Before it was light enough for her to be seen translates what in Hebrew is literally “before one could recognize another,” but the basis for such recognition must be made explicit in most languages. Accordingly, Good News Translation employs a reference to light. One may, however, employ a negative expression, “when it was still so dark that no one would recognize her.” The necessity for making the reason explicit was already felt by ancient translators. So the Syriac translator, who makes the setting explicit in adding after the verbal form “she got up”: “in the morning when it was still dark.” In some languages there is a special term for designating early morning darkness, and therefore a reference to such a period of relative obscurity can be employed in this context.

Because Boaz did not want is in Hebrew “and he said.” There is no doubt that Boaz is the subject which needs to be made explicit, For reason of a more logical sequence, the Syriac translator made Ruth the subject of the utterance: “she said to him, ‘Nobody should know that I came to you on the threshing floor.’ ” but no modern translation states clearly to whom the utterance is addressed. Failure to do this is probably due to the fact that there are three different possible interpretations: (1) Boaz may be addressing his servants; This is the interpretation found in the Targum. (2) he may be addressing Ruth directly to warn her; So Vulgate: et dixit Booz, cave ne quis noverit quod huc veneris. or (3) he may be understood as speaking to himself, and therefore the direct discourse may be introduced by a verb meaning “to think”; for example, “Boaz thought to himself.” This is the interpretation of some modern commentators such as Haller and Gerleman (op. cit., ad loc.). The first interpretation seems rather unlikely, for nothing has been said previously about the servants’ noticing Ruth’s presence at the threshing floor. If Boaz wanted to address this statement to the servants, it is strange that the Hebrew text would not have indicated clearly to whom the statement was made. In the case of the second interpretation, it would be necessary to alter the direct discourse so as to read “no one must know that you came here.” Accordingly, it is probable that the third interpretation is to be accepted. This interpretation may also suggest that, since Boaz had concluded that no one must know that she was there, he had told her to get up before it was light enough for her to be seen. Rudolph (op. cit., ad loc.) has already seen this, and he inserts bidbaro (“at his command”) after wattaqom (“she got up”). In this he is followed by Haller. Hertzberg, on the other hand, thinks that such an operation is not necessary. However, we should make a distinction between an emendation of the source text and the necessity of making implicit information explicit in translation. The former is not justified, the latter is often obligatory. The entire verse may then be restructured as: “So she slept at his feet until morning. Since Boaz had concluded that no one should know that she (or this woman, or a woman This is the reading according to the Septuagint.) had come there, he told her to get up when it was still dark so that no one would recognize her.”

Quoted with permission from de Waard, Jan and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Ruth. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .