Rut 4:1

1 Y Booz subió a la puerta y allí se sentó, y he aquí que el pariente más cercano de quien Booz había hablado iba pasando, y le dijo: Eh, tú, ven acá y siéntate. Y él vino y se sentó.

Rut 4:1 Meaning and Commentary

Ruth 4:1

Then went Boaz up to the gate
In the middle of the day, as Josephus ^F4 says, to the gate of the city, where people were continually passing and repassing to and from the country, and where he was most likely to meet with the person he wanted to see and converse with, and where courts of judicature were usually held, and where it was proper to call one to determine the affair he had in hand; so the Targum,

``and Boaz went up to the gate of the house of judgment of the sanhedrim:''

and set him down there;
waiting for the person or persons passing by, with whom be chose to speak:

and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by;
the kinsman that was nearer than he, of whom he had spoke to Ruth, that if he would not redeem her, he would; a "behold" is prefixed to this, to observe the providence of God that ordered it so, that he should come that way just at the time Boaz was sitting there, and waiting for him; who perhaps was going into his field to look after his threshers and winnowers, as Boaz had been:

unto whom he said, ho, such an one;
calling him by his name, though it is not expressed; which the writer of this history might not know, or, if he did, thought it not material to give it, some have been of opinion that it is purposely concealed, as a just retaliation to him, that as he chose not to raise up seed to his kinsman, to perpetuate his name, so his own is buried in oblivion; though it might be done in his favour, that his name might not be known, and lie under disgrace, for refusing to act the part he ought according to the law to have done; hence the plucking off the shoe, and spitting in his face, were done to such an one by way of contempt and reproach. The words are "peloni almoni", words used by the Hebrews of persons and places, whose names they either could not, or did not choose to mention, which two words are contracted into "palmoni" in ( Daniel 8:13 ) . The name of this man was "Tob" or "Tobias", according to some Jewish writers, (See Gill on Ruth 3:13), to him Boaz said,

turn aside, and sit down here; and he turned aside, and sat down;
instead of going right forward, as he intended, about his business, he turned on one side as he was desired, and sat down by Boaz.

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 Antiqu. l. 5. c. 9. sect. 4.

Rut 4:1 In-Context

1 Y Booz subió a la puerta y allí se sentó, y he aquí que el pariente más cercano de quien Booz había hablado iba pasando, y le dijo: Eh, tú, ven acá y siéntate. Y él vino y se sentó.

2 Y Booz tomó diez hombres de los ancianos de la ciudad, y les dijo: Sentaos aquí. Y ellos se sentaron.

3 Entonces dijo al pariente más cercano: Noemí, que volvió de la tierra de Moab, tiene que vender la parte de la tierra que pertenecía a nuestro hermano Elimelec.

4 Y pensé informarte, diciéndote: "Cómprala en presencia de los que están aquí sentados, y en presencia de los ancianos de mi pueblo. Si la vas a redimir, redímela; y si no, dímelo para que yo lo sepa; porque no hay otro aparte de ti que la redima, y yo después de ti." Y él dijo: La redimiré.

5 Entonces Booz dijo: El día que compres el campo de manos de Noemí, debes adquirir también a Rut la moabita, viuda del difunto, a fin de conservar el nombre del difunto en su heredad.