And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.

RUTH 2:4KJV
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Ruth 2:4 (KJV)

What does Ruth 2:4 mean?

Boaz arrives from Bethlehem and greets his harvest workers with “The LORD be with you.” The workers answer with a blessing of their own: “The LORD bless thee.”

The key is that the Hebrew greeting has no verb meaning “be”: it simply says, “The LORD with you.” The KJV supplies “be” to express the wish naturally in English. Boaz is greeting the workers by wishing them the LORD’s presence; their reply wishes the LORD’s blessing upon Boaz.

The Hebrew behind Ruth 2:4

  • “LORD” — יהוה (YHWH): This is God’s personal name, represented in the KJV by “LORD” in capital letters. Both Boaz and the workers use that name, so their exchange explicitly names Israel’s God.

  • “reapers” — קָצַר (qatsar): The verb means “to reap,” or cut crops at harvest. The form used here identifies people doing that work. Boaz addresses the harvest workers in the field where Ruth has begun gathering leftover grain.

  • “answered” — אָמַר (amar): This is the same Hebrew verb translated “said” earlier in the verse. It means “to say”; the KJV uses “answered” because the workers’ words respond to Boaz’s greeting. The Hebrew presents a simple exchange of speech.

  • “bless” — בָּרַךְ (barakh): This means to bless. In the workers’ reply, the LORD is the one asked to give the blessing, and Boaz is its recipient. The KJV’s singular “thee” makes that direction clear: the group answers Boaz personally.

Why Ruth 2:4 matters

  • Boaz enters the story through his dealings with workers. Before he speaks to Ruth, the reader hears him greet the people harvesting his field and hears their response.

  • The greetings are reciprocal but distinct. Boaz wishes the LORD’s presence upon the workers; they wish the LORD’s blessing upon him. The exchange gives the reader an early glimpse of the relationship between the landowner and his workers.

Where else these words appear

“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.

“Bethlehem” Hebrew H1035 · used in 39 verses

  • Genesis 35:19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.
  • Ruth 1:2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
  • 2 Samuel 23:24 Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

“reapers” Hebrew H7114 · used in 46 verses

  • Leviticus 19:9 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.
  • Ruth 2:14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
  • Isaiah 17:5 And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.