What Does Ruth 3:11 Mean in the King James?
And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The woman called virtuous is recognized as strong and capable while the promise is directed toward what she herself says.
THE MEANING
The verse meets the reader with a promise that answers a spoken request: what she says will be done for her. At the same time, she is already known throughout the community for her strength and capacity, so asking and being worthy stand together.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that asking for what she needs diminishes her standing: the one whose words receive a response is named a woman of strength.
THE ROOT
חַיִל
ḥayil
GROWS FROM
ח־י־ל
ḥ-y-l
Force, strength, capacity.
The English virtuous carries the judgment of her worth; חַיִל (ḥayil, “strength and capacity”) opens that worth into ability, valor, and substance. The same word can name an army or wealth, presenting her as a person of active capacity.
ALSO GROWS
ḥayil: Strength, ability, or valor.
חַיִל
This sense presents her as capable and forceful, not only as morally esteemed.
ḥayil: An organized fighting force or host.
חַיִל
The same word can describe a force; that dimension of strength also lives inside the phrase used of Ruth.
ḥayil: Means, wealth, or resources.
חַיִל
The word’s range includes substance and capacity, giving her worth a tangible breadth.
תֹּאמְרִי
tomri
GROWS FROM
א־מ־ר
ʾ-m-r
Say, speak, utter.
The Hebrew verb behind requirest is the feminine form tomri, “you say,” from אָמַר (ʾamar, “say, speak”). The promise directly answers her words; her voice is what Boaz pledges to act on.
ALSO GROWS
ʾamar: To say or speak.
אָמַר
This is the verb at the center of the promise: what she says is met with a pledged response.
ʾimrah: An utterance, saying, or word.
אִמְרָה
This related noun keeps speech visible as something with substance, not background to the exchange.
שַׁעַר
sha'ar
GROWS FROM
ש־ע־ר
š-ʿ-r
Gate or entrance; the threshold of a city.
The Hebrew wording is literally “all the gate of my people,” which the KJV renders “all the city of my people.” The gate is a public threshold, so her recognition is communal and visible.
ALSO GROWS
she'arim: Gates, the plural of gate.
שְׁעָרִים
The plural keeps the image grounded in the city’s public entrances, where people gather and hear what is known.
sho'arim: Those who guard or keep the gates.
שֹׁעֲרִים
The gate also has a public, ordered role, reinforcing that her standing is recognized in the life of the community.
THE PATTERN
A person’s strength becomes legible in both what they embody and the work others can see.
And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.THE THREAD
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.Ruth calls her אֵשֶׁת חַיִל (ʾeshet ḥayil, “woman of strength and valor”), the exact phrase used in Proverbs 31:10. The shared phrase makes her recognition in Ruth part of a portrait of capable, embodied worth rather than a vague compliment.
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