Ruth 2:20 (KJV)

What does Ruth 2:20 mean?

Naomi asks the LORD to bless Boaz for his kindness to Ruth and recognizes him as a relative who could help preserve their family’s future. His help benefits the living widows and honors the family ties of their dead husbands.

The key is “one of our next kinsmen.” The Hebrew word גֹּאֵל (go’el) means a family redeemer: a relative who could act to recover family property or protect family interests. Ruth has just told Naomi whose field she worked in. Naomi now recognizes that Boaz is more than a generous landowner; he belongs to the family circle from which a redeemer could come.

The Hebrew behind Ruth 2:20

• “Blessed” — בָּרוּךְ (barukh): This means “blessed.” In “Blessed be he of the LORD,” Naomi is asking that Boaz receive blessing from the LORD, יהוה (YHWH), God’s personal name represented by the KJV’s capitalized “LORD.”

• “kindness” — חֶסֶד (chesed): This word describes kindness expressed through loyalty and commitment. Here, the help Ruth receives sustains surviving family members and maintains concern for the family of the dead. The Hebrew leaves some uncertainty about whether “his kindness” refers to the LORD’s kindness or Boaz’s. Both are closely connected in Naomi’s response: she blesses Boaz in the LORD’s name.

• “left off” — עָזַב (azav): The verb means “leave,” “forsake,” or “abandon.” “Hath not left off his kindness” therefore means that the kindness has not been abandoned. Naomi sees continued care for a family whose losses had seemed to leave it without support.

• “near of kin” — קָרוֹב (qarov): This means “near” or “close”; in this sentence, the closeness is family relationship. Naomi first identifies Boaz as a close relative, then adds the more specific fact that he is among their potential family redeemers.

Why Ruth 2:20 matters

• Boaz’s help now has a family significance. Ruth had received food and protection in his field. Naomi’s words reveal that his relationship to them could make further help possible.

• “The living and the dead” connects present provision with family continuity. Ruth and Naomi are alive, but their husbands have died. Kindness toward the widows also preserves the household and family interests associated with those men.

• Boaz is one possible redeemer, not necessarily the nearest relative. The KJV’s “one of our next kinsmen” identifies him as a member of that group. Naomi’s statement opens a possibility; it does not yet describe an agreed act of redemption.