A Blessing for Being Bold! (Ruth 3.10)
May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.
Background
This is the fourth prayer-blessing in Ruth. The first and second were blessings by Boaz upon his workers and then upon Ruth. The third and fourth were blessings upon Boaz by Naomi. Here, in 3.10, Boaz asks God again for a blessing upon Ruth.
Naomi had hatched a plan to secure a sound future for Ruth and herself. This part of the story is filled with obscurity, double-meanings, and some things that might offend modern people. Values, customs, and conditions in the ancient world were quite different from our world, so it is necessary to place the story in its original context to understand its meaning and the prayer.
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