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.
The village gate was the courtroom where legal disputes and transactions were handled. The Hebrew word for “the guardian” is הַגֹּאֵ֤ל (ha-gael), a noun with a definite article, meaning the specific kinsman-redeemer.
The Hebrew word for “John Doe” is פְּלֹנִ֣י אַלְמֹנִ֑י (poloni almini), meaning a certain person, an anonymous person, or Mr. So-and-So. The author did not give the specific name of Naomi and Ruth’s first kinsman-redeemer. The פְּלֹנִ֣י אַלְמֹנִ֑י (poloni almini) was Naomi and Ruth’s first kinsman-redeemer. Boaz was the second kinsman-redeemer. The two kinsman-redeemers sat down at the village court at the city gate with the elders presiding to make a legal business transaction according to the Mosaic Law.
4:2 Boaz chose ten of the village leaders and said, “Sit down here!” So they sat down.
Boaz chose ten elders to decide this case. The rabbi used this verse to create the minyan. The minyan was the ten-men quorum required by Jewish law to be present before a Jewish synagogue service could be conducted.
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.
This land belonged to Elimelech, the husband of Naomi. Since Elimelech and his two sons died, there was no male heir. Therefore, the land belonged to his wife, Naomi. Naomi was living in poverty. She could not pay her debts or sustain a living from the land, so the land was up for sale. The land must first be offered to her nearest relatives.
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.”
Boaz offered the first kinsman-redeemer the opportunity to keep the land inside of the family. The first kinsman-redeemer was willing to at least fulfill this part of his responsibility.
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.”
If the first kinsman-redeemer wanted to purchase the land, then he must also marry Ruth the Moabite and produce children so that Elimelech’s family line would not die out.
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.”
If the first kinsman-redeemer purchased the land, then he would have to feed Ruth and her future children. Then, all of this land that he purchased would not go to his own children, but to Ruth’s children. This would be a bad investment for the first kinsman redeemer, so he declined.
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.)
The first kinsman-redeemer took off his sandal and gave it to Boaz. This sandal was evidence that the first kinsman-redeemer declined to purchase the land and he passed on this opportunity to the second kinsman-redeemer. This was a legally binding act of Jewish law at the time of Boaz. This sandal custom was no longer in effect at the time that the Book of Ruth was written, so the author had to explain this custom to his reading audience.
4:8 So the guardian said to Boaz, “You may acquire it,” and he removed his sandal.
The first kinsman-redeemer passed the sandal to the second kinsman-redeemer, meaning that Boaz now had the opportunity to fulfill his kinsman-redeemer responsibilities. If anyone ever questioned this transaction, then Boaz could produce the sandal as evidence of the transaction.
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.
Boaz made a public declaration in a legal Jewish court in front of elders that he was purchasing the land that belonged to Naomi.
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.”
Boaz also declared publicly that he would marry Ruth and produce heirs so that Elimelech’s line would not die out.
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.
The elders at the city gate publicly claimed that they were witnesses to this transaction. They prayed for three blessings upon this marriage. First, just as Rachel and Leah built up the house of Israel, they prayed that Boaz and Ruth would do the same. Second, they prayed that Boaz and Ruth would become famous in Bethlehem Ephratah. Boaz and Ruth were descendants of Jesus the Messiah, who would later be born into this family line in this exact town of Bethlehem Ephratah.
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.”
Third, the elders prayed that this levirate marriage of Boaz and Ruth would be just as successful as the levirate marriage of Perez and Tamor. Both of these levirate lines would become descendants of Jesus the Messiah.
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.
Ruth went through four social classes in Israel. First, Ruth was a נָכְרִיָּֽה (nochriyah), meaning a foreigner (2:10). Second, she was a שִׁפְחָה (shiphah), meaning a lower servant (2:13). Third, she was an אָמָה (amah), meaning a maidservant who could become a concubine, wife or family member (3:9). Fourth, she became an אִשָּׁ֔ה (ishah), meaning a wife (4:13).
The rabbis state that Boaz entered into the bridal tent on his wedding night, impregnated Ruth, and then died that same night. This is rabbinic superstition with no internal or external support.
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!
The village women praised Jehovah for bringing such great fortune to Naomi. Ruth’s child would become Naomi’s kinsman-redeemer, because he would redeem the land and the family line of Elimelech.
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!”
Naomi would have a grandchild to raise and a man to take care of her in her advanced age. In Leviticus 19:34, Moses instructed Israel to love the stranger. Naomi loved Ruth, and now Naomi was repaid with love from a stranger.
4:16 Naomi took the child and placed him on her lap; she became his caregiver.
Naomi became her grandson’s nanny. This brought Naomi a rejuvenated life and new happiness.
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!
Obed means “the serving one." Obed was the father of Jesse and the grandfather of King David. The Messiah will eventually come from the line of King David.
Ruth was a transitional book between Judges, 1 Samuel, and 2 Samuel. 1 & 2 Samuel never recorded the genealogy of King David, because it was listed in this book.
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, 4:22 Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David.
The author recorded the messianic line of Judah from Perez to King David. In conclusion, Ruth was a Gentile woman who was blessed by the Abrahamic Covenant. Ruth blessed her Jewish mother-in-law, Naomi, so God blessed Ruth by placing her as a direct descendant not only of King David, but of Jesus the Messiah Himself. She was one of the four women listed in the genealogy of the Messiah in the Book of Matthew.