Ruth 2:13 is Ruth, a Moabite widow, asking Boaz for continued kindness. She is humbly thanking him for the comfort and gentle words he has given her, while acknowledging that she is a stranger who does not deserve such treatment. The verse captures a moment of grateful humility from someone who has just been welcomed by a people not her own.
Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, because you have comforted me, and because you have spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not as one of your servants.”
Ruth 2:13 (WEB)
What Ruth 2:13 Means
Ruth begins by asking that she might “find favor” in Boaz’s sight. The phrase means she is hoping to be looked upon kindly, not demanding help as something owed. She addresses him as “my lord,” a respectful title that shows she recognizes his standing as a landowner, even though she is a foreign widow gleaning in his fields.
She then gives the reason for her gratitude: he has “comforted” her and “spoken kindly” to her, a servant in his eyes. The verse does not promise that every kind word will be returned with wealth or status. Instead, it shows a heart that notices kindness and responds with thanks, even when she feels she has no claim to it.
The Context of Ruth 2:13
The book of Ruth is a short narrative set in the period of the judges, when Israel had no king and the land was often unsettled. Traditionally it is attributed to Samuel, though the author is not named in the text. It was written to show how God works quietly through ordinary acts of loyalty, and it leads toward the line of David.
Just before this verse, Boaz has praised Ruth for her devotion to her mother-in-law Naomi and has prayed that the LORD would reward her under whose wings she has taken refuge. Ruth’s reply in verse 13 comes as she takes that blessing in with surprise and humility. Read with that backdrop, her words are less a polite formality and more a sincere response to being seen and valued.
Key Phrases in Ruth 2:13
Ruth 2:12
May the LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given to you from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
(WEB)
This verse comes just before Ruth’s words and contains Boaz’s blessing that the LORD would reward her work. Reading it alongside verse 13 shows how Ruth’s thanks answers a prayer she has just received, and how God’s care is woven through human generosity.
Psalm 68:5
A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
(WEB)
This psalm describes God as a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows. It offers a wider picture of why Boaz’s kindness to a widow like Ruth reflects the character of the LORD himself.
A Short Prayer From Ruth 2:13
Lord, thank you for those who notice us when we feel out of place or alone. Help me to receive kindness with a grateful heart, without treating it as something I must repay or as something I do not deserve. Where I have been comforted, open my eyes to see it, and where I have been overlooked, remind me that you see me fully. Teach me to speak kindly to others, especially to those who feel like outsiders. Amen.
