Ruth 2:14 (KJV)

What does Ruth 2:14 mean?

Boaz invites Ruth to share the harvest workers’ meal and personally passes her roasted grain. Ruth eats until she is full and still has food left over.

The key is the final word, “left.” The Hebrew וַתֹּתַר (vattotar) means that Ruth left some over, not that she left the meal. Ruth has come to Boaz’s field to gather grain left behind by the harvesters; now she receives enough prepared food to satisfy her hunger and leave a surplus.

The Hebrew behind Ruth 2:14

• “vinegar” — חֹמֶץ (khomets): This means sour wine or wine vinegar. Boaz invites Ruth to dip her piece of bread into it as part of the meal. The KJV’s “vinegar” names a food accompaniment here, rather than something used only for preserving or seasoning food.

• “reached” — צָבַט (tsavat): In this sentence, the verb means to hand or pass something to someone. “He reached her” means that Boaz passed the food to Ruth himself.

• “parched” — קָלִי (qali): This means roasted grain, food already prepared for eating. The KJV’s “parched corn” means roasted cereal grain; “corn” here does not mean maize. The Hebrew word does not specify the kind of grain.

• “was sufficed” — שָׂבַע (sava): This means to eat one’s fill or be satisfied with food. Ruth does not merely receive a small taste; she eats enough to satisfy her hunger.

Why Ruth 2:14 matters

• Ruth is included in the workers’ meal. Boaz’s invitation, “come thou hither,” brings the foreign gleaner into the meal, and “she sat beside the reapers” shows her place among the harvest workers.

• The meal also provides food for Naomi. Ruth 2:18 later says that Ruth gives Naomi what she had kept after eating her fill. The surplus in this verse becomes something Ruth can carry home.