Lads and lasses in Ruth

Here are the lads and lasses of chapter 2, the elders of chapter 4, and a pair of unique self-designations that Ruth makes for herself. We saw that family relationships dominate chapters 1 and 4. The family is also a thread through chapters 2 and 3 but there is considerable involvement of groups of non-family members. Lad נַעַר and lass נַעֲרָה are slightly archaic for us but I think reflect the contrast between youngster and elder זָקֵן in the story - also lad and lass sound alike in English as na`ar and na`arah do in Hebrew.

HEBREW	CH_VS	ENGLISH	NOTES
ה וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּעַז לְנַעֲרוֹ הַנִּצָּב עַל-הַקּוֹצְרִים לְמִי הַנַּעֲרָה הַזֹּאת	02.05	and Boaz said to his lad standing by the reapers who is that lass?	to the lad of him the lass
ו וַיַּעַן הַנַּעַר הַנִּצָּב עַל-הַקּוֹצְרִים וַיֹּאמַר נַעֲרָה מוֹאֲבִיָּה הִיא הַשָּׁבָה עִם-נָעֳמִי מִשְּׂדֵי מוֹאָב	02.06	and the lad standing by the reapers said that is the Moabite lass the one who returned with Naomi from the fields of Moab	the lass is definite due to the modifiers
ח וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּעַז אֶל-רוּת הֲלוֹא שָׁמַעַתְּ בִּתִּי אַל-תֵּלְכִי לִלְקֹט בְּשָׂדֶה אַחֵר וְגַם לֹא תַעֲבוּרִי מִזֶּה וְכֹה תִדְבָּקִין עִם-נַעֲרֹתָי	02.08	and Boaz said to Ruth do you not hear, my daughter do not go to glean in the field of another and also do not pass beyond this one but stay close here with my lasses	In these first three verses we have the definite using the definite article, the definite by association with Moab and Naomi, and the plural with the singular first person possessive pronoun with-the-lasses-of-me
ט עֵינַיִךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר-יִקְצֹרוּן וְהָלַכְתְּ אַחֲרֵיהֶן הֲלוֹא צִוִּיתִי אֶת-הַנְּעָרִים לְבִלְתִּי נָגְעֵךְ וְצָמִת וְהָלַכְתְּ אֶל-הַכֵּלִים וְשָׁתִית מֵאֲשֶׁר יִשְׁאֲבוּן הַנְּעָרִים	02.09	your eyes on the field where they reap and you go behind them have I not instructed the lads not to touch you and you thirst, and you go to the vessels and drink from what the lads have drawn
יג וַתֹּאמֶר אֶמְצָא-חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ אֲדֹנִי כִּי נִחַמְתָּנִי וְכִי דִבַּרְתָּ עַל-לֵב שִׁפְחָתֶךָ וְאָנֹכִי לֹא אֶהְיֶה כְּאַחַת שִׁפְחֹתֶיךָ	02.13	and she said, let me find favor in your eyes my Lord for you have comforted me for you have spoken to the heart of your handmaid and I myself am not one or your handmaids	This self-descriptor is used only here - what is its significance?
