Ruth 3:17 records Ruth telling Naomi that Boaz gave her six measures of barley, because he did not want her to return to her mother-in-law empty-handed. The verse is a small, practical detail in a larger story, but it signals that the kindness of Boaz is already reaching into the household of Naomi and Ruth. Ruth is the speaker, and she is reporting to Naomi, her widowed mother-in-law, what happened on the threshing floor that night.
She said, “He gave me these six measures of barley; for he said, ‘Don’t go empty to your mother-in-law.’”
Ruth 3:17 (WEB)
What Ruth 3:17 Means
Ruth begins by saying Boaz “gave me these six measures of barley.” Barley was a common grain, and six measures was a generous amount, the kind of load a person could not carry easily. Ruth is not describing a bag of leftovers. She is describing a substantial gift, given with intention.
The reason Boaz gives is the heart of the verse: “Don’t go empty to your mother-in-law.” The phrase “go empty” means to return without anything, which in that culture meant returning in poverty and shame. Boaz is making sure Naomi is not left in need. The verse does not promise that every hardship will vanish, but it shows a man acting with care and foresight on behalf of two vulnerable women.
It is worth noticing what the verse does not say. It does not claim that Boaz has solved their problems, nor does Ruth say the matter is finished. The gift is real, but it is a sign of help in progress, not a final resolution.
The Context of Ruth 3:17
The book of Ruth is traditionally attributed to an anonymous author, and scholars date its composition broadly to the period after the Israelite monarchy began, though the story it tells is set earlier, in the time of the judges. Its original audience would have been Israelites who valued family loyalty, the obligations of kinsman-redeemers, and God’s faithfulness working quietly through ordinary lives.
Verse 17 sits in the middle of a scene that began in verse 14, when Ruth lies at Boaz’s feet at the threshing floor, a bold and carefully arranged request for him to act as a redeemer. The surrounding verses show Boaz sending her home before dawn so her reputation is protected, and then Naomi asking how the meeting went. Read in that setting, the barley is not a random detail. It is the first tangible evidence that Boaz intends to honor the request, and Ruth is bringing that evidence home.
Key Phrases in Ruth 3:17
Deuteronomy 24:19
When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to get it. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
(WEB)
This law instructs Israelite farmers to leave sheaves in the field for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow. Boaz’s generosity in Ruth 3:17 reflects this same concern for those who have no land or harvest of their own, showing that his kindness is rooted in God’s commands.
Psalm 68:5
A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
(WEB)
This psalm describes God as a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows. Naomi and Ruth are living in exactly the situation this verse addresses, and the barley in Ruth 3:17 becomes one way God’s care reaches them through a human hand.
A Short Prayer From Ruth 3:17
Lord, you see the people who feel they are returning home with nothing. Thank you for the quiet ways you provide, sometimes through the generosity of others and sometimes through things we almost overlook. Help me to notice the provision already in my life, and make me willing to give to those who are carrying heavy loads. When I feel empty, remind me that you have not forgotten me, and that you are still at work in the details of my days. Amen.
