at the end of the heap of grain

The Hebrew in Ruth 3:7 that is translated as “at the end of the heap of grain” or similar in English is translated in Kwere as “behind the pile of barley.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

grain

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated in English as “grain” (or: “corn”) is translated in Kui as “(unthreshed) rice.” Helen Evans (in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. ) explains: “Padddy [unthreshed rice] is the main crop of the country and rice the staple diet of the people, besides which [grain] is unknown and there is no word for it, and it seemed to us that paddy and rice in the mind of the Kui people stood for all that corn meant to the Jews.” “Paddy” is also the translation in Pa’o Karen (source: Gordon Luce in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 153f. ).

Other translations include: “wheat” (Teutila Cuicatec), “corn” (Lalana Chinantec), “things to eat” (Morelos Nahuatl), “grass corn” (wheat) (Chichimeca-Jonaz) (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), “millet” (Lambya) (source: project-specific notes in Paratext), “food” (Nyamwezi) (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)or ntimumma lujia / “seeds for food” (Lokạạ — “since Lokạạ does not have specific terms for maize and rice that can be described as grains”) (source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )

lie down

The Hebrew in Ruth 3:7 that is translated as “lie down” or similar in English is translated in Kutu as kawasa or “sleep” which is used as a euphemism for sex. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

drink

In Telugu different verbs for humans drinking (tāgu / తాగు) and animals drinking (cēḍu / చేడు) are required.

complete verse (Ruth 3:6 - 3:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of Ruth 3:6-9:

  • Noongar: “So Ruth went to the threshing floor and she did everything her mother-in-law said. After Boaz ate and drank, and he was feeling happy, he lay down beside the pile of wheat. Ruth crept to him, uncovered his feet, and lay down. In the dark of the night, Boaz was startled. He rolled over and saw a woman lying near his feet. He asked, ‘Who are you?’ The woman replied, ‘I am Ruth, your worker. Cover your worker with your cloak, be- cause you are my right-way man.’” (Source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020)
  • Eastern Bru: “Then Ruth went to the place where they were threshing grain, and she obeyed all the words her mother-in-law told her. When Boaz had eaten and drunk to his fill, his heart was very happy. Then he went to sleep in the place where the bundles of grain were. Then Ruth came to that place. She quietly lifted the blanket from Boaz’s feet. Then she slept also. In the middle of the night Boaz was startled and he sat up and looked. Then he saw a woman sleeping near his feet. Boaz asked Ruth: ‘Who are you?’ And the woman answered: ‘I am Ruth, your servant. You are of the clan of my husband, so you can take the place of my husband who is dead. If you want to take away my misfortune, I ask you to put your blanket over me as a sign that you agree with me.’” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So she went-down to the place-of-threshing in-order to do all what her mother-in-law said to her. When Boaz had-finished eating and drinking, he felt good. He lay-down beside the pile of barley/grains in-order-to sleep. Ruth approached him quietly/slowly and lifted the blanket at his feet and layed-down there. 8In the middle of the night, Boaz woke-up, and when he stretched-(himself)-out he was surprised that there-was a woman lying at his feet. Boaz asked, ‘Who are you(sg)?’ She replied, ‘I am Ruth. I am your(sg) close relative that you(sg) should take-care-of. Now, cover me with your(sg) clothes to show that you(sg) will-marry and take-care-of me.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “So she went down to the ground where they had threshed the barley grain. There she did everything that her mother-in-law had told her to do. When Boaz finished eating supper and drinking wine, he felt happy. Then he went over to the far end of the pile of grain. He lay down and went to sleep. Then Ruth approached him quietly. She took the blanket off his feet and lay down there. In the middle of the night, he suddenly awoke. He sat up and saw that a woman was lying at his feet. He asked her, ‘Who are you?’ She replied, ‘I am your servant, Ruth. Since you are the one who has a responsibility to take care of someone like me whose dead husband was your close relative, spread the corner of your cloak over my feet to show that you will marry me.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ruth 3:7

He was in a good mood renders what is literally in Hebrew “his heart was merry.” In this context happiness is the result of good eating and drinking, a state of well-being, but there is nothing in the Hebrew expression that would suggest any excess. There are a number of ways in which the meaning of the Hebrew idiom may be expressed; for example, “he had a sense of well being” (Smith-Goodspeed), “he felt at peace with the world” (New English Bible), “he had a merry time” (Moffatt), “his heart was sweet,” “his liver was happy,” and “his eyes were bright,” to suggest only a few ways in which happiness may be expressed in various receptor languages.

