Ruth and Boas

Nicolaes Berchem · 1640–1650
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Nicolaes Berchem, a painter from Haarlem, made this picture in the 1640s. He became known for sunny country scenes with herds, peasants and hills that look like Italy.

Here the harvest field of Boaz is full of such things: reapers with sickles, oxen, goats and a dog. In the middle Boaz, in a white turban and a red cloak, looks down at Ruth, who kneels before him.

From the text

Ruth gleaning after the harvesters in the field of Boaz (Ruth 2:3)

Boaz arriving and greeting the harvesters (Ruth 2:4)

Ruth bowing low to the ground before him (Ruth 2:10)

The artist’s own

An Italian-looking hill with a castle above the field

Boaz in an eastern turban, the reapers in Dutch working clothes

Oxen, goats and a dog, Berchem’s favourite animals

A team ploughing in the distance at harvest time

Details

Boaz

In a white turban and long red cloak, he looks down at Ruth.

Ruth

Kneeling in a yellow dress and blue cloak, she looks up at him.

The reapers

Men with sickles cut the grain; a jug stands at their feet.

Oxen and goats

A team of brown oxen and grazing goats behind Ruth.

Castle on the hill

A rocky hill with a castle, more Italy than Bethlehem.

Nicolaes Pietersz. Berchem, Dutch, 1621/22–1683. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (SK-A-32) · Oil on canvas · Image: "Public Domain" (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/); object metadata: CC0 1.0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) — Rijksmuseum Linked Art record.

The verses

Ruth 2:3–10So Ruth departed and went out into the field and gleaned after the harvesters. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech. Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and said to the harvesters, “The LORD be with you.” “The LORD bless you,” they replied. And Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, “Whose young woman is this?” The foreman answered, “She is the Moabitess who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. She has said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the harvesters.’ So she came out and has continued from morning until now, except that she rested a short time in the shelter.” Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Do not go and glean in another field, and do not go away from this place, but stay here close to my servant girls. Let your eyes be on the field they are harvesting, and follow along after these girls. Indeed, I have ordered the young men not to touch you. And when you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.” At this, she fell on her face, bowing low to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me, even though I am a foreigner?”