Ruth 4:9

_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._ All that was Chilion's and Mahion's, of the hand of Naomi. Although the widow of Chilion was still living, no regard was paid to her in the disposal of her husband's property. From her remaining in Moab she was considered to have either been married again, or to have renounced all right to an inheritance with the family of Elimelech....

9-12 Men are ready to seize opportunities for increasing their estates, but few know the value of godliness. Such are the wise men of this world, whom the Lord charges with folly. They attend not to the concerns of their souls, but reject the salvation of Christ, for fear of marring their inheritance. But God did Boaz the honour to bring him into the line of the Messiah, while the kinsman, who was afraid of lessening himself, and marring his inheritance, has his name, family, and inheritance forgotten....

EXPOSITION RUTH 4:1 AND BOAZ WENT UP, TO THE GATE, AND SAT THERE. He "went up," for the city stood, as it still stands, on a ridge (see on Ruth 1:1; Ruth 3:6). "And sat there," on one of the stones, or stone benches, that were set for the accommodation of the townsfolk. The gateway in the East often corresponded, as a place of meeting, to the forum, or the market-place, in the West. Boaz had reason to believe that his kinsman would be either passing out to his fields, or passing in from his threshing-floor, through the one gate of the city. AND LO, THE KINSMAN OF WHOM BOAZ HAD SPOKEN WAS PASSING; AND HE SAID, HO, SUCH A ONE I TURN HITHER AND SIT HERE. And he turned and sat down. Boaz

AND BOAZ SAID UNTO THE ELDERS, AND UNTO ALL THE PEOPLE,.... Who were present at the gate of the city, or in court: YE ARE WITNESSES THIS DAY THAT I HAVE BOUGHT ALL THAT WAS ELIMELECH'S; all the land which belonged to him, who was the husband of Naomi, and the father of Ruth's husband, whose estate Boaz now bought, paying the value for it to Naomi: AND ALL THAT WAS CHILION'S AND MAHLON'S; the two sons of Elimelech, who, had they been living, would have enjoyed their father's estate; but they being dead, it devolved on the mother, and after her on the widows, who must therefore agree to the sale of the estate, as Ruth did, see Ruth 4:5. Of Orpah no notice is taken, because she returned to her own land; and besides Mahlon, the husband of Ruth, was the elder brother, and therefore had the first right to the inheritance; but as it was in the hands of Naomi now, the pu

CHAPTER 4 THE REDEMPTION AND MARRIAGE _ 1. The other kinsman (Ruth 4:1)_ 2. His refusal (Ruth 4:6) 3. Boaz's redemption (Ruth 4:9) 4. The marriage (Ruth 4:11) 5. Naomi's happiness (Ruth 4:14) 6. The ancestry of David (Ruth 4:18) And now the other redeemer, who cannot redeem, appears. Boaz sits in the gate and hails the one whom he knew as he passeth by. He calls him not by name but said, “Ho, such a one! turn aside, and sit down here.” If Boaz had not called

RUTH 4. RUTH'S MARRIAGE. Ruth 4:1. Instead of such an one! Boaz called the person's actual name, which the narrator either does not know or does not see any need for bringing into the story. Ruth 4:2. The elders of the city are called in as witnesses of an important transaction affecting the rights of a family. For selleth we ought to read hath sold. The point is that the property had passed out of the family's hands and required to be redeemed. Ruth 4:5. Here the meaning is entirely missed in our translation. Read, Thou buyest Ruth also (_cf._ Ruth 4:10). Marriage by purchase was the ancient Semitic practice, but no more is meant here than t

_Ye are witnesses_ Cf. Ruth 4:11. With this appeal for confirmation cf. Joshua 24:22; 1 Samuel 12:5. _I have bought … of the hand of Naomi_ More idiomatically the Hebr. perf. should be rendered in English I buy, i.e. I stipulate to buy; cf. the perf. in Ruth 4:3 _selleth_. The purchase-money was to go to Naomi; she had inherited all the family property; even Mahlon's and Chilion's land had passed to their mother, not to their widows, probably because the latter were foreigners. The right of a widow to any share in her husband's estate is not recognized in the Pentateuch 2 [6]; but later practice allowed provision to be made (Jdt 8:7), and permi

_Boaz Marries Ruth 4:9-12_ 9And 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 Ephratha, and be famous in Bethlehem: 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 wom

THE MARRIAGE OF BOAZ AND RUTH. THE BIRTH OF THEIR CHILD 1. Boaz WENT UP from the threshing floor to the open space by the city-gate, where the business he had in hand would have to be done, where, too, he would catch the other kinsman on his way out to the field. The author does not know this man's name, and therefore contents himself with calling him 'So and So.'...

THERE IS A *REDEEMER BOOK OF RUTH _GORDON CHURCHYARD_ Words in boxes are notes on the Bible text. CHAPTER 4 V1 Boaz went to the gate of the town and he sat down there. Then the other *redeemer came past him, the one that Boaz had talked about. Boaz said, ‘Come here, sir, and sit down.’ So the man went over and he sat down. V2 Boaz had found 10 important men from the town. He said to them, ‘Sit down here’ and they sat down. V3 Boaz said to the other *redeemer, ‘Our brother Elimelech had part of the field. Naomi, who has returned from Moab, wants to sell it. V4 I thought that I ought to tell you about it. I suggest that you buy it. Buy it in front of all the people who are sitting here and in front of our people’s leaders. If you will *redeem it, then *redeem it. But if you will not *redeem it then tell me. Then I will know. There is nobody else to *redeem it except you