The location where Boaz lay down is not at all specific in Hebrew. It is therefore quite appropriate to translate by some such general expression as “by,” “near to,” or “at the edge of” (New American Bible). In this context a meaning such as “at the end of” (Smith-Goodspeed) or “at the far end of” would seem to be erroneous.

The Hebrew text only specifies a “pile” or “heap,” but obviously this is a reference to a “heap of grain” (New English Bible and Moffatt), not a “straw stack.” One cannot be certain whether the grain was threshed or not. According to N. Gesenius, Thesaurus philologicus criticus linguae Hebraeae et Chaldæae Veteris Testamenti, Lipsiae, 1835-1853, article ʿarema, and G. B. Winer, Biblisches Realwörterbuch, Leipzig, 1847-1848, article Ernte, the Hebrew word refers to a heap of unthreshed grain; according to J. G. Wetzstein, “Die syrische Dreschtafel,” Zeitschrift für Ethnologie 5, 1873, page 279, and Gerleman, page 31, it refers to a heap of threshed grain. Usually one must specify what a pile or heap consists of; therefore one may say the pile of barley or “the heap of grain.”

The Hebrew text says simply “she came secretly,” but it may be better in some languages to indicate the component of “secrecy” in the verb itself; for example, “she slipped over quietly,” “she crept in noiselessly,” or “she stole up to.”

There was some lapse of time between Boaz’s lying down to sleep and Ruth’s lifting up the cover of his feet. In some receptor languages it may be necessary to specify this time lapse by suggesting the intervening implicit state, namely, “when he was asleep.” The necessity for this was felt already by early translators. The Syriac translator made this information explicit in the following way: “And when he was quietly sleeping on the threshing floor….”

For the rendering of lifted the covers and lay down, see the comments on verse 4. At this point some ancient translators sometimes tried to “purify” the text. Septuagint omits wattishkab; Pershitta gives a different interpretation: “she fell at his feet.” The old Greek omits Boaz’s drinking!

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ruth 3:7

3:7a

After Boaz had finished eating and drinking: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “And Boaz ate and he drank.” This clause simply means that Boaz had a meal. The Berean Standard Bible and some other versions use a time phrase such as After. They also supply the word finished. One of the reasons Boaz was in good spirits is that he was full after he had eaten.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Boaz ate and drank (CEB)
-or-
After his evening meal (New Century Version)
-or-
Not much later, Boaz finished eating and drinking (The Voice)

and was in good spirits: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as was in good spirits is literally “his heart was good.” This is an idiom that means Boaz was “feeling happy and satisfied” after his meal.

There are two options to translate this idiom:

• Translate the meaning of the idiom. For example:

and he was in a good mood (CEB)
-or-
and he was in a contented mood (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
and was feeling happy (Contemporary English Version)

• Use an idiom in your language that means “feeling happy” or “satisfied/content.”

3:7b

he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain: This clause describes the movement of Boaz from where he ate to where he would sleep. This would probably have been a short distance away.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

and went to lie down at the edge of the pile of grain (New American Bible, Revised Edition)
-or-
and lay down beside the pile of barley (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
He lay down next to the heap of barley seeds (Easy English Bible)
-or-
Then he went over to the far end of the pile of grain. He lay down and ⌊went to sleep⌋ (Translation for Translators)

at the end of the heap of grain: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the end refers to the distant or opposite end of a space or area. Here it probably refers to the side of the pile of grain opposite from where Ruth could see him.

3:7c

Verse 7a–b described Boaz’s actions. Here the story describes what Ruth did. She probably waited until some time had passed. You should follow a natural way in your language to describe the change of actions from one character in a story to the actions of another.

Then: In Hebrew, this sentence begins with the common conjunction which the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then which is used for introducing the next event in a series of events.

Here are some ways to begin this sentence:

After a while
-or-
A little later

Ruth went in secretly: The word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as secretly means to do something quietly or without making a sound in order to avoid being seen, heard, or known.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Then Ruth went to him very quietly (English Easy-to-Read Version)
-or-
Then she went over to him secretly (God’s Word)
-or-
she was quiet and came ⌊to where he was⌋

Ruth: The Hebrew text does not use Ruth’s name here but refers to her by the pronoun “she.” You may follow either approach. Be sure your readers clearly understand who is referred to.

uncovered his feet, and lay down: Translate similarly to 3:4b.

© 2024 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.