Swept up in Naomi’s excitement, Ruth continues to recount Boaz’s generosity. She explains that Boaz instructed her to stay close to his young men until the end of the harvest [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, a striking discrepancy emerges in her retelling. Boaz had explicitly instructed Ruth to stay with his young women, yet she reports to Naomi that he told her to remain with the young men. This shift, coupled with an emphasis on her identity as a Moabite, leads to two distinct perspectives among commentators.
The first approach views this alteration as a flaw rooted in her origins. By highlighting her as a Moabite, the narrative suggests she may have slipped into improper or false speech, echoing the matriarch of the Moabite nation—Lot’s eldest daughter—who falsely claimed there were no men left in the land [צאינה וראינה, אשכול הכופר]. Alternatively, this discrepancy might simply stem from a language barrier. She may not have fully mastered the holy language, confusing the masculine and feminine terms, which Naomi later had to correct [תורה תמימה]. Furthermore, as a foreigner, she might not have grasped the local nuances of modesty and Levirate marriage. She may have assumed one of the young men would marry her, missing the subtle social distinctions that a native Israelite woman would have naturally understood [מלבי״ם].
Conversely, a second approach defends Ruth’s righteousness, asserting that her account was completely truthful. She may have merely summarized Boaz’s instructions, as the broader details had already been shared [רלב״ג]. In this light, her title as a Moabite does not serve as a critique but rather magnifies Boaz’s extraordinary kindness. It highlights that despite her being a foreigner from a strange land, Boaz permitted her to glean alongside his men and ordered them to protect her [אשכול הכופר]. In fact, Ruth’s statement was entirely accurate. The young women only visited the fields for a few days at the beginning of the harvest to celebrate, whereas the young men served as Boaz’s loyal, continuous guards. Boaz had commanded these men to protect her from transient hired laborers moving between fields. Therefore, Ruth correctly stated that she would remain with her designated protectors throughout the entire season [אלשיך]. This arrangement also reflects Boaz’s own integrity, as his men were deeply God-fearing and could be entirely trusted. Ruth recognized this, feeling that Boaz deserved blessing not only for letting her glean all season but for entrusting her safety to such decent individuals [אגרת שמואל].
On a deeper level, Ruth was actively searching for signs that Boaz intended to redeem and marry her. The specific timeframe he mentioned—until the end of the entire harvest—spans approximately three months, covering both the barley and wheat seasons. This duration perfectly aligns with the mandatory waiting period required for a convert before she can marry. Ruth understood that Boaz was keeping her safely nearby until this period concluded, at which point he could take her as his wife [אלשיך]. Through this lens, her identity as a Moabite takes on a profound spiritual dimension. It hints that she carried the reincarnated soul of Lot’s daughter, returning to finally receive the reward for an ancient act that, in its origins, was intended for the sake of Heaven [אלשיך].