Boaz Redeems Ruth

Ruth Chapter 4, Part I ~

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Boaz is at the city gate. He calls to the kinsman as he went by. Boaz calls him to come and sit down. He then took ten men, who were elders of the city, and asked them to sit down as well. Boaz is about to make his case in order to redeem Ruth.

Some background on the importance of the city gate in Old Testament times:

• In the ancient Near East, the elders of a city would hold court in the city gate
• The elders probably wore garments that distinguished their service [In later Rabbinic interpretation the assembly of 10 men became the basis for the minyan, the minimum legal number of men needed to hold a synagogue service.]
• Parties would approach the gate, state their case, and count on a wise ruling
• No clear judge, jury and lawyer - participants probably discussed & argued their way through the issue
•  Crowds might gather to watch and participate

Boaz confronts the the redeemer. He informs him that Naomi has returned from Moab and that she was selling the land that belonged to Elimelech. Boaz thought it his duty to let him know so the redeemer could buy it in the presence of the elders. The Lutheran Study Bible - Elimelech sold the land. Wives could not act in business matters. Before leaving for Moab, 11 years earlier, Elimelech sold the rights to harvest the land. The ESV Study Bible - Redemption is referred to here in terms of buying and selling (vv. 4, 5, 8, 9, 10; Ps. 74:2; Jer. 32:7). This land, or the legal right to use it, may have been sold to buy food during the famine or before leaving for Moab. Or Naomi may still be in full possession of the land, or of its use, which she is selling out of necessity. In either case, a kinsman must redeem it.

The redeemer was willing to redeem until he heard the catch. The catch 22 is that when he redeems the land of Naomi, he must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess. Well, this changed things. He said he couldn't redeem it for himself, lest he would hurt his own inheritance. Apparently he was concerned that any son born to him and Ruth would share the inheritance already planned for his present children [ESV Study Bible]. By passing his sandal to Boaz he was giving a public declaration that the property right was now Boaz's.

This opened the way to Boaz to redeem the land....and Ruth.