Let me now go. Ruth had learned of the custom of providing for the poor by permitting them to glean in the fields of the rich (see Lev. 19:9, 10; Deut. 24:19-22). Since Ruth and Naomi had come “in the beginning of barley harvest” (Ruth 1:22) and Ruth gleaned “unto the end of barley harvest” (ch. 2:23), it is apparent that Ruth went to work soon after their arrival (see on v. 6). The fact that Naomi herself did not go out to glean implies either weariness from the journey or the infirmities of age. The first test of Ruth’s character came with the decision to leave her homeland. Now she gives evidence of the sincerity of her motives by taking the initiative and laboring diligently to provide for the needs of Naomi.
Glean. That is, gather grain missed by the harvesters. God had appointed the gleanings for the poor, the fatherless, the widow, and the stranger, or non-Israelite (see on Lev. 19:9). Ruth was thus doubly qualified, as being “poor” and a “stranger” (Lev. 23:22). Provision was thus made for supplying the needy with the necessities of life, and for teaching those more favorably situated lessons of unselfishness and compassion. Furthermore, the needy had to work for what they received, and did not become merely the passive recipients of charity. This preserved their self-respect and encouraged initiative and industry.
Corn. Literally, “grain” — not Indian maize, commonly called “corn” in the United States. This was the time of the barley harvest (chs. 1:22; 2:23), which, in the highlands of Judea, came during the months of April-May.
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