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Texts -- Ruth 4:1-21 (NET)

Context
Boaz Settles the Matter
4:1 Now Boaz went up to the village gate and sat there . Then along came the guardian whom Boaz had mentioned to Ruth! Boaz said , “Come here and sit down , ‘John Doe ’!” So he came and sat down . 4:2 Boaz chose ten of the village leaders and said , “Sit down here !” So they sat down . 4:3 Then Boaz said to the guardian , “Naomi , who has returned from the region of Moab , is selling the portion of land that belongs to our relative Elimelech . 4:4 So I am legally informing you: Acquire it before those sitting here and before the leaders of my people ! If you want to exercise your right to redeem it, then do so . But if not , then tell me so I will know . For you possess the first option to redeem it; I am next in line after you.” He replied , “I will redeem it.” 4:5 Then Boaz said , “When you acquire the field from Naomi , you must also acquire Ruth the Moabite , the wife of our deceased relative, in order to preserve his family name by raising up a descendant who will inherit his property .” 4:6 The guardian said , “Then I am unable to redeem it , for I would ruin my own inheritance in that case. You may exercise my redemption option , for I am unable to redeem it.” 4:7 (Now this used to be the customary way to finalize a transaction involving redemption in Israel : A man would remove his sandal and give it to the other party . This was a legally binding act in Israel .) 4:8 So the guardian said to Boaz , “You may acquire it,” and he removed his sandal . 4:9 Then Boaz said to the leaders and all the people , “You are witnesses today that I have acquired from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech , Kilion , and Mahlon . 4:10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite , the wife of Mahlon , as my wife to raise up a descendant who will inherit his property so the name of the deceased might not disappear from among his relatives and from his village . You are witnesses today .” 4:11 All the people who were at the gate and the elders replied , “We are witnesses . May the Lord make the woman who is entering your home like Rachel and Leah , both of whom built up the house of Israel ! May you prosper in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem . 4:12 May your family become like the family of Perez – whom Tamar bore to Judah – through the descendants the Lord gives you by this young woman .”
A Grandson is Born to Naomi
4:13 So Boaz married Ruth and had sexual relations with her . The Lord enabled her to conceive and she gave birth to a son . 4:14 The village women said to Naomi , “May the Lord be praised because he has not left you without a guardian today ! May he become famous in Israel ! 4:15 He will encourage you and provide for you when you are old , for your daughter-in-law , who loves you, has given him birth . She is better to you than seven sons !” 4:16 Naomi took the child and placed him on her lap ; she became his caregiver . 4:17 The neighbor women named him, saying , “A son has been born to Naomi .” They named him Obed . Now he became the father of Jesse – David’s father !
Epilogue: Obed in the Genealogy of David
4:18 These are the descendants of Perez : Perez was the father of Hezron , 4:19 Hezron was the father of Ram , Ram was the father of Amminadab , 4:20 Amminadab was the father of Nachshon , Nachshon was the father of Salmah , 4:21 Salmon was the father of Boaz , Boaz was the father of Obed ,

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • This chapter seems at first out of place since it interrupts the story of Joseph, but remember that this is the toledotof Jacob. This is the story of what happened to his whole family, not just Joseph. The central problem wit...
  • As in the other sections of Deuteronomy here too Moses' emphasis was on underlying principles more than on procedures. Here he stressed the principle of justice.16:18-20 Probably the people chose the judges, and the leaders o...
  • In the preceding chapter Moses explained the proper types of marital union. In this chapter he set forth the proper types of union of individuals with the covenant community.This section of verses (vv. 1-8) deals with people ...
  • The purpose of the levirate marriage ordinance was to enable a man who died before fathering an heir to obtain one and so perpetuate his name and estate. "Levirate"comes from the Latin word levirmeaning husband's brother."The...
  • It is safe to assume that the Book of Ruth was put in its final form after David became king in Hebron in 1011 B.C. since he is recognized as a very important figure in the genealogy (4:17, 22). How much later is hard to dete...
  • The writer said that the era in which the events recorded took place was during the period when the judges governed Israel (1:1). Many students of the book have concluded that the genealogy in 4:18-22 helps to identify when d...
  • The Book of Ruth is one of the most fascinating and important short stories that anyone has ever written. As a piece of literature it is almost perfect. The German poet Goethe called it "the loveliest complete work on a small...
  • I. Naomi's predicament ch. 1A. The deaths of Naomi's husband and sons 1:1-5B. Naomi's inability to provide husbands for Ruth and Orpah 1:6-14C. Ruth's profession of faith in Yahweh 1:15-18D. Naomi's weak faith 1:19-21E. Hope ...
  • As is often true in literature, the structure of the piece sometimes reveals the purpose of the writer. This is certainly the case in the Book of Ruth. The writer constructed the whole book with a chiastic (crossing) structur...