טו וַתָּקָם לְלַקֵּט וַיְצַו בֹּעַז אֶת-נְעָרָיו לֵאמֹר גַּם בֵּין הָעֳמָרִים תְּלַקֵּט וְלֹא תַכְלִימוּהָ	02.15	and she arose to glean and Boaz said to his lads even between the sheaves let her glean and do not reproach her	note the direct object marker in Hebrew, but it is an indirect object in English
כא וַתֹּאמֶר רוּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּה גַּם כִּי-אָמַר אֵלַי עִם-הַנְּעָרִים אֲשֶׁר-לִי תִּדְבָּקִין עַד אִם-כִּלּוּ אֵת כָּל-הַקָּצִיר אֲשֶׁר-לִי	02.21	and Ruth the Moabite said for he even said to me with the lads that are mine stay close until they complete all the harvest that is mine
כב וַתֹּאמֶר נָעֳמִי אֶל-רוּת כַּלָּתָהּ טוֹב בִּתִּי כִּי תֵצְאִי עִם-נַעֲרוֹתָיו וְלֹא יִפְגְּעוּ-בָךְ בְּשָׂדֶה אַחֵר	02.22	and Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law good my daughter to go out with his lasses that none force you into another field
כג וַתִּדְבַּק בְּנַעֲרוֹת בֹּעַז לְלַקֵּט עַד-כְּלוֹת קְצִיר-הַשְּׂעֹרִים וּקְצִיר הַחִטִּים וַתֵּשֶׁב אֶת-חֲמוֹתָהּ	02.23	so she stayed close with the lasses of Boaz to glean to the completion of the barley harvest and the wheat harvest and she lived with her mother-in-law
ב וְעַתָּה הֲלֹא בֹעַז מֹדַעְתָּנוּ אֲשֶׁר הָיִית אֶת-נַעֲרוֹתָיו הִנֵּה-הוּא זֹרֶה אֶת-גֹּרֶן הַשְּׂעֹרִים--הַלָּיְלָה	03.02	and now is not Boaz of our acquaintance whom you were with his lasses behold he winnows at the threshing-floor barley -- tonight
ט וַיֹּאמֶר מִי-אָתְּ וַתֹּאמֶר אָנֹכִי רוּת אֲמָתֶךָ וּפָרַשְׂתָּ כְנָפֶךָ עַל-אֲמָתְךָ כִּי גֹאֵל אָתָּה	03.09	and he said - who are you? and she said - I myself am Ruth your maidservant so spread your wings over your maidservant for the one redeeming is you yourself	another unique pair of self-descriptors from Ruth
ב וַיִּקַּח עֲשָׂרָה אֲנָשִׁים מִזִּקְנֵי הָעִיר וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁבוּ-פֹה וַיֵּשֵׁבוּ	04.02	and he got ten men of the elders of the city and he said sit here and they sat	the elders at the gate witness the redemption
ד וַאֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי אֶגְלֶה אָזְנְךָ לֵאמֹר קְנֵה נֶגֶד הַיֹּשְׁבִים וְנֶגֶד זִקְנֵי עַמִּי אִם-תִּגְאַל גְּאָל וְאִם-לֹא יִגְאַל הַגִּידָה לִּי וְאֵדְעָה כִּי אֵין זוּלָתְךָ לִגְאוֹל וְאָנֹכִי אַחֲרֶיךָ וַיֹּאמֶר אָנֹכִי אֶגְאָל	04.04	and I myself had said I will disclose in your ear to say will you buy before those sitting here and before these elders of my people if you will redeem, redeem and if he will not redeem, tell me and I will know for there is none except you to redeem and I myself after you and he said I myself will redeem
ט וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּעַז לַזְּקֵנִים וְכָל-הָעָם עֵדִים אַתֶּם הַיּוֹם כִּי קָנִיתִי אֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר לֶאֱלִימֶלֶךְ וְאֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר לְכִלְיוֹן וּמַחְלוֹן מִיַּד נָעֳמִי	04.09	and Boaz said to the elders and all the people witnesses you are today that I have bought all that was Elimelek's and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's from the hand of Naomi
יא וַיֹּאמְרוּ כָּל-הָעָם אֲשֶׁר-בַּשַּׁעַר וְהַזְּקֵנִים--עֵדִים יִתֵּן יְהוָה אֶת-הָאִשָּׁה הַבָּאָה אֶל-בֵּיתֶךָ כְּרָחֵל וּכְלֵאָה אֲשֶׁר בָּנוּ שְׁתֵּיהֶם אֶת-בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וַעֲשֵׂה-חַיִל בְּאֶפְרָתָה וּקְרָא-שֵׁם בְּבֵית לָחֶם	04.11	and they said - all the people that were in the gate and the elders - witnesses let יְהוָה give to the wife coming to your house as to Rachel and as to Leah which two built the house of Israel and you do well in Ephratha and make a name in Bethlehem
יב וִיהִי בֵיתְךָ כְּבֵית פֶּרֶץ אֲשֶׁר-יָלְדָה תָמָר לִיהוּדָה--מִן-הַזֶּרַע אֲשֶׁר יִתֵּן יְהוָה לְךָ מִן-הַנַּעֲרָה הַזֹּאת	04.12	and let your house be as the house of Perez which Tamar bore to Judah from the seed which יְהוָה will give you from this lass