4:1Boaz knew he could find his relative at the town gate. This was the center of activity. No one could enter or leave the town without traveling through the gate. Merchants set up their temporary shops near the gate, which also served as “city hall.” Here city officials gathered to transact business. Because there was so much activity, it was a good place to find witnesses (4:2) and an appropriate place for Boaz to make his transaction.
Life Application Study BibleRuthChapter 4
Ruth 4
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 402, 403
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
4Ruth 4
4. Ruth and Boaz are married
14 Boaz went to the town gate and took a seat there. Just then the family redeemer hehad 4:1, mentioned came by, so Boaz called out to him, “Come over here and sit down, friend. I Auth 3:42 want to talk to you.” So they sat down together. 2Then Boaz called ten leaders from the town and asked them to sit as witnesses. 3And Boaz said to the family redeemer, “You know {3 95. 5Naomi, who came back from Moab. She is selling the land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4I thought I should speak to you about it so that you can redeem it if you wish. If you want the land, then buy it here in the presence of these witnesses. But if you don’t want it, let me know right away, because I am next in line to redeem it after you.” The man replied, “All right, I'll redeem it.” SThen Boaz told him, “Of course, your purchase of the land from Naomi also requires that you marry Ruth, the Moabite widow. That way she can have children who will carry on her husband’s name and keep the land in the family.” 6“Then I can’t redeem it,” the family redeemer replied, “because this might endanger my own estate. You redeem the land; I cannot do it.” 7Now in those days it was the custom in Israel for anyone transferring a right of purchase to remove his sandal and hand it to the other party. This publicly validated the transaction. 8So the other family redeemer drew off his sandal as he said to Boaz, “You buy the land.” 9Then Boaz said to the elders and to the crowd standing around, “You are witnesses that today I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. 10And with the land I have acquired Ruth, the Moabite widow of Mahlon, to be my wife. This way she can have a son to carry on the family name of her dead husband and to inherit the family property here in his hometown. You are all witnesses today.” "Then the elders and all the people standing in the gate replied, 11We are witnesses! May the LORD make this woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12And may the LORD give you descendants by this young woman who will be like those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah.”
The Descendants of Boaz
1313So Boaz took Ruth into his home, and she became his wife. When he slept with her, the LORD enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. 14Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the LORD, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. 1SMay he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!” 16Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own. 1”The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.
18This is the genealogical record of their ancestor Perez:Perez was the father of Hezron.
19Hezron was the father of Ram.Ram was the father of Amminadab.
20Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.Nahshon was the father of Salmon.*
21Salmon was the father of Boaz.Boaz was the father of Obed.
22Obed was the father of Jesse.Jesse was the father of David.
Textual footnotes
- manuscripts, Syriac version, and Latin Vulgate read she.
- SS
- 4:20 Naomi means “pleasant”; Mara means “bitter.” 1:21 Or has testified against me.
- 4:20 As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 4:21); Hebrew reads Salma.
Life Application Notes 6 notes
4:3Boaz cleverly presented his case to the relative. First he brought in new information not yet mentioned in the story— Elimelech, Naomi’s former husband, still had some property in the area that was now for sale. As the nearest relative, this man had the first right to buy the land, which he agreed to do (Leviticus 25:25). But then Boaz said that according to the ‘aw, if the relative bought the property he also had to marry the widow (probably because Mahlon, Ruth’s former husband and Elimelech’s son, had inherited the property). At this stipulation, the relative backed down. He did not want to complicate his inheritance. Whatever his reason, the way was now clear for Boaz to marry Ruth.
4:8,9There was almost nothing worse than being a widow in the ancient world. Widows were taken advantage of or ignored. They were almost always poverty stricken. God’s law, therefore, provided that the nearest relative of the dead husband should care for the widow; but Naomi had no relatives in Moab, and she did not know if any of her relatives were alive in Israel. Even in her desperate situation, Naomi had a selfless attitude. Although she had decided to return to Israel, she encouraged Ruth and Orpah to stay in Moab and start their tives over, even though this would mean hardship for her. Like Naomi, we must consider the needs of others and not just our own. As Naomi discovered, Mediterranean Sea i Bethlehem” / f Dead Sea. MOAB Qo pom OS 020K. Me” when you act selflessly, others are encouraged to follow your example.
4:15Ruth’s love for her mother-in-law was known and recognized throughout the town. From the beginning of the book of Ruth to the end, her kindness toward others remained unchanged.
4:15God brought great blessings out of Naomi’s tragedy, even greater than “seven sons.” Throughout her tough times, Naomi Continued to trust God. And God, in his time, blessed her greatly. Even in our sorrow and calamity, God can bring great blessings. Instead of asking, “How can God allow this to happen to me?” trust him. He will be with you in the hard times.
4:16,17To some, the book of Ruth may be just a nice story about a girl who was fortunate. But in reality, the events recorded in Ruth were part of God's preparations for the births of David and of Jesus, the promised Messiah. Just as Ruth was unaware of this larger purpose in her life, we will not know the full purpose and importance of our lives until we are able to took back from the perspective of eternity. We must make our choices with God's eternal values in mind. Taking moral shortcuts and living for short-range pleasures are not good ways to move ahead. Because of Ruth’s faithful obedience, her life and tegacy were significant even though she couldn't see all the results. Live in faithfulness to God, knowing that the significance of your tife will extend beyond your lifetime. The rewards will outweigh any sacrifice you may have made.