Ruth 2:11
“And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Boaz tells Ruth he has heard of her devotion to Naomi and her costly leaving of her homeland.
What Does Ruth 2:11 Mean?
Boaz answers Ruth's wonder by telling her that her kindness has not gone unnoticed. He has heard the whole story: all she has done for her mother-in-law since her husband's death, how she left her father and mother and her native land to come to a people she had never known. Her loyalty and her sacrifice are fully known to him.
Boaz's words echo the call once given to Abraham, who also left country and kindred to follow God into the unknown. Ruth has done something of the same: forsaking home and security to bind herself to Naomi and to Naomi's God. Such faith does not pass unseen. What Ruth did quietly, out of love, has been fully shown to the very man positioned to bless her. God takes note of every costly act of devotion, and in His timing He brings it to light. The seeds of faithful sacrifice are remembered, and they bear fruit.