Verse 11:[1] And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, (Ruth 1:14, 16, 17) all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
Which thou knewest not; of whom thou hadst no experience; for otherwise in general she could not be ignorant of this people.
Verse 12:[2] (1 Sam. 24:19) The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, (Ruth 1:16; Ps. 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 63:7) under whose wings thou art come to trust.
[The Lord recompense thee according to thy work] He will repay (I prefer, let Him repay [Piscator]) thy work (Junius and Tremellius), that is, all that thou hast done for thy mother-in-law and husband (Drusius). Work, that is, the recompense of thy work (Vatablus, Piscator).
[And mayest thou receive a full reward] May it be (or, it shall be [Junius and Tremellius]) thy full reward from the Lord (Drusius, Junius and Tremellius). May He reward thee most abundantly (Drusius). May He reward thy work in this age; may thy recompense be full in the coming age (Jonathan).
[Unto whom thou hast come, and under whose wings thou hast fled] By the term wings he denotes guardianship and protection (Drusius, Munster); as it is evident from Deuteronomy 32:11; Psalm 36:7; 61:4; 91:4 (Serarius). It is a Metaphor taken from the chicks of hens, which hide under the wings of their mothers (Drusius, Piscator, Munster). Or he had regard to the wings of the Cherubim, by which the Ark is covered. This appears closer to the truth (Drusius). The great piety of Boaz appears, who both admires the piety of this foreign woman, and liberally rewards it. This man, so regal of soul, was worthy to be the father of the King. Such was Cimon of Athens,[3] who tore down the walls of his fields, so that whoever desired might enjoy the things grown there (Grotius).
Wings, that is, protection and care, as Deuteronomy 32:11; Psalm 17:8; 36:7; 91:4. An allusion either to hens, which protect and cherish their young ones under their wings; or to the wings of the cherubims, between which God dwelt.
[1] Hebrew: וַיַּ֤עַן בֹּ֙עַז֙ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָ֔הּ הֻגֵּ֙ד הֻגַּ֜ד לִ֗י כֹּ֤ל אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂית֙ אֶת־חֲמוֹתֵ֔ךְ אַחֲרֵ֖י מ֣וֹת אִישֵׁ֑ךְ וַתַּֽעַזְבִ֞י אָּבִ֣יךְ וְאִמֵּ֗ךְ וְאֶ֙רֶץ֙ מֽוֹלַדְתֵּ֔ךְ וַתֵּ֣לְכִ֔י אֶל־עַ֕ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יָדַ֖עַתְּ תְּמ֥וֹל שִׁלְשֽׁוֹם׃
[2] Hebrew: יְשַׁלֵּ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה פָּעֳלֵ֑ךְ וּתְהִ֙י מַשְׂכֻּרְתֵּ֜ךְ שְׁלֵמָ֗ה מֵעִ֤ם יְהוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֖את לַחֲס֥וֹת תַּֽחַת־כְּנָפָֽיו׃
[3] Cimon was a fifth century BC Athenian statesman and general.