Ruth 2:7 (DRB)

Passage

And she desired leave to glean the ears of corn that remain, following the steps of the reapers: and she hath been in the field from morning till now, and hath not gone home for one moment.

Nearby Context

Ruth 2:5 And Booz said to the young man that was set over the reapers: Whose maid is this ?

Ruth 2:6 And he answered him: This is the Moabitess, who came with Noemi, from the land of Moab,

Ruth 2:7 And she desired leave to glean the ears of corn that remain, following the steps of the reapers: and she hath been in the field from morning till now, and hath not gone home for one moment.

Ruth 2:8 And Booz said to Ruth: Hear me, daughter, do not go to glean in any other field, and do not depart from this place: but keep with my maids,

Ruth 2:9 And follow where they reap. For I have charged my young men, not to molest thee: and if thou art thirsty, go to the vessels, and drink of the waters whereof the servants drink.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "desired", "leave", "glean", "ears", "corn", "remain", "following", and "steps". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "desired" and "leave", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And he answered him This is the..." into verse 8's "And Booz said to Ruth Hear me...", so "desired" and "leave" 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 "desired" and "leave" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.