Ruth 4:1-8

Ruth Marries Boaz Ruth 4:1-22

Boaz Redeems the Inheritance Ruth 4:1-8

Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.
2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.
3 And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech'S:
4 And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.
5 Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.
7 Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor: and this was a testimony in Israel.
8 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.

1.

Where was the gate to the city? Ruth 4:1

The gate was the open space before the city gate. It was the forum of the city, the place where public affairs were discussed. The statement that he went up signified the ideal eminence of the place of justice to which a man went up (see Deuteronomy 17:8). In this instance, ten elders of the city were called to be witnesses of the business in hand. Lot was sitting in the gate of the city of Sodom when the two angels came to him (Genesis 19:1). The husband of the virtuous woman described in the book of Proverbs was known in the gates when he sitteth among the elders of the land (Proverbs 31:23). The meeting of Boaz and the other near kinsman was typical of life in Bible times.

2.

Was it customary to take ten men as witnesses? Ruth 4:2

The law stipulated that matters should be decided on the testimony of two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6). A man might be condemned to death at the testimony of this small number of witnesses if the witnesses themselves were the first to lay hands on the accused. More serious matters were taken to the priests and the Levites for decision (Deuteronomy 17:9). God foresaw the day when the people of Israel would need a king and made regulations concerning his installation (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). Evidently the people of Israel had come to the place where they customarily had a council of ten men. Certainly none could say the matter was done in a corner when such a large number of people were involved in the decision.

3.

Why had the land been sold? Ruth 4:3

Elimelech and his family were evidently in need. There was a famine in the land. It was so severe that Elimelech had taken his wife and two sons to flee to Moab in order to survive. He would have needed funds for making the journey, and this may have necessitated his surrendering his title to his land. Although he had to give up the land temporarily, it would have returned to his family in the year of jubilee. If there were a kinsman who could redeem it for him, it was the privilege of this man to assist his needy brother. If the man himself came into better times, he also could redeem the land.

4.

Why take Ruth instead of Naomi? Ruth 4:5

Naomi was past the age of raising Up children. The whole purpose of the Levirate marriage was to raise up children in the name of a deceased brother who had died without heirs. Boaz naturally married Ruth instead of Naomi, who had earlier indicated she was not considering marriage for herself. She had provoked Orpah and Ruth to deep thought about their plans by asking, Are there yet any more sons in my womb? (Ruth 1:11). Later she said, I am too old to have an husband (Ruth 1:12).

5.

Why did the kinsman refuse his obligation? Ruth 4:6

The kinsman was selfish. He said he was afraid to mar his own inheritance. What he meant by this is hard to determine. Some suggest he was unwilling to marry a woman who was of foreign extraction. If such were the case, he was prejudiced against the foreign nations. More than likely he was afraid later generations would not be able to make a distinction between children born to him in the name of Mahlon and those born in his own household. In this way, some confusion might arise over title to family property and genealogical data.

6.

What was the origin of the custom of removing the shoe? Ruth 4:7

From the expression formerly, and also from the description given of the custom in question, it follows that the custom had gone out of use at the time when the book was composed. This custom also existed among the Indians and the ancient Germans. It arose from the fact that fixed property was possessed by treading upon the soil. Taking off the shoe and handing it to another was a symbol of the transfer of a possession or right of ownership (see Deuteronomy 25:9).

7.

Was the law fully carried out? Ruth 4:8

The practice of spitting in the face of one who refused to perform his Levirate duty had evidently ceased. The Law had stipulated that the widow would come to the man in the presence of the elders and loose his shoe from off his foot. She was also instructed to spit in his face and say, So shall it be done unto the man that will not build up his brother's house (Deuteronomy 25:9). As a result of this, the man was called in Israel the house of him that hath his shoe loosed (Deuteronomy 25:10). In this instance only the shoe was removed and given to the neighbor. The years intervening between the giving of the Law and the time of Ruth had caused the people to drop the spitting in the face from the practice of the day.