  • This summary sentence not only concludes chapter 1 but also prepares the reader for the remaining scenes of the story. Naomi had left Bethlehem pleasant (Heb. na'em) but returned bitter (v. 20). She had left with Elimelech, o...
  • Chapter 1 in a sense prepares for chapters 2-4 that constitute the heart of the book. Chapter 1 presents a problem, but chapters 2-4 provide the solution. The key to the solution on the human level was the planning of Naomi a...
  • Having obtained food and safety the two women could look beyond their immediate physical needs to their greater need. Whereas Ruth took the initiative in proposing a plan to obtain food (2:2), Naomi now suggested a plan to ge...
  • Ruth carried out Naomi's instructions exactly, further demonstrating her loyal love to her mother-in-law, and encouraged Boaz to pursue the possibility of marriage (vv. 6-9)."Note that the threshingfloor was a public place an...
  • The gate of cities like Bethlehem was the place where people transacted official business (cf. Gen. 19:1; 2 Sam. 15:2-6; 1 Kings 22:10; Amos 5:10, 12, 15)."In ancient cities the gate' was a short passageway through the thick ...
  • Probably the practice of standing on land one possessed led to the custom of using the sandal as a symbol of possession in land transactions (v. 7; cf. Gen. 13:17; Deut. 1:36; 11:24; Josh. 1:3; 14:9).80Most scholars believe t...
  • Verse 13 is a key verse in the book because it records the fulfillment of Naomi and Ruth's plans to obtain rest (2:2; 3:1-5).82A son was indispensable to the continuation of the line of Boaz as well as that of Mahlon and Elim...
  • Ap-Thomas, D. R. "The Book of Ruth."Expository Times79 (October-September 1968):369-73.Archer, Gleason L. Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1982._____. A Survey of Old Testament Int...
  • "But it is just here, when everything is blackest, that his faith . . . like the rainbow in the cloud . . . shines with a marvelous splendor."89This short section contains probably the best known verses in the book (vv. 23-27...
  • A short prose pericope (32:1-6a) breaks into the poetic body of the book. Its purpose is to introduce Elihu, as the prose prologue to the whole book (chs. 1-2) introduced the other characters.Elihu may have been a relative of...
  • Weddings in Israel took place before the local town elders rather than before the priests (e.g., Ruth 4:10-11). They transpired in homes rather than in the tabernacle or temple (or synagogue later). They were civil rather tha...
  • The section begins with an announcement of the salvation that God would provide for His chosen people.44:23 This verse concludes the thought expressed in the preceding one, so many translations and commentators regard it as t...
  • God had not forgotten Israel. Even though He would leave her for a time, He would regather all her children from all over the world to Himself. Therefore she should continue to trust in Him.49:14 Having heard the promises tha...
  • Invasion and war had already overtaken Jerusalem when Jeremiah wrote this lament, but more destruction was to come (v. 9).15:5 The Lord said that no one would have pity on Jerusalem when she had experienced His judgment (cf. ...
  • This section consists of four parts: a summary of Jeremiah's Temple Sermon (vv. 2-6), the prophet's arrest and trial (vv. 7-16), the elders' plea for his life (vv. 17-19, 24), and the incident involving Uriah and his executio...
  • This was another of Jeremiah's symbolic acts (cf. 16:1-4; 18:1-12; 19:1-2, 10-11; 27:1-28:17; 43:8-13; 51:59-64).32:1 A message came to the prophet from the Lord about 587 B.C., the year before Jerusalem fell.32:2 Jerusalem w...
  • Jeremiah wrote almost as much about Babylon's future as he did about the futures of all the other nations in his other oracles combined. The length of this oracle reflects the great importance of Babylon in his ministry as we...
  • The following section of the lament falls into two parts marked by Jeremiah's use of the plural (vv. 41-47) and singular personal pronouns (vv. 48-66). In the first part he called on the Judahites to confess their sins to God...
  • 44:1-2 Ezekiel's guide next took him back to the east outer gate (cf. 40:6-16). The gate itself, on the east side of the gate complex, was shut and was to remain shut. The Lord told the prophet that this gate was shut because...
  • This section introduces another ruler of Israel who, in contrast to Zedekiah, his foil, would effectively lead God's people."This royal oracle is obviously intended to be the central peak of the range of oracles in chs. 4 and...
  • Matthew began his Gospel with a record of Jesus' genealogy because the Christians claimed that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. To qualify as such He had to be a Jew from the royal line of David (Isa. 9:6-...
  • 1:57-58 Luke passed over the birth of John quickly (cf. Gen. 25:24). It occasioned great joy for his parents and for all who knew them. Elizabeth's neighbors and relatives shared in the joy of John's birth as the shepherds di...
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