Commentators explain that Naomi's instructions, while strange to modern readers, were rooted in ancient Israelite customs. Ruth was to go to the threshing floor, lift the covering at Boaz's feet, and lie down. This was a symbolic and culturally understood way for a widow to make a legal claim on her kinsman-redeemer, not a private or immoral act. Scholars stress it should not be judged by today's social rules.