Genesis 38:29

38:29 But then he drew back his hand, and his brother came out before him. ¹  She said, “How you have broken out of the womb!” ²  So he was named Perez. ³ 

Ruth 4:12

4:12 May your family ⁴  become like the family of Perez ⁵  – whom Tamar bore to Judah – through the descendants ⁶  the Lord gives you by this young woman.”

Ruth 4:1

Boaz Settles the Matter

4:1 Now Boaz went up ⁷  to the village gate and sat there. Then along came the guardian ⁸  whom Boaz had mentioned to Ruth! ⁹  Boaz said, “Come ¹⁰  here and sit down, ‘John Doe’!” ¹¹  So he came ¹²  and sat down.

Ruth 2:4-5

Boaz and Ruth Meet

2:4 Now at that very moment, ¹³  Boaz arrived from Bethlehem ¹⁴  and greeted ¹⁵  the harvesters, “May the Lord be with you!” They replied, ¹⁶  “May the Lord bless you!” 2:5 Boaz asked ¹⁷  his servant ¹⁸  in charge of the harvesters, “To whom does this young woman belong?” ¹⁹ 

Ruth 1:4

1:4 So her sons ²⁰  married ²¹  Moabite women. (One was named Orpah and the other Ruth.) ²²  And they continued to live there about ten years.

[38:29]  ¹ tn Heb “Look, his brother came out.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through the midwife’s eyes. The words “before him” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[38:29]  ² tn Heb “How you have made a breach for yourself!” The Hebrew verb translated “make a breach” frequently occurs, as here, with a cognate accusative. The event provided the meaningful name Perez, “he who breaks through.”

[38:29]  ³ sn The name Perez means “he who breaks through,” referring to Perez reaching out his hand at birth before his brother was born. The naming signified the completion of Tamar’s struggle and also depicted the destiny of the tribe of Perez who later became dominant (Gen 46:12 and Num 26:20). Judah and his brothers had sold Joseph into slavery, thinking they could thwart God’s plan that the elder brothers should serve the younger. God demonstrated that principle through these births in Judah’s own family, affirming that the elder will serve the younger, and that Joseph’s leadership could not so easily be set aside. See J. Goldin, “The Youngest Son; or, Where Does Genesis 38 Belong?” JBL 96 (1977): 27-44.

[4:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “your house” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[4:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, from the offspring whom the Lord gives to you from this young woman.”

[4:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “from the seed” (KJV, ASV both similar); NASB, NIV “through the offspring”; NRSV “through the children.”

[4:1]  ⁷ tn The disjunctive clause structure (note the pattern vav [ו] + subject + verb) here signals the beginning of a new scene.

[4:1]  ⁸ tn Sometimes translated “redeemer.” See the note on the phrase “guardian of the family interests” in 3:9.

[4:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “look, the guardian was passing by of whom Boaz had spoken.”

[4:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “turn aside” (so KJV, NASB); NIV, TEV, NLT “Come over here.”

[4:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a certain one”; KJV, ASV “such a one.” The expression פְלֹנִי אַלְמֹנִי (pÿloni ’almoni) is not the name of the nearest relative, but an idiom which literally means “such and such” or “a certain one” (BDB 811-12 s.v. פְלֹנִי), which is used when one wishes to be ambiguous (1 Sam 21:3; 2 Kgs 6:8). Certainly Boaz would have known his relative’s name, especially in such a small village, and would have uttered his actual name. However the narrator refuses to record his name in a form of poetic justice because he refused to preserve Mahlon’s “name” (lineage) by marrying his widow (see 4:5, 9-10). This close relative, who is a literary foil for Boaz, refuses to fulfill the role of family guardian. Because he does nothing memorable, he remains anonymous in a chapter otherwise filled with names. His anonymity contrasts sharply with Boaz’s prominence in the story and the fame he attains through the child born to Ruth. Because the actual name of this relative is not recorded, the translation of this expression is difficult since contemporary English style expects either a name or title. This is usually supplied in modern translations: “friend” (NASB, NIV, RSV, NRSV, NLT), “so-and-so” (JPS, NJPS). Perhaps “Mr. So-And-So!” or “Mr. No-Name!” makes the point. For discussion see Adele Berlin, Poetics and Interpretation of Biblical Narrative, 99-101; R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth (NICOT), 233-35; F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 196-97. In the present translation “John Doe” is used since it is a standard designation for someone who is a party to legal proceedings whose true name is unknown.

[4:1]  ¹² tn Heb “and he turned aside” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “And he went over.”

[2:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “and look”; NIV, NRSV “Just then.” The narrator invites the audience into the story, describing Boaz’s arrival as if it were witnessed by the audience.

[2:4]  ¹⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[2:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “said to.” Context indicates that the following expression is a greeting, the first thing Boaz says to his workers.

[2:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “said to him.” For stylistic reasons “replied” is used in the present translation.

[2:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “said to.” Since what follows is a question, “asked” is appropriate in this context.

[2:5]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “young man.” Cf. NAB “overseer”; NIV, NLT “foreman.”

[2:5]  ¹⁹ sn In this patriarchal culture Ruth would “belong” to either her father (if unmarried) or her husband (if married).

[1:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “they.” The verb is 3rd person masculine plural referring to Naomi’s sons, as the translation indicates.

[1:4]  ²¹ tn Heb “and they lifted up for themselves Moabite wives.” When used with the noun “wife,” the verb נָשָׂא (nasa’, “to lift up, carry, take”) forms the idiom “to take a wife,” that is, to marry (BDB 673 s.v. Qal.3.d; 2 Chr 11:21; 13:21; 24:3; Ezra 9:2,12; 10:44; Neh 13:25).

[1:4]  ²² tn Heb “the name of the one [was] Orpah and the name of the second [was] Ruth.”