What Does Ruth 2:21 Mean in the King James?

And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.

Ruth 2:21 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

This verse in the Selah Decoded Version

THE KEY

“Keep fast” means cling: Ruth’s care takes the form of a place she can stay until the harvest is complete.

THE MEANING

You are shown care that lasts through a whole season: Ruth is told to stay close to the workers until their harvest is complete. “Keep fast” carries the force of clinging, so the provision includes sustained nearness, not just a single moment of favor.

WHAT THIS UNDOES

The belief that care is only a brief favor, after which you are left alone, loosens here: Ruth’s place remains open until the harvest is complete.

THE ROOT

תִּדְבָּקִין

tidbaqin

GROWS FROM

דבק

⁨דָּבַק⁩ (dabaq) means to cling, adhere, or hold fast.

The Hebrew behind “keep fast” is ⁨תִּדְבָּקִין⁩ (tidbaqin, “you shall cling”), from ⁨דבק⁩ (dabaq, “cling, adhere”). Ruth already uses this root when she “clave” to Naomi; here, the same word makes staying with Boaz’s workers an attachment that lasts through the harvest.

ALSO GROWS

davqah: She clung or cleaved.

דָּבְקָה

The same root describes Ruth’s attachment to Naomi, linking her loyalty on the road with her continued closeness in the field.

tidbaq: You shall cling or cleave.

תִּדְבָּק

The same verb names steadfast attachment to God, showing that its force reaches beyond simply standing nearby.

THE PATTERN

Life within a bond is sustained by remaining attached.

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Genesis 2:24 · KJVThe same root describes a bond that continues through leaving one home and forming another.

Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.

Deuteronomy 10:20 · KJVClinging names a sustained bond with God, carrying the same sense of remaining attached.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

John 15:4 · KJVThe branch bears fruit by remaining joined to its source, making continued attachment the condition for life and fruitfulness.

THE THREAD

And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.

Ruth 1:14 · KJV

The same root ⁨דבק⁩ (dabaq, “cling”) appears in “clave” and “keep fast.” Ruth’s attachment to Naomi at the journey’s beginning echoes her continued closeness to the workers through the harvest.

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