The Right of Redemption RUTH 4:1-22

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1 1 Commentary by Ron Thomas Questions by John C. Sewell The Right of Redemption RUTH 4:1-22

2 2 The Right of Redemption Commentary By Ron Thomas Text: Ruth 4:1-22, 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. 2. Boaz chose ten of the village leaders and said, Sit down here! So they sat down. 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. 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. 5. Then Boaz said, When you acquire the field from Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the wife of our deceased

3 3 relative, in order to preserve his family name by raising up a descendant who will inherit his property. 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. 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.) 8. So the guardian said to Boaz, You may acquire it, and he removed his sandal. 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. 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. 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. 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.

4 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. 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! 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! 16. Naomi took the child and placed him on her lap; she became his caregiver. 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! 18. These are the descendants of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron, 19 Hezron was the father of Ram, Ram was the father of Amminadab, 20. Amminadab was the father of Nachshon, Nachshon was the father of Salmah, 21. Salmon was the father of Boaz, Boaz was the father of Obed, 22. Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David. (NET)

5 5 Commentary: I. Boaz is granted the right of redemption. 4:1-6 A. Ruth 4:1-6, 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. 2 Boaz chose ten of the village leaders and said, Sit down here! So they sat down. 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. 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. 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. 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. (NET) B. At the gate (4:1). Keil & Delitzsch offer this remark: The gate, i.e., the open space before the city gate, was the forum of the city, the place where the public affairs of the city were discussed (E- Sword). 1. Ruth 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. (NET) C. The proposition (4:2-5).

6 6 1. Ruth 4:2-5, Boaz chose ten of the village leaders and said, Sit down here! So they sat down. 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. 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. 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. (NET) 2. Commentators speak of the author of Ruth not mentioning the name of the closer relative to Naomi than Boaz. Why is the name of the man not mentioned? Boaz knew the man s name as he knew who the closer relative was. a. Huey comments that it was shameful not to fulfill the role of kinsman-redeemer; thus the name is not worthy of mention (p. 541). b. Keil & Delitzsch offer a varying point of view: Boaz would certainly call him by his name; but the historian had either not heard the name, or did not think it necessary to give it (E-Sword). c. Since he refused to restore the name of the dead to his inheritance, he himself has no name. Anonymity implies judgment (Younger, quoting Trible). 3. Ten witnesses are gathered for the occasion. These were not just ten witnesses, these were... such, not merely in age but in office, who were the heads of thousands, fifties,

7 7 and tens; ten of whom were a quorum to do business in judiciary affairs, to determine such matters as Boaz had proposed, as to whom the right of redemption of a brother and kinsman s widow, and her estate, belonged, and who were the proper witnesses of the refusal of the one to do it, and the other s doing it and from hence the Jews gather, that the blessing of the bride and bridegroom at their marriage is not to be done by less than ten persons (John Gill, E- Sword). 4. Boaz then speaks concerning the obligation of the kinsman-redeemer. a. Naomi had not already sold the land (NKJV), but was selling the piece of land (NIV). Why was she doing this? It is clear from 3:1, that she desired security for Ruth. Could she sell the land when, according to Leviticus 25:14-16, 23-28, this was not allowed as a perpetual permanence? i. Ruth 3:1, At that time, Naomi, her motherin-law, said to her, My daughter, I must find a home for you so you will be secure. (NET) ii. Leviticus 25:14-16, 23-28, 14 If you make a sale to your fellow citizen or buy from your fellow citizen, no one is to wrong his brother. You may buy it from your fellow citizen according to the number of years since the last jubilee; he may sell it to you according to the years of produce that are left. The more years there are, the more you may make its purchase price, and the fewer years there are, the less you must make its purchase price, because he is only selling to you a number of years of

