Ruth 2:13 is Ruth, a Moabite widow gleaning in a stranger’s field, asking the landowner Boaz to let her keep finding his favor. Her words express humble gratitude: she is thankful to be comforted and spoken to kindly, even though she sees herself as less than his own workers. She speaks these words directly to Boaz after he has shown her unusual generosity.
Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, because you have comforted me, and because you have spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not as one of your servants.”
Ruth 2:13 (WEB)
What Ruth 2:13 Means
The phrase “let me find favor in your sight” is an old way of asking to be received well. Ruth is not demanding anything. She is hoping that the kindness she has received will continue, and she names it as favor rather than something she earned.
When she says “you have comforted me” and “you have spoken kindly to your servant,” she is pointing to what Boaz actually did: he reassured her and treated her with dignity when she had every reason to expect rejection. Her closing words, “though I am not as one of your servants,” show a clear awareness of her position. She is a foreigner and a widow, and she does not assume she has a right to such care.
The verse does not promise that every stranger will be treated this way, nor that hardship will automatically turn into comfort. It shows one woman responding with gratitude and humility to a single act of grace.
The Context of Ruth 2:13
The book of Ruth is a short narrative within the Old Testament, traditionally attributed to Samuel, though the author is not named in the text itself. It is set in the period of the judges and tells how Ruth, a Moabite who has returned to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law Naomi, comes to glean grain in the fields of Boaz, a relative of Naomi’s late husband. The original audience was ancient Israel, and the story is preserved as part of the Jewish Ketuvim and the Christian Old Testament.
Just before this verse, Boaz has praised Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi and blessed her under the wings of the LORD. Ruth’s reply comes after this blessing, which explains why she speaks with such humility. Just after, Boaz invites her to eat with his workers and orders them to leave extra grain for her, so her words are followed by concrete provision. Read in that setting, the verse is less about private feelings and more about a foreigner receiving public welcome and protection.
Key Phrases in Ruth 2:13
Ruth 2:12
May the LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given to you from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
(WEB)
This verse comes just before Ruth’s reply and shows Boaz blessing her under the LORD’s protection. Reading it alongside verse 13 helps explain why Ruth responds with such gratitude and humility to his words.
Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
(WEB)
This psalm speaks of God’s comfort in dark valleys, which echoes the relief Ruth receives from Boaz. It connects the idea of human kindness with the deeper comfort that Scripture describes as coming from God.
A Short Prayer From Ruth 2:13
Lord, thank you for the kindness you place in the lives of others. When someone speaks gently to me or offers help I did not earn, open my eyes to see it as your grace at work. Teach me to receive comfort with a grateful heart and to speak honest thanks rather than shrinking from what you give. Keep me humble, and let my gratitude point others back to you. Amen.
