If you have read the book of Ruth, you likely came across this confusing behavior by Ruth: “And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet!” (Ruth 3:7–8).
It sounds like Boaz was confused too! Adding to our confusion is that several sexual allusions lie underneath this passage. Did Ruth and Boaz have sex before marriage? And if so, should that change the way we view Ruth and Boaz and the book as a whole?
Before we weigh the case before us regarding what happened, it is important to note that God delights to use sinners for his purposes. As Joseph told his brothers who had sold him into slavery, “…you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Gen. 50:20). This includes sexual sin! God continued to use David after his sin with Bathsheba, and he used Esther—who was part of a pagan king’s harem—to save his people from annihilation.
Argument 1: Ruth and Boaz had sex before marriage.
While not explicit, the allusions to sex in this passage are unavoidable. The book of Ruth occurs in the time of the Judges (Ruth 1:1), when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Jud. 21:25). And the threshing floor—away from the home—was an attractive destination for morally corrupt people to indulge their desires.
Ruth was also a Moabite woman, and in that time, the Moabites had a reputation for leading the people of Israel astray. In Numbers 25, God’s judgment falls upon Israel because they “whored” after the daughters of Moab—and as was often the case during that era—after the gods of Moab as well (Num. 25:1–3). Moabite women would naturally be suspected of sexually and spiritually leading the men of Israel astray.
In addition, the Hebrew word for “feet” is often used as a euphemism for male genitalia. When Ruth uncovered the feet of Boaz, it is conceivable that she was uncovering another portion of his body. Whether they had sex or not, Boaz knew how this encounter would be perceived, because he advised Ruth to “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor” (Ruth 3:14).
Argument 2: Ruth and Boaz did not have sex before marriage.
Whatever Ruth did at the threshing floor, she did in obedience to her mother-in-law, Naomi (Ruth 3:4). Would Naomi advise Ruth to engage in such acts, knowing how they could be perceived? And would Boaz engage in such acts when his piety has been demonstrated through the entire book of Ruth (see chapter 2)?
Finally, if they did have sex, why not be explicit about it—even if unseemly? There is a Hebrew euphemism for sex used through the Old Testament—“to know.” It would’ve been easy enough to say “And Boaz knew Ruth.” There are also passages that describe a man going “into” a woman. An applicable example here would be Samson going into a prostitute in Judges 16. In fact, this is the language used to describe Boaz having sex with his new wife, Ruth, in the following chapter (Ruth 4:13).
So which argument is more persuasive? Neither leaves us feeling entirely confident, but I do believe there is an elegant solution here that fits within the larger narrative: What if the problem in this passage is the point?
The Redeemer
What if, playing the prostitute, Ruth is hoping beyond hope that Boaz beholds a bride? Remember that both Naomi and Ruth are longing for redemption and know that Boaz is both a redeemer and a godly man. In the prior chapter, Boaz had already praised Ruth for her fidelity and cared for her.
In this vein, there is a beautiful connection between the prior passage and the current one. In chapter two, Boaz declared “The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” (Ruth 2:12). On the threshing floor, Ruth cries out “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer” (Ruth 3:9). In other words, she is asking Boaz to be the visible wings of God to shelter both her and her mother-in-law.
Similarly, God looks upon his people and beholds his bride. In and of ourselves, we appear in the shame of our sin. Even our righteous deeds are like filthy rags before God (Is. 64:6). But while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). He washed us in his blood and adorned us with his perfect righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). And one day, he will behold his bride in glory, lift the veil from the face of his church, and wipe every tear away (Rev. 19:6-8; 21:1–4).
Through a plot hatched in the mind of Naomi, executed through the faithful heart of Ruth, and realized through the pious eyes of Boaz, an outcast is grafted into the family of God. And we too can find our refuge under the wings of God (Ps. 91:4), who has brought those of us who “were far off…near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13).
