workers fill. He has ordered the young men not to touch her. His welcome includes practical safeguards and provision, rather than kind words alone.
Ruth is astonished that he notices her, a foreigner. Boaz explains that he has heard of her care for Naomi and her decision to leave her family and homeland. He prays that the LORD will reward her and describes her as seeking refuge under God’s wings. חָסָה, hasah (khah-SAH), means to seek refuge; Brown–Driver–Briggs specifically connects this verse with the image of shelter under God’s wings.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Wesley and Henry understand Ruth’s apparently accidental arrival as God’s care working through an ordinary event. Ruth does not first choose the field because she knows its owner’s family connection. The reader, however, has been told why the meeting can matter.
Both emphasize her diligence and Boaz’s kindness. Henry sees the exchange between the owner and workers as evidence that genuine devotion to God affects everyday relationships. He also directly compares Boaz’s care for Ruth with the kindness of Jesus toward people in need.
Wesley and Gill explain the wings as an image of protection, whether recalling a bird sheltering its young or the cherubim associated with God’s presence. The point of the prayer is Ruth’s trust in the God of Israel, expressed through the choices Boaz has heard about.
Where does this fit in God's plan?
The refuge Boaz describes is part of a wider biblical picture. Psalm 91:1–4 speaks of trust in God through the image of shelter beneath His wings. In Matthew 23:37–39, Jesus uses the image of a hen gathering her young when expressing His longing to gather Jerusalem’s people.
Henry’s comparison with Christ’s kindness also finds a clear invitation in Matthew 11:25–30. Jesus calls the weary to come to Him for rest and learn from His gentleness. Boaz gives Ruth a place to work in safety; Jesus brings people into the deeper rest of knowing the Father through the Son.
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.