3:3, 4 The instructions, presented to Ruth so precisely, have strong overtones of intrigue.

the threshing floor. This was a cleared area where grain was crushed or torn to separate the chaff, straw, and grains. The harvest was then winnowed, or thrown into the air for the wind to blow away the chaff and let the grains fall directly to the ground. All this took place in the spring at the time of the harvest festivals. The prophet Hosea refers to the threshing floor as a common site of sexual immorality (Hos. 9:1).