Ruth 2:17 (KJV)

Passage

So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.

Nearby Context

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

Ruth 2:16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.

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

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

Ruth 2:19 And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed 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 let fall also some of the..." into verse 18's "And she took it up and went...", 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.