Ruth 4 - Introduction

Boaz Negotiates For Ruth And Make Her His Bride (Ruth 4:1 a).

In order to further his cause with Ruth Boaz made his way to the city gate. The gate of any city, in which there would often be an enclosed space between an inner and outer gate, and a gate house, together with rooms/alcoves for conducting official matters, was the place where much business took place and where the elders of the city met to make decisions and act as judges. Markets would be held there. It was a centre of activity. Knowing that the near kinsman he sought would almost certainly pass through there he sat down and waited, and sure enough the man whom he sought approached. Sitting him down, and calling for the elders as witnesses, Boaz then began to put to him the situation. The land of Elimelech was for sale and he as the nearest kinsman had the first right to buy it, but what he had to recognise was the fact that whoever bought it would be obliged by custom to take Ruth the Moabitess as wife in order to beget a son for the dead husband. Learning of this the man declined and granted Boaz permission to take his place as near kinsman, at which Boaz announced to the elders that he would be purchasing Elimelech's land, and marrying Ruth in order to bear sons on behalf of the deceased Elimelech and his deceased sons in order to perpetuate their names.

Analysis.

a Now Boaz went up to the gate, and sat himself down there, and, behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz had spoken came by, to whom he said, “Ho, such a one! Turn aside, sit down here.” And he turned aside, and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “You sit down here.” And they sat down (Ruth 4:1).

b And he said to the near kinsman, “Naomi, who is come again out of the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's” (Ruth 4:3).

c “And I thought to disclose it to you, saying, “Buy it before those who sit here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not redeem it, then tell me, so that I may know, for there is none to redeem it besides you, and I am after you” (Ruth 4:4 a).

d And he said, “I will redeem it” (Ruth 4:4 b).

e Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance” (Ruth 4:5).

d And the near kinsman said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar my own inheritance. You take my right of redemption on you, for I cannot redeem it” (Ruth 4:6).

c Now this was the custom in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging. To confirm all things, a man drew off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour, and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. So the near kinsman said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” And he drew off his shoe (Ruth 4:7).

b And Boaz said to the elders, and to all the people, “You are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, from the hand of Naomi. Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place. You are witnesses this day (Ruth 4:9).

a And all the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses.” (Ruth 4:11 a).

Note that in ‘a' Boaz approaches the Gate and calls the elder as witnesses, and in the parallel the people who were in the Gate, and the elders, declare that they are witnesses. In ‘b' Boaz explains that Naomi is selling the family land which was Elimelech's, and in the parallel he states that he is buying all that was Elimelech's, both land and woman. In ‘c' Boaz calls on the near kinsman to buy the land, and in the parallel the near kinsman tells him to buy the land. In ‘d' the near kinsman says he will redeem the land, and in the parallel he says that he cannot redeem the land. Centrally in ‘e' Ruth the Moabitess goes with the land. Although not outwardly apparent, this was in fact the central point at issue with the writer.

Boaz Marries Ruth And They Produce A Son Whom They Name Obed, A Son From Whom Will Be Descended The Great King David (Ruth 4:11).

The story now builds up to its conclusion. The passage commences with the pious expression, no doubt by a leading elder, that Boaz's house should be like the house of Perez, as a result of the ‘seed of YHWH' being implanted in him by Ruth, and ends by describing the genealogy of Perez which finally results in the birth of David. It is this parallel which explains why the genealogy begins with Perez rather than Judah.

Analysis.

a “YHWH make the woman who is come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel, and do you worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Beth-lehem, and let your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the seed which YHWH will give you of this young woman” (Ruth 4:11).

b So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in unto her, and YHWH gave her conception, and she bore a son (Ruth 4:13).

c And the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be YHWH, who has not left you this day without a near kinsman, and let his name be famous in Israel” (Ruth 4:14).

d “And he will be to you a restorer of life, and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him” (Ruth 4:15).

c And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse to it (Ruth 4:16).

b And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi,” and they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David (Ruth 4:17).

a Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez begat Hezron, and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, and Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David (Ruth 4:18).

Note that in ‘a' Boaz's house is to like the house of Perez, and in the parallel the house of Perez is described. In ‘b' Ruth bears a son, and in the parallel the son is seen as coming from Naomi. In ‘c' Naomi is no longer left alone because the new born son will be her near kinsman, and in the parallel Naomi lays the son in her bosom and becomes nurse to it. Central in ‘d' is what the son will mean to Naomi as the restorer of life and the nourisher of her old age.