And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.

RUTH 2:11KJV
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Ruth 2:11 (KJV)

What does Ruth 2:11 mean?

Boaz tells Ruth that he has heard about her care for Naomi after her husband’s death and about her decision to leave her family and homeland. His kindness toward Ruth responds to what he knows about her actions, even though she is a foreigner.

The key is “It hath fully been shewed me.” The Hebrew repeats the verb נָגַד (nagad, “tell” or “report”) in two forms: הֻגֵּד הֻגַּד (huggēd huggad). That repetition makes the statement emphatic: “I have certainly been told.” Ruth has just asked why Boaz has taken notice of her; Boaz answers that her conduct is already known to him.

The Hebrew behind Ruth 2:11

  • “done” — עָשָׂה (asah): This means “do” or “act.” In “all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law,” Boaz points to Ruth’s actual treatment of Naomi. His words recognize a continuing record of care “since the death of thine husband.”

  • “left” — עָזַב (azav): This means “leave” or “forsake.” Here its force comes from the list that follows: Ruth left her father, mother, and native land. Boaz names both the family ties and the familiar surroundings she gave up.

  • “land of thy nativity” — אֶרֶץ (erets), “land,” and מוֹלֶדֶת (moledet), “birthplace” or “native kindred”: Together, these words identify the country Ruth came from as the place of her origins. Boaz recognizes that her move involved leaving the world in which she belonged by birth.

  • “knewest not heretofore” — יָדַע (yada), “know,” with תְּמוֹל (temol) and שִׁלְשׁוֹם (shilshom): The last two words literally mean “yesterday” and “the day before yesterday.” Together they form an expression meaning “previously.” Ruth came among a people she had not known before, entering an unfamiliar community.

Why Ruth 2:11 matters

  • Boaz explains why he has noticed Ruth. In the preceding verse, Ruth calls herself a stranger. Boaz answers by naming what he has heard about her, rather than treating her foreign identity as the whole story.

  • Boaz sees Ruth’s move as part of her care for Naomi. His answer joins “all that thou hast done” for her mother-in-law with leaving her own family and coming among an unfamiliar people. He recognizes both the care Ruth gave and the separation that accompanied it.

Where else these words appear

“law” Hebrew H2545 · used in 10 verses

  • Ruth 1:14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
  • Ruth 2:23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.
  • Ruth 3:16 And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.

“nativity” Hebrew H4138 · used in 21 verses

  • Genesis 11:28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
  • Genesis 32:9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:
  • Esther 2:20 Esther had not yet shewed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him.

“Boaz” Hebrew H1162 · used in 22 verses

  • Ruth 2:1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.
  • 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.
  • Ruth 4:9 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi.

“heretofore” Hebrew H8543 · used in 22 verses

  • Genesis 31:2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.
  • Exodus 21:36 Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.
  • 1 Samuel 20:27 And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day?