Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ruth 3:13

Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, [that] if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, [as] the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.

13. Tarry this night ] as a precaution against chance perils; see Son 5:7.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Verse 13. As the Lord liveth] Thus he bound himself by an oath to take her to wife if the other should refuse.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

If he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, i.e. take thee to wife, to raise up seed to his brother, as he ought to do.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

Tarry this day,…. Or lodge here tonight, where she was; this he said not from any design upon her, but for her own safety and honour, that she might not be exposed to danger or disgrace, by returning home at such an unseasonable time of night. The first letter in the word for “tarry” is larger than usual in the Hebrew text; which may be done to raise the attention of the reader, to observe it as a thing very singular, that a widow should lodge with a man without any diminution of her chastity; so Buxtorf x says, that hereby attention is noted, even the honesty of Boaz ordering Ruth to lodge without a man, and wait until a nearer kinsman, according to the law, should come, and promising that on failure thereof he would be the lawful redeemer; but Dr. Lightfoot y observes, that as there is a special mark over a word in the story of Lot’s eldest daughter lying with her father, Ge 19:34 and a special mark on this word here, in the story of Ruth going to Boaz his bed, seems to relate one to the other, and both together to point at the great providence of God in bringing light out of darkness, Ruth, a mother of Christ, out of the incest of Lot:

and it shall be, in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well, let him do the kinsman’s part; by marrying Ruth, and redeeming her husband’s estate, which if he did, it would be all very well, and right according to law; and it would be very well for Ruth, as Aben Ezra and Abendana interpret it; seeing, as they observe, that kinsman was a very respectable man, a man of great esteem and worth, a man of wealth and authority, and she would be well matched to him. Some think, as the same writers observe, that the word “Tob”, translated “well”, is the name of the kinsman, the same with Tobias; so R. Joshuah says z, that Salmon (who was the father of Boaz), and Elimelech (the father of Ruth’s husband), and Tob (this near kinsman), were brethren:

but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the Lord liveth: that is, he swore he would marry her, and redeem the inheritance, if the other would not; for the phrase, “as the Lord liveth”, is the form of an oath, it is swearing by the living God; so the Targum,

“I say with an oath before the Lord, that as I have spoken unto thee, so will I do:”

lie down until the morning; and take some sleep and rest, and be at ease in mind, depending upon the performance of what I have promised.

x Tiberias, c. 14. p. 38. y Works, vol. 1. p. 48. z In Midrash Ruth, ut supra. (fol. 31. 4. & 34. 2.)

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(13) Until the morning.You have made clear the object of your plea, and I fully assent to it; but do not run the risk of going now, in the dead of night, back to your home.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

13. Tarry this night For it would have been dangerous for her to return alone to the city in the darkness of midnight; but in the early morning, before one can readily recognise another, women may be seen in the East going forth on some errand or work.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

“ Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform to you the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part; but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to you, then I will do the part of a kinsman to you, as YHWH lives. Lie down until the morning.”

Boaz then told her to wait there with him until the morning when he would discover whether the nearer kinsman would be willing to fulfil his duty as near kinsman. If he would, then well and good. (As with most ancient marriages love did not enter into it). On the other hand if he would not perform the duties of a kinsman, then Boaz himself would take up the role. ‘As YHWH lives’ was a regular oath, and a binding one. He wanted Ruth to be in no doubt about his good intentions. The request to remain the night was no doubt for Ruth’s own safety. That he saw nothing inappropriate in her doing so comes out in that he could have suggested that she found a place to sleep nearby.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Rth 3:13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, [that] if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, [as] the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.

Ver. 13. Tarry this night. ] He saith not, Come up hither, for I mind to marry thee: but tarry till morning, lest thou suffer as a night walker, &c. Let none presume to leap into the married estate, or to abuse themselves unchastely before marriage; but deliberate, and be sure to come clear to it, if thou expect comfort.

If he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman. ] Let “no man go beyond, or defraud his brother in any matter, because that the Lord is the avenger of all such,” 1Th 4:6 and no man would himself be deceived or wronged.

As the Lord liveth. ] This was an oath. Jer 4:2 A private oath may be taken, but sparingly and warily, not but upon a necessity, for the satisfaction of the other party, Mat 5:37 and in matters of great importance. Thus Jacob sware to Laban, the spies to Rahab, Jonathan to David, &c. But let such oaths be rare, reverent, well advised, &c.

Lie down until the morning. ] She was risen up, it seemeth, to be gone; but he thought it not fit: and found in himself strength, by God’s grace, to resist a temptation; though it be true that

“ Nox et amor vinumque nihil moderabile suadent:

Illa pudore vacat, liber amorque metu. ” – Ovid.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)