Ruth 3:9
“And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Ruth names herself and asks Boaz to spread his covering over her, appealing to him as kinsman-redeemer.
What Does Ruth 3:9 Mean?
Boaz asks, Who art thou? and Ruth answers plainly: I am Ruth thine handmaid. Then she makes her appeal: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman. To spread one's skirt, or covering, over another was a gesture of marriage and protection, a request that Boaz take her under his care as husband and as the kinsman-redeemer who could restore her family.
Ruth's words echo Boaz's own earlier blessing, when he praised her for coming to trust under the wings of God, for the word for skirt and for wings is the same. In effect Ruth says: be to me the shelter you prayed God would give. She appeals not to romance but to covenant duty and kindness, asking him to fulfill the role of redeemer. Here is faith made bold and humble at once. It is a picture of the soul seeking refuge under the covering of its Redeemer, who answers the plea to be made His own.
In the Original Language
kanaph (כָּנָף), 'skirt' — the hem or wing of a garment; the same word for God's sheltering wings, so Ruth asks Boaz to become the refuge he had invoked.