Ruth 3:17 records Ruth explaining to Naomi that Boaz gave her six measures of barley and told her not to return empty-handed. The verse is Ruth reporting the generous gift and Boaz’s care for her and Naomi, spoken after she had gone to the threshing floor at night. Ruth is the speaker, and Naomi, her mother-in-law, is the one she is speaking to.
She said, “He gave me these six measures of barley; for he said, ‘Don’t go empty to your mother-in-law.’”
Ruth 3:17 (WEB)
What Ruth 3:17 Means
“She said” tells us Ruth is the one reporting, and the account is given in her own words to Naomi. “He gave me these six measures of barley” describes a real, practical gift: a large quantity of grain, carried away in her shawl, that would feed the two women for some time. Six measures was a substantial load, and Ruth is clearly impressed by it.
“For he said, ‘Don’t go empty to your mother-in-law'” shows that the gift had a purpose beyond Ruth herself. Boaz was thinking of Naomi, whose husband and sons had died and who had come back to Bethlehem with nothing. The verse does not promise that every hardship will be solved by a single kind gesture. It shows one person’s generosity, moved by compassion and by the loyalty Ruth had shown, and it shows that God’s provision often comes through ordinary people acting with kindness.
The Context of Ruth 3:17
The book of Ruth is a short narrative set in the period of the judges, when Israel had no king and many families were in crisis. It is traditionally attributed to Samuel, though the author is not named in the text. The first readers were Israelites who would have understood the customs of gleaning, levirate duty and redemption that drive the story, and who would have seen in Ruth’s loyalty a picture of faithfulness that crosses ethnic lines.
Just before this verse, Ruth has lain at Boaz’s feet on the threshing floor, a bold and risky act made within the customs of the day, and Boaz has promised to act as a kinsman-redeemer if the nearer relative declines. Verse 17 comes in the morning after that night. Read in this setting, the six measures are not only food but a sign of Boaz’s intention to see the matter through, so Ruth’s report carries hope as well as grain.
Key Phrases in Ruth 3:17
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 earlier in the story, when Boaz blesses Ruth for her loyalty to Naomi and prays that she will be rewarded by the God under whose wings she has come to take refuge. Reading it alongside verse 17 shows that Boaz’s generosity is a response to what he has seen in Ruth’s faithfulness.
Proverbs 19:17
He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD; he will reward him.
(WEB)
Proverbs states the principle behind Boaz’s act: kindness shown to the poor is counted as a loan to the Lord. Set beside Ruth 3:17, it helps explain why a gift of barley can matter so much, since it is an expression of care that God himself sees and honors.
A Short Prayer From Ruth 3:17
Lord, thank you for the people you place in our lives who notice our needs and act with generosity. Help me to see when someone around me is carrying an empty load, and give me the willingness to share what I have. When I feel that I am the one coming home with nothing, teach me to receive kindness with gratitude and to trust that you are still providing. Amen.
