Ruth 4

Boaz and the Kinsman-Redeemer

¹Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there. Behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by. Boaz said to him, “Come over here, friend, and sit down!” He came over, and sat down.

²Boaz took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here,” and they sat down.

³He said to the near kinsman, “Naomi, who has come back out of the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s.

⁴I thought I should tell you, saying, ‘Buy it before those who sit here, and before the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know. For there is no one to redeem it besides you; and I am after you.” He said, “I will redeem it.”

⁵Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must buy it also from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance.”

⁶The near kinsman said, “I can’t redeem it for myself, lest I endanger my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption for yourself; for I can’t redeem it.”

⁷Now this was the custom in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: a man took off his sandal, and gave it to his neighbor; and this was the way of formalizing transactions in Israel.

⁸So the near kinsman said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” then he took off his sandal.

⁹Boaz said to the elders and to all the people, “You are witnesses today, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi.

¹⁰Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, I have purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his place. You are witnesses today.”

¹¹All the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who has come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, which both built the house of Israel; and treat you worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Bethlehem.

¹²Let your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the offspring which the LORD will give you by this young woman.”

Marriage and Birth of Obed

¹³So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and he went in to her, and the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she bore a son.

¹⁴The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you today without a near kinsman. Let his name be famous in Israel.

¹⁵He shall be to you a restorer of life and sustain you in your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

¹⁶Naomi took the child, laid him in her bosom, and became nurse to him.

¹⁷The women, her neighbors, gave him a name, saying, “A son is born to Naomi”. They named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Genealogy of David

¹⁸Now this is the history of the generations of Perez: Perez became the father of Hezron,

¹⁹and Hezron became the father of Ram, and Ram became the father of Amminadab,

²⁰and Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon became the father of Salmon,

²¹and Salmon became the father of Boaz, and Boaz became the father of Obed,

²²and Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse became the father of David.

Previous Ruth 3

Next 1 Samuel 1

Boaz formally redeems Elimelech's land and marries Ruth through the proper legal channels at the city gate. When the nearer kinsman-redeemer declines due to concerns about his own inheritance, Boaz steps forward to fulfill both the land redemption and levirate marriage obligations. Ruth bears a son named Obed, who becomes the grandfather of King David, demonstrating God's providential plan working through human faithfulness and covenant loyalty.

Context

This chapter resolves the crisis established in chapters 1-3, transforming Ruth and Naomi's desperate situation into the foundation of Israel's royal lineage.

Key Themes

Outline

1-2
Legal Assembly at the Gate Boaz convenes the proper authorities and the nearer kinsman-redeemer for formal proceedings
3-6
The Kinsman's Decision The nearer relative initially agrees to redeem the land but withdraws when told he must also marry Ruth
7-10
Boaz's Redemption Following customary legal procedures, Boaz publicly assumes the right to redeem both the property and Ruth
11-12
Community Blessing The elders and people witness the transaction and pronounce blessings upon the union
13-17
Birth of Obed Ruth bears a son who brings joy to Naomi and continues the family line
18-22
Genealogy to David The lineage from Perez through Obed culminates in King David

Boaz and the Kinsman-Redeemer

4:1–4:12

narrative dialogue solemn

Boaz formally negotiates with the nearer kinsman at the city gate before elders. When the kinsman declines to redeem both the land and Ruth, Boaz legally acquires the right to marry Ruth and redeem Elimelech's inheritance.

person_contrast

Boaz transforms from the generous landowner of earlier chapters into a shrewd legal negotiator, strategically mentioning Ruth only after the unnamed kinsman commits to declining the land redemption.

Marriage and Birth of Obed

4:13–4:17

narrative narration joyful

Boaz marries Ruth and she bears a son named Obed, who becomes the grandfather of King David. The women celebrate this blessing as God's provision for Naomi's family line.

person_contrast

Naomi, who throughout Ruth appears primarily in contexts of family loss and provision, uniquely receives declarations of divine blessing and inheritance restoration from the community women in this climactic scene.

Genealogy of David

4:18–4:22

genealogy narration solemn

A genealogical record tracing the lineage from Perez to King David through ten generations. This establishes David's royal ancestry and connects the story of Ruth to Israel's monarchy.

person_contrast

Jesse appears in genealogical contexts only twice in Scripture—here and in 1 Chronicles 2—making this rare documentation of David's immediate ancestry through Ruth's lineage.

Insight Character Study

Boaz transforms from the generous landowner of earlier chapters into a shrewd legal negotiator, strategically mentioning Ruth only after the unnamed kinsman commits to declining the land redemption.

Insight Character Study

Jesse appears in genealogical contexts only twice in Scripture—here and in 1 Chronicles 2—making this rare documentation of David's immediate ancestry through Ruth's lineage.

Cross-References

Connected passages across Scripture

Ruth 4:1 1 reference

Lexicals 1

2 Kings 6:8 Lexical

Now the king of Syria was at war against Israel; and he took counsel with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such…

2 shared words

Ruth 4:3 5 references

Lexicals 5

Ruth 1:2 Lexical

The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ep…

4 shared words

Ruth 2:3 Lexical

She went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belo…

Ruth 4

Boaz and the Kinsman-Redeemer

Marriage and Birth of Obed

Genealogy of David

Boaz and the Kinsman-Redeemer

Marriage and Birth of Obed

Genealogy of David

Insights

Cross-References

Ruth 4:1 1 reference

Ruth 4:3 5 references

Ruth 4:5 5 references

Ruth 4:9 5 references

Ruth 4:10 4 references

Ruth 4:11 2 references

Ruth 4:12 1 reference

Ruth 4:14 1 reference

Ruth 4:17 1 reference

Ruth 4:18 4 references

Ruth 4:19 3 references

Ruth 4:20 5 references

Ruth 4:21 1 reference

Ruth 4:22 1 reference

Interlinear

Historical Context