Ruth 4 Footnotes

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4:10 Boaz’s giving of money to Naomi was not the purchase of a slave but the payment of a bride price when he “acquired” Ruth. Such a payment was a protection for the bride; the bride’s family held the money, which would be given to her in the event of her being divorced or widowed.

4:13 Regarding an Israelite marrying a Moabite, see Jdg 3:5-7 and Ru 1:1-4. Ruth had become a believer in the true God (1:16-17), so Boaz was not marrying the adherent of a false religion, which would have been prohibited (see Jdg 14:1-4).

4:17-22 This passage is significant in the larger scope of the biblical narrative; it presents the ancestry of David, which became also the earthly ancestry of Jesus Christ (Mt 1:5-6; Lk 3:31-32; see Rm 1:3; Rv 22:16).