Ruth 3:12

12 And now it is true that I [am thy] near kinsman: yet there is a kinsman nearer than I.

Ruth 3:12 Meaning and Commentary

Ruth 3:12

And now it is true, that I am thy near kinsman
Her husband and he being brothers' sons, so own cousins:

howbeit, there is a kinsman nearer than I,
who was, the Jews say ^F23, the brother of her husband's father, and so his uncle, which was a nearer relation than an own cousin.

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 Midrash Ruth, ut supra. (31. 4. & 34. 2) Jarchi in loc.

Ruth 3:12 In-Context

10 And he said, Blessed [be] thou of the LORD, my daughter: [for] thou hast shown more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou didst not follow young men, whether poor or rich.

11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou [art] a virtuous woman.

12 And now it is true that I [am thy] near kinsman: yet there is a kinsman nearer than I.

13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, [that] if he will perform to thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, [as] the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.

14 And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came to the floor.