Ruth 4:9-19

9 Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses today that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon.

10 "Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so ¹that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his brothers or from the court of his birth place; you are witnesses today."

11 All the people who were in the court, and the elders, said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home ²like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous * in Bethlehem.

12 "Moreover, may your house be like the house of ³Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspring which the LORD will give you by this young woman."

13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And ⁴the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.

14 Then the ⁵women said to Naomi, "Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel.

15 "May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you ⁶and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him."

The Line of David Began Here

16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse.

17 The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi!" So they named * him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

18 Now these are the generations of Perez: ⁷to Perez was born Hezron,

19 and to Hezron was born Ram, and to Ram, Amminadab,

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Ruth 4:9-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO RUTH 4

This chapter relates how an offer was made to the nearest kinsman of Ruth to redeem her, and the field her husband left, which he refused to do, Ru 4:1-8, upon which Boaz redeemed both, and married Ruth before the elders of the city as witnesses, and who congratulated him and her on that occasion, Ru 4:9-12, to whom a son was born, called Obed by the neighbours, Ru 4:13-17 and the chapter is concluded with the genealogy of David, who sprung from him, Ru 4:18-22.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 7

1. Deuteronomy 25:6
2. Genesis 29:25-30
3. Genesis 38:29; Genesis 46:12; Ruth 4:18
4. Genesis 29:31; Genesis 33:5
5. Luke 1:58
6. Ruth 1:16, 17; Ruth 2:11, 12
7. Matthew 1:3-6

Footnotes 11

[a]. Lit "gate"
[b]. Lit "gate"
[c]. Or "power"
[d]. Lit "call the name in"
[e]. Lit "seed"
[f]. Lit "gave her conception"
[g]. Or "closest relative"
[h]. Lit "be called in"
[i]. Lit "who"
[j]. I.e. as her own
[k]. Lit "begot," and so through v 22