Ruth 4

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Textual versions

Verse 1

• "The gate": The city gate is a common place of concourse, business, and justice in the Middle East at that time. In the middle of the day, as Josephus wrote, where people were continually passing and repassing the gate of the city, to and from the country, and where Boaz most likely could meet with the person he wanted to talk to, also where courts of judicature were usually held, to properly judge the case he had, thus the Targum states, "and Boaz went up to the gate of the house of judgment of the sanhedrim."
• "Ho, such a one!" : The Hebrew words "peloni almoni" are used to denote persons and places, whose names they either could not, or did not choose to mention. These two words were contracted into "palmoni" in. Its use here may indicate that the name of the kinsman was either unknown or purposely concealed ;. The name of this man was "Tob" or "Tobias", according to some Jewish writers; see notes on Ruth 3:13. The phrase "such a one," or "so and so," is a purely idiomatic English equivalent for the purely idiomatic Hebrew phrase peloni almoni. A literal translation is impossible. The Latin N.N. corresponds to this term.

  Verse 2

• "He took ten men of the elders of the city": as witnesses. In ordinary circumstances, two or three were sufficient to attest a bargain; but in cases of importance, such as matrimony, divorce, conveyancing of property, it was the Jewish practice to have ten. Every city was governed by elders. For the number "ten," compare. Probably the presence of, at least, ten elders was necessary to make a lawful public assembly, as among modern Jews ten are necessary to constitute a synagogue. The Jews gather, that the blessing of the bride and bridegroom at their marriage is not to be done by less than ten persons.

  Verse 3

• "Naomi": Both Naomi and Ruth had an interest in the land during their lives; but Naomi alone was mentioned, not only because she directed all the negotiations, but because the introduction of Ruth's name would awaken a suspicion of the necessity of marrying her, before the first proposition was answered.
• "Sell": Boaz, speaking of Naomi's determination to sell her land, says מָכְרָה נָךעמִי, literally, "has sold". The English idiom would be "is selling". In King James's English version the verb is thus freely rendered "selleth." Luther's version is equivalent - beut feil, "offers for sale;" or, as Coverdale renders it, "offereth to sell." Vatable freely renders it as we have done, "has determined to sell" so Drusius. In her circumstances Naomi was at liberty to part with it.
• "Our brother Elimelech": The kind family feeling of Boaz, shining out of this expression is noteworthy. "Brother" was to him a homely and gracious term for "near kinsman".

  Verse 7

• "This was the custom" : It is not a law, when an estate was bought and sold, although the redemption of an estate by a near kinsman is related to the law in, whereas the law in only concerns a brother's marrying the widow of a deceased brother, which the rites and ceremonies there connected to the refusal are different from those here. Josephus writes that this narrative refers to that law, not only concerning purchase of estates, but also "concerning exchanging" one field for another, as Aben Ezra interprets it: "for to confirm all things"; the following custom was observed for the confirmation of any bargain whatever, whether by sale or barter, and where there was no marriage in the case."
• "In former times in Israel": indicating that the custom was obsolete in the time the book was written. The letter of the law was not strictly followed as it was thought sufficient for the man to pull off his own shoe and give it to the man to whom he ceded his right, in the presence of the elders of his city.

  Verse 10

• "Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife": Moab was not one of the nations with whom marriage was forbidden, and Ruth has become a "proselytess"; thus conforming the law in, as only among men, not women, capable of bearing offices in the congregation, "an Ammonite, and a Moabite are forbidden, and their prohibition is a perpetual one, but their women are immediately free."

  Verse 11

• "And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders": A multitude were present on the occasion, perhaps from curiosity or interest. Even without a signing of deeds, the transfer was completely executed by the public manner.
• "Like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel": Rachel and Leah are the two wives of Jacob. The Targum adds, "with twelve tribes"; for although some of the tribes sprung from their maids, which they gave to Jacob, yet the children born of them were reckoned theirs by a "moral estimation". Rachel is named before Leah, although she was the youngest, and had the fewest children, because she was Jacob's first wife in his intention, and according to the covenant made with her father, despite the deceit of giving Leah first, so Rachel was his more lawful wife, and his most beloved one. By the children of these two, and their maidens, the house or family of Israel was built up, to become a great nation, consisting of twelve tribes, with very numerous people.
• "May you prosper in Ephrathah" : or "Do thou manfully in Ephratah". The expression, -, is somewhat peculiar, pointing to the peculiar and remarkable term in Ruth 2:1 and in ; it contains the wish of the people: "May you act the part of a strong, substantial, worthy man." Jerome seems to have had a slightly different reading, since he applies both clauses to Ruth : "May she be a pattern of virtue in Ephratah, and have a name famous in Bethlehem." The meaning of "be famous" seems to be, "Get yourself a name which shall be celebrated in Bethlehem, as the head of a powerful and illustrious house": literally it is, "proclaim a name," i. e. cause others to proclaim your name, as in [|Ruth 4:14].

  Verse 12

• "The house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah": referring to the Bethlehemites themselves, as in, who are the descendants of Judah from Tamar ; one of the five families of the very numerous tribe of Judah; so they wish that the family of Boaz, by Ruth, might be as numerous.
• "Of the offspring which the Lord will give you from this young woman": it is plain that Ruth was present there, as the speakers point to her, considered a young woman, though a widow. A Jewish tradition says that Ruth was forty years of age, as observed in. The elders wish and pray Boaz might have a numerous family of the children and this might be the rather expected of her, as being a young woman, although children are only as the gift of God.

  Verse 14

• "May his name be famous in Israel": this may refer to the "name of God", or to Boaz, who shows charity, integrity, and humility, in redeeming the estate, and taking Ruth to be his wife, but also to the newborn child, whom the people wish to be very famous and honorable in Israel, and in reality becoming the progenitor of illustrious persons as Jesse, David, etc. and even Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

  Verse 15

• "Is better to you than seven sons": The number "7" suggested an "idea of fullness, completeness, perfection". The whole inhabitants of the city aware of Ruth's love to her mother-in-law which was indeed transcendent, and also that it had "transcendently" been returned.

  Verse 16

• "And became a nurse unto it": that is, after the mother had suckled and weaned it, then she took it from her, and brought it up.

  Verse 17

• "Also the neighbor women gave him a name": Josephus writes that Naomi gave it, by the advice of her neighbors, probably on the eighth day when the boy was circumcised, while the neighbors were invited on that occasion, and it was usual to give names to children on that day, see.
• "And they called his name Obed": meaning "serving", as Josephus observes this name was given, not for the service of his mother to Naomi before her marriage with Boaz, but rather for the service that he would be for Naomi, although the reason of it, is interpreted in Targum as, "who served the Lord of the world with a perfect heart;" and so to be a servant of the Lord.
• "He is the father of Jesse, and the father of David": Jesse is called the "Bethlehemite",, living in the city of Bethlehem, which is also the city of Boaz was when his son Obed was born, who would later be the father of Jesse, of whom was born David king of Israel, and from whom came the Messiah, as noted in his genealogy according to the Evangelists Matthew ; and Luke.

  Genealogy

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• Christian