Ruth 4
1 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 neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.
8 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.
9 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi.
10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.
11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Beth-lehem:
12 And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman.
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.
14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.
15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.
16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.
17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,
19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,
21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,
22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.
World Behind This Chapter
Explore the people, places, language, history, and material world connected to Ruth 4.
Why were legal matters settled at the city gate?
City gates were public spaces where elders, witnesses, officials, and residents could gather. Ruth 4 uses that setting for a witnessed transaction affecting land, family responsibility, and inheritance.
Is Boaz performing levirate marriage?
Ruth’s situation resembles levirate concerns about preserving a dead man’s family line, but Boaz is not the deceased man’s brother and Ruth 4 combines marriage with property redemption in a way that is not identical to Deuteronomy 25.
Why does someone remove a sandal during the transaction?
Ruth explains the sandal as an older custom used to confirm a transaction. Deuteronomy 25 also mentions removing a sandal, but in a different legal setting, so the two passages should be compared rather than simply equated.
Research PathsCurated links for exploring this chapter 3
History & Daily Life1
- Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz: Borders, Relationships, Law, and ḤesedBYU Religious Studies Center
Focused study of the Book of Ruth that examines poverty, widowhood, migration, kinship obligations, land, and legal practice. Useful context for Ruth 4’s public redemption process and the restoration of Naomi’s household.
Language & Literature2
- Compare Genesis 38:29 and Ruth 4:12Intertextual Bible
Important literary connection between Ruth’s genealogy and the Tamar-Perez story, useful for inheritance, family continuity, and the ending’s link to Davidic ancestry.
- Ruth 4 Hebrew TextSefaria
Hebrew-English text for the city gate, redeemer, sandal transaction, land, genealogy, Perez, Obed, Jesse, and David.
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