EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Ruth 4:5
5Then Boaz said, ‘You should also know this: When you buy the land from Naomi, you also have to marry the Moabite woman, Ruth. She is the widow of Elimelech's son. She will give birth to your children and Elimelech's land will continue to belong to his family.’
Ruth 4:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
- New International Version (NIV)Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then Boaz said, "The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance."
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.”
Context of Ruth 4:5
3Then Boaz said to the family-redeemer, ‘Naomi has returned from Moab. She wants to sell the piece of land that belonged to our relative, Elimelech. 4I thought that I must tell you about this, in front of the leaders of our town. Tell us if you will buy this land from Naomi, so that all the people who sit here know what you decide. If you want to buy it, then you should buy it. If you do not want to buy it, then you must tell me. Then I will know what to do. You are the person who must decide. If you do not choose to buy the land, then I can buy it.’ The relative said, ‘I will buy it.’ Then Boaz said, ‘You should also know this: When you buy the land from Naomi, you also have to marry the Moabite woman, Ruth. She is the widow of Elimelech's son. She will give birth to your children and Elimelech's land will continue to belong to his family.’ 6When Boaz said that, the relative replied, ‘If that is true, I cannot buy the land. It would not belong to my own children when I die. You may buy the land instead of me. I cannot buy it myself.’ 7In Israel at this time, when somebody agreed to sell land, he removed his shoe. He gave it to the man who was buying the land. Then everyone could see that they both agreed. They could not change their minds.
Read all of Ruth 4Ruth 4:5 word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר בֹּ֔עַז בְּיוֹם־קְנוֹתְךָ֥ הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה מִיַּ֣ד נָעֳמִ֑י וּ֠מֵאֵת ר֣וּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּ֤ה אֵֽשֶׁת־הַמֵּת֙ קָנִ֔יתָה לְהָקִ֥ים שֵׁם־הַמֵּ֖ת עַל־נַחֲלָתֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Boazבֹּ֫עַזbô‛az · BoazH1162
- What dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- thou buyestקָנָהqânâh · to buyH7069
- the fieldשָׂדֶהώâdeh ώâday · land: countryH7704
- of the handיָדyâd · handH3027
- of Naomiנׇעֳמִיno‛ŏmîy · NaomiH5281
- also of Ruthרוּתrûth · RuthH7327
- the Moabitessמוֹאָבִיmô'âbîy mô'âbîyâh mô'âbîyth · MoabiteH4125
- the wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
- of the deadמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
- to raise upקוּםqûm · to arise: establishH6965
- the nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- upon his inheritanceנַחֲלָהnachălâh · inheritanceH5159
Cross-references for Ruth 4:5
- Ruth 3:12It is true that I am a family-redeemer for your family. But there is another relative who is nearer to your family than I am.
- Genesis 38:8Then Judah said to Onan, ‘You should marry your dead brother's wife and have sex with her. You are her dead husband's brother. You must have a son who will become your dead brother's descendant.’
- Deuteronomy 25:5Perhaps two brothers live together in the same place. One of the brothers may die before he has any son. If that happens, his widow must not marry anyone who does not belong to the family. Instead, the other brother must marry her. That is the right thing for him to do for his dead brother.
- Matthew 22:24‘Teacher,’ they said to him, ‘Moses said in the Bible: A man may die and leave behind a wife but no children. Then that man's brother must marry the woman. Then their children will be called the children of the brother who died.
- Luke 20:28They wanted to ask Jesus a question. ‘Teacher,’ they said to him, ‘Moses wrote this in the