In the Hebrew text The man is specifically identified as “the servant who was in charge of the reapers,” but in view of this context it is often not necessary to repeat what has already been said in verse 5. Therefore one may translate as The man answered or “He replied.” For the translators of the Syriac version and the Vulgate, an explicit subject was clearly a redundant feature as well as the use of two verbs of saying: “he answered … and he said.” Accordingly, they omitted the first verbal and nominal phrase. The same applies to a few Septuagint manuscripts.

The expression the foreign girl … from Moab is in Hebrew literally “a Moabite maiden.” In certain receptor languages, however, it may be important in this context to emphasize that the designation “Moabite” implies that she is “a foreigner.” Therefore this is made explicit in Good News Translation. The use of the definite article the with foreign girl seems fully justified (it is not without textual support Definite articles are found in many Septuagint manuscripts.) in view of the fact that there had been so much interest in the return of Naomi and Ruth to the town of Bethlehem, as recorded in 1.19.

For the expression who came back … with Naomi, see the comments on 1.10.

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 .