Table of Contents
Ruth 4
Ruth 4
1 Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.
2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.
3 And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's:
4 And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.
5 Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.
7 Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.
8 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.
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.
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 Ephratah, 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 woman.
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bare a son.
14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.
15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.
16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.
17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,
19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,
21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,
22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.
Notes
Cross Reference
Concordance
Commentary
Rashi
Verse 1
<html><b>So-and-so.</b> But his name was not written because he did not wish to redeem.1<i class=“footnote”>The person’s name was Tov (See above 3:13). His name is omitted because he did not discharge his duty as a kinsman. He therefore did not merit to be recorded as Tov [=good]. </i> <b>So-and-so.</b> פְּלֹנִי אַלְמֹנִי is rendered [into Aramaic] in the Prophets as, “concealed and secret.” <b>So.</b> פְּלֹנִי means] covered and concealed, [as in] the expression of, “If there be concealed יִפָּלֵא”2<i class=“footnote”>Devarim 17:8. </i> and “Is there anything concealed הֲיִפָּלֵא from Adonoy?”3<i class=“footnote”>Bereishis 18:14. </i> <b>And so.</b> אַלְמֹנִי means widowed, without a name. (Another version: [He is called] אַלְמֹנִי because he was widowed of the words of the Torah, for he should have expounded, “[only] an Ammonite [is forbidden in marriage to a Jewish woman], but not an Ammonitess [i.e., an Ammonite woman is not forbidden in marriage to a Jewish man]; a Mo’avite, but not a Mo’aviteess.” Yet he said, “for I would mar my own inheritance.”) </html>
Verse 4
<html><b>That I may know [now], for beside you there is no one.</b> [Who is as] close [as you] to redeem.</html>
Verse 5
<html><b>And from Rus the Mo’avitess.</b> You must buy [the inheritance], and she is not willing [to sell] unless you marry her. </html>
Verse 6
<html><b>For I would mar my own inheritance.</b> נַחֲלָתִי =] my offspring, as in, “the inheritance of Adonoy is children;”4<i class=“footnote”>Tehillim 127:3. </i> to give my offspring a stigma, for it is stated, “Neither an Ammonite nor a Mo’avite may enter [into Adonoy’s community],”5<i class=“footnote”>Devarim 23:4. </i> but he erred [by not interpreting it as] “an Ammonite but not an Ammonitess.”6<i class=“footnote”>He was not aware that the Torah prohibited only the male Mo’avites from entering the ranks of Bnei Yisroel, but the females were permitted. Alternatively, he knew that females were permitted to enter the ranks of Bnei Yisroel, but he feared that in future generations the ruling may be challenged, as it was in Dovid’s time by Do’eg. </i> </html>
Verse 7
<html><b>Concerning redemption.</b> This is a sale. <b>And exchange.</b> This is an exchange. <b>A man would take off his shoe.</b> This is an act of acquisition, just as we acquire title with a scarf in lieu of a shoe. And our Rabbis of blessed memory differed on this matter,7<i class=“footnote”>Maseches Bava Metzia 47a. </i> as to who gave [the shoe] to whom. Some say that one acquires title with the utensil of the acquirer, and Bo’az gave [his shoe] to the redeemer, and some say that one acquires title with the utensil of the seller, and the redeemer gave [his shoe] to Bo’az. <b>This was the form of validation in Yisroel.</b> תְּעוּדָה =] the law of testimony.</html>
Verse 10
<html><b>To perpetuate the name of the deceased upon his inheritance:</b> Since his wife goes and comes on the estate and brings in and takes out [items], people say, “This is Machlon’s wife,” and thereby his name is remembered upon it.</html>
Verse 11
<html><b>Like Rachel and like Leah.</b> Even though they were from the tribe of Yehudah and of the descendants of Leah, they conceded that Rachel was the mainstay of the household and they mentioned Rachel before Leah.8<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, the blessing was for Naomi who was the daughter of idolaters. They blessed her that she should be in her own righteousness like Rachel and Leah who also were daughters of an idolater [Lavan], but because of their marriage to a great and righteous man [Yaakov], they created the House of Yisroel. </i> <b>And be famous.</b> I.e., may your name become great.</html>
Verse 12
<html><b>Like the house of Peretz.</b> From whom they were descended.9<i class=“footnote”>Otherwise they should have blessed Bo’az to be like Ephrayim and Menashe.</i></html>
Verse 18
<html><b>These are the generations of Peretz.</b> Since [Scripture] traced Dovid’s lineage to the name of Rus the Mo’avitess, it returned and traced his lineage to Yehudah’s name.10<i class=“footnote”>The symbol of royalty.</i></html>