Ruth 2:17 (DBY)

Passage

And she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out what she had gleaned; and it was about an ephah of barley.

Nearby Context

Ruth 2:15 And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and ye shall not reproach her.

Ruth 2:16 And ye shall also sometimes draw out for her [some ears] out of the handfuls, and leave them that she may glean, and rebuke her not.

Ruth 2:17 And she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out what she had gleaned; and it was about an ephah of barley.

Ruth 2:18 And she took [it] up, and came into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned; and she brought forth and gave to her that which she had reserved after she was sufficed.

Ruth 2:19 And her mother-in-law said to her, Where hast thou gleaned to-day? and where hast thou wrought? Blessed be he that did regard thee! And she told her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to-day is Boaz.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "gleaned", "field", "until", "even", "beat", "ephah", and "barley". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "gleaned" and "field", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And ye shall also sometimes draw out..." into verse 18's "And she took it up and came...", so "gleaned" and "field" belong inside that flow. In Ruth context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "gleaned" and "field" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.