8 8 produce. 23 The land must not be sold without reclaim because the land belongs to me, for you are foreigners and residents with me. In all your landed property you must provide for the right of redemption of the land. If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his near redeemer is to come to you and redeem what his brother sold. If a man has no redeemer, but he prospers and gains enough for its redemption, he is to calculate the value of the years it was sold, refund the balance to the man to whom he had sold it, and return to his property. If he has not prospered enough to refund a balance to him, then what he sold will belong to the one who bought it until the jubilee year, but it must revert in the jubilee and the original owner may return to his property. (NET) b. Though lengthy, the NET has a helpful note on this: Naomi is selling. The nature of the sale is uncertain. Naomi may have been selling the property rights to the land, but this seems unlikely in light of what is known about ancient Israelite property laws. It is more likely that Naomi, being a woman, held only the right to use the land until the time of her remarriage or death (F.W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 202-4). Because she held this right to the use of the land, she also had the right to buy it back from the its [sic] current owner. (This assumes that Elimelech sold the land prior to going to Moab.) Since she did not possess the means to do so, however, she decided to dispose of her rights in the matter. She was not selling the land per se, but disposing of the right to its redemption and use, probably in exchange for room and board with the

9 9 purchaser (Bush, ). If this is correct, it might be preferable to translate, Naomi is disposing of her rights to the portion of land, although such a translation presumes some knowledge of ancient Israelite property laws. 4. The nearer kinsman had an obligation to Naomi; however, for whatever reason, he failed to meet his obligation. Younger puts a twist on it that sounds devious (on the part of the nearer kinsman). Perhaps this is correct, we are simply not told. Boaz presents the matter to him and he, ultimately, declines the responsibility. D. The right of redemption passed (4:6). The reason offered was that his own inheritance would be marred; Keil & Kelitzsch explain: The redemption would cost money, since the yearly produce of the field would have to be paid for up to the year of jubilee. Now, if he acquired the field by redemption as his own permanent property, he would have increased by so much his own possessions in land. But if he should marry Ruth, the field so redeemed would belong to the son whom he would beget through her, and he would therefore have parted with the money that he had paid for the redemption merely for the son of Ruth, so that he would have withdrawn a certain amount of capital from his own possession, and to that extent have detracted from its worth. Redeem thou for thyself my redemption, i.e., the field which I have the first right to redeem (E-Sword). A. Ruth 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. (NET) Ruth 4:7-12, (Now this used to be the customary way to finalize a transaction involving redemption in Israel: A man would remove his

10 10 sandal and give it to the other party. This was a legally binding act in Israel.) So the guardian said to Boaz, You may acquire it, and he removed his sandal. 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. 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. 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. 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. (NET) I. Witness and confirmation of the right of redemption. 4:7-12 A. The custom of Israel (4:7-10) 1. Ruth 4:7-10, (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.) So the guardian said to Boaz, You may acquire it, and he removed his sandal. 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. 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. (NET)

11 11 2. In the Scripture we read the custom was simply the taking off a sandal and giving it to the other. 3. Josephus said the custom that was observed was Ruth loosed his shoe (near-kinsman) and spit in his face (Antiquities, , p. 149). 4. The difference between the two, however, is not contradictory. a. In both the shoe is removed. b. In Josephus, he mentions the law s requirement and fulfillment (Deuteronomy 25:9). i. Deuteronomy 25:9, then his sister-in-law must approach him in view of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, and spit in his face. She will then respond, Thus may it be done to any man who does not maintain his brother s family line! (NET) 5. The people at the gate were witnesses. B. The Lord s blessing bestowed by the people at the gate upon Boaz. (4:11-12). 1. Ruth 4:11-12, 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. 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. (NET)

12 12 2. Rachel and Leah are two women whose standing in Israel was benchmark. In other words, God blessed respective families as He did to Jacob with these two women from which the twelve tribes came. 3. Perez is an appropriate comparison here, because (1) he was an ancestor of Boaz, (2) he was born in Tamar by a surrogate father (Judah) after the death of her husband, and (3) he had an unbroken line of male descendants extending over several generations (NET). Ruth 4:13-16, So Boaz married Ruth and had sexual relations with her. The LORD enabled her to conceive and she gave birth to a son. 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! 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 took the child and placed him on her lap; she became his caregiver. (NET) I. The child born to Ruth and Boaz. (4:13-16) A. The son born to Boaz and Ruth (4:13). We do not learn from the book of Ruth whether Boaz was married to another woman or not. In any case, from this union of Boaz and Ruth comes a son. 1. Ruth 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. B. Naomi s hope (4:14-16). Earlier, Naomi said she was hopeless (1:20-21), now the women share their joy. 1. Ruth 4:14-16, The village women said to Naomi, May the LORD be praised because he has not left you without a

