Rut 2:16 | NETfull | STEP | Make sure you pull out ears of grain for her and drop them so she can gather them up. Don’t tell her not to!”

Ruth 2:16

16 Make sure you pull out ^{▼▼ The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis. Here שָׁלַל (shalal, “pull out”) is a homonym of the more common Hebrew verb meaning “to plunder.” An Arabic cognate is used of drawing a sword out of a scabbard (see BDB 1021 s.v.).} ears of grain for her and drop them so she can gather them up. Don’t tell her not to!” ^{▼▼ Heb “do not rebuke her” (so NASB, NRSV); CEV “don’t speak harshly to her”; NLT “don’t give her a hard time.”}