"The edition presents Richard Bernard's commentary on the book of Ruth, originally published in 1628, to the modern reader. The introduction sets the work in its contemporary context. It contains most significantly an elucidation of an issue of women's conduct which arises from the biblical story and challenges Bernard and the preceding early modern Ruth commentators. Specifically, the commentators have great difficulty in expounding Ruth's approach, following her mother-in-law's advice, to her kinsman Boaz on the threshing floor alone at night and request to him to marry her according to the levirate law. They find that this conduct is contrary to the voluminous women's conduct literature of their own society. This constitutes the central interest of the commentary. The introduction also addresses such issues as Bernard's anti-Catholicism and surveys the interpretation of the book of Ruth prior to and in the early modern period. The work is also set in context by the annotations in the edition.

The annotations illustrate too how Bernard differs from or develops the discussions of preceding commentators"--.