Judges, Ruth: Revised Edition (The NIV Application Commentary)

by K. Lawson Younger

(2) When he lies down, Ruth is to note that place and then go and uncover his feet (or legs)10 and lie down close beside him (probably not simply “at his feet,” as is often understood),11 so that “both lie beside one another as husband and wife.”12 That sexual overtones are present in the action of a woman uncovering a man’s legs in the dark of the night and lying down, there can be no doubt. But that our author intends the explicitly sexual sense of “uncover his genitals and lie down” is in my opinion utterly improbable.13 At every turn, Ruth is depicted as an honorable woman, and so the narrator is not implying otherwise here. (3) Thus, Ruth’s action of uncovering Boaz’s legs and lying down is a nonverbal, apparently customary means of requesting marriage. That this is the case is reinforced by Naomi’s final instruction: “He will tell you what to do” (3:4). Ruth’s response demonstrates her willingness to engage in this risky endeavor: “I will do whatever you say” (v. 5). It should be remembered that things could go wrong in the plan. For example, Boaz could mock her request for marriage to him—a wealthy and powerful Israelite landowner—as a vain attempt at social climbing for a poor widowed Moabite woman. Or, since Ruth has not secured a new marriage contract and is technically still the wife of Mahlon (cf. 4:5, 10), Boaz could charge her with failing in her family responsibilities, branding her an adulteress. Or even worse, Boaz could use the night’s opportunity for his...