Ruth 4:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.”

NIV: I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!'

NASB: Furthermore, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased will not be eliminated from his brothers or from the court of his birth place; you are witnesses today.'

CSB: I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, to perpetuate the deceased man's name on his property, so that his name will not disappear among his relatives or from the gate of his hometown. You are witnesses today."

NLT: And with the land I have acquired Ruth, the Moabite widow of Mahlon, to be my wife. This way she can have a son to carry on the family name of her dead husband and to inherit the family property here in his hometown. You are all witnesses today.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day.”

After legally purchasing Naomi's husband's land and taking responsibility for Naomi (Ruth 4:9), Boaz goes a step further. To buy the land was his responsibility as a kinsman-redeemer (Leviticus 25:25–28, 47–49). To marry Ruth as Naomi's surrogate to provide an heir who will re-inherit the land is not his responsibility. He is not Elimelech's brother (Deuteronomy 25:5–6).

Land and a continuous family line were two of the most important parts of Israelite culture. Much of the book of Joshua is a record of dividing the land of Canaan among the tribes, clans, and families of the Israelites. One of the most severe consequences for a family that rebelled against God was to have their name erased (Deuteronomy 29:20). For the nation, judgment included famine, pestilence, or defeat in war—curses on the land (Deuteronomy 28:20–44). God punished the Israelites when they sinned, but He also restored them when they repented (Leviticus 26:40–45). Elimelech sold his land and neither he nor his sons lived to redeem it. But because of the "repentance" of Ruth—that she "turned away" from her land and her gods and toward Israel and Yahweh (Ruth 1:16–17)—their land and their family name will be restored.

The story of Ruth is about lovingkindness and loyalty. Ruth showed both when she forsook her people and religion, accompanied Naomi to Bethlehem, and did everything in her power to win her a life, a home, and an heir. Ruth was responding to the lovingkindness and loyalty Naomi had shown her during their lives together in Moab. Boaz responded to the mutual display by using his power as male landowner of honor to fulfill Ruth's plan.

Behind it all, however, is God's lovingkindness and loyalty. When Naomi arrived in Bethlehem, she thought God had abandoned her and forsaken His promise to care for her as an Israelite (Ruth 1:19–21). She sees now that God was working all along to restore to her what she had lost.

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.