Ruth 4:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman."

NIV: Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah."

NASB: Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the descendants whom the Lord will give you by this young woman.'

CSB: May your house become like the house of Perez, the son Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring the Lord will give you by this young woman."

NLT: And may the Lord give you descendants by this young woman who will be like those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the Lord will give you from this young woman.”

The people and elders of Bethlehem have prayed blessings of fertility on Ruth and Boaz. Now, their words get personal.

Ruth and Boaz will have a levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5–6). The first son will live as the heir of Ruth's late father-in-law Elimelech. He will inherit Elimelech's property and position in the clan.

Tamar was also a levirate bride (Genesis 38). She married Er, the oldest son of Judah. Er committed horrible sins, and God struck him down. As is the practice, Judah married Tamar to his next-oldest son, Onan. Onan was to provide an heir for Er, but he refused. Because of this, God struck him down, as well.

Judah's third son, Shelah, was too young to marry. But even when he was old enough, Judah did not give him to Tamar; he was afraid God would take Shelah, as well. By withholding his son, Judah took Tamar's rights for a son. In response, Tamar took off her widow's clothes, veiled herself, and waited where she knew Judah would be traveling. Judah saw her, thought she was a prostitute because of the veil, and propositioned her. She agreed. When Judah heard she was pregnant, he resolved to kill her for adultery. But when she revealed he was the father, he admitted that he was guilty of even greater sin. Tamar gave birth to twin boys, Perez and Zerah. Perez was an ancestor of Boaz.

The people's blessing comes true. Ruth will give birth to Obed. Obed will be the father of Jesse. Jesse will be the father of Israel's greatest king, David (Ruth 4:21–22). And, of course, the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world will descend from David (Matthew 1:5–16; Luke 3:23–32).

Ruth 4:7–12 records Boaz's legal declaration. This follows parts of the law associated with Levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5–6). He will buy Elimelech's land from Naomi as well as everything that belonged to their sons. He will take Ruth to be his wife. With Ruth, he will do his part to give Elimelech an heir to re-inherit his land so the family will persist. In response, the elders and the people praise him and call blessings upon Ruth.

Ruth 4 provides one of the happiest endings of all the books of the Bible. It begins when Boaz holds a meeting with Naomi's next of kin. The unnamed man is willing to buy Naomi's land. Yet he doesn't want the risk of marrying a Moabite woman to give Naomi an heir. Boaz is actively seeking those obligations, so the townspeople praise him and Ruth. Before long, Ruth has a son and presents him to Naomi to continue the family of her late husband. The boy becomes the grandfather of Israel's greatest king, David, and the ancestor of the Messiah, Jesus.

Ruth 4 closes the story of how a Moabite woman came to be part of the genealogy of King David. Naomi, an Israelite from Bethlehem, fled a famine with her husband and two sons. The men died and Naomi returned to Israel with Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law. Ruth enlists the help of Boaz, an honored landowner, to buy Naomi's land and give her an heir. After Boaz negotiates with relatives, Ruth and Boaz marry. Naomi holds the boy born in the name of her husband's family. This child becomes the grandfather of David.

Though set in a time of violence and tragedy, the book of Ruth tells one of Scripture’s most uplifting stories. Naomi, an Israelite, leaves her home during a famine. While away, in Moab, her husband and sons die. Naomi convinces one of her Moabite daughters-in-law to leave her and seek a new life. The other, Ruth, refuses, declaring her love and loyalty to Naomi. When the pair return to Israel, they encounter Boaz. This man is both kind and moral; his treatment of Ruth secures Naomi’s future and becomes part of king David’s ancestry.