13 13 guardian today! May he become famous in Israel! 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 took the child and placed him on her lap; she became his caregiver. (NET) 2. Ruth 1:20-21, But she replied to them, Don t call me Naomi! Call me Mara because the Sovereign One has treated me very harshly. 21 I left here full, but the LORD has caused me to return empty-handed. Why do you call me Naomi, seeing that the LORD has opposed me, and the Sovereign One has caused me to suffer? (NET) a. Looking at verses 14-15, we learn that the redeemer (restorer of life; NKJV) was the son produced by the union of Boaz and Ruth. b. It would be natural to think the redeemer would have been Boaz because the text of Ruth encourages one to think this. c. However, as we read in 4:15 that Ruth borne him, that is, the restorer of life (redeemer). d. Some refer this [the redeemer] to Boaz, to whom the name of kinsman, or redeemer, more properly belonged; and who appeared to have done the office and duty of such a one, by redeeming the estate of his kinsman, and marrying his widow, the effect of which was that a son was born, who would be heir of the estate; but the text speaks of what was done that day, and what is after said in the next verse all relate to the child born (John Gill, E-Sword).

14 14 3. Naomi then became the guardian of the boy (not wet nurse). Ruth 4:17-22, 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! These are the descendants of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron, Hezron was the father of Ram, Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab was the father of Nachshon, Nachshon was the father of Salmah, Salmon was the father of Boaz, Boaz was the father of Obed, Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David. (NET) I. The genealogy of David. 4:17-22 A. Ruth 4:17-22, 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! These are the descendants of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron, Hezron was the father of Ram, Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab was the father of Nachshon, Nachshon was the father of Salmah, Salmon was the father of Boaz, Boaz was the father of Obed, Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David. (NET) 1. Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David (4:17) a. Ruth 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! (NET) 2. The number of generations from the time of Moses to the time of David (4:18-22).

15 15 Conclusion: a. Ruth 4:18-22, These are the descendants of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron, Hezron was the father of Ram, Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab was the father of Nachshon, Nachshon was the father of Salmah, Salmon was the father of Boaz, Boaz was the father of Obed, Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David. (NET) 3. David, in his commentary, diagrams the generations from Judah to David. a. Boaz is the 7 th generation from Judah (cf. Genesis 49:10). i. Genesis 49:10, The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; the nations will obey him. (NET) I. The following words are fitting words to close this book: I was therefore obliged to relate this history of Ruth, because I had a mind to demonstrate the power of God, who, without difficulty, can raise those that are of ordinary parentage to dignity and splendor, to which he advanced David, though he were born of such mean parents (Josephus, E-Sword).

16 16 Questions By John C. Sewell Ruth 4:1-22 (Questions based on NIV text) 1. What took place at town gates? 2. Give evidence that Boaz was diligent in business. 3. What purpose did the ten elders serve?

17 17 4. What did Boaz ask the nearer kinsman to Naomi? See verses 2-4. What was the nearer Kinsman s reply? 5. Boaz then presented the second part of the situation. What was this second part of the responsibility of the nearer kinsman? 6. What was the nearer kinsman s response to the second part of the obligation? 7. Was there a design / plan by Boaz to influence the nearer kinsman s responses by the order in which he presented the two parts of the obligation? If so, what was the design? 8. How might marrying Ruth endanger the nearer kinsman s estate?

18 18 9. How and for what purpose did a sandal come into the picture? 10. What were the legal rights assumed by Boaz? 11. What good wishes did the ten elders extend to Boaz and Ruth? 12. Identify the following and specify how each relates to Boaz and Ruth: (a) Rachel ;

19 19 (b) Leah ; (c) Perez ; (d) Tamar ; 13. Define Ephrathah. Where was it located? 14. When Ruth gave birth to Obed, what did the women say to Naomi? _ 15. What relationship did Naomi have with Obed?

20 begat, begat, begat, begat, begat, begat, begat, begat, and begat. 17. What is the significance of the above genealogy? 18. Since Boaz was to raise up children to the memory of Ruth s deceased husband, why is Boaz included in the above genealogy while Mahlon is not mentioned? 19. Explain ancient Israelite land ownership legalities with emphasis on Boaz s purchase of land that had been owned by Elimelech. 20. What lessons applicable to our generation can be learned from Ruth 4:1-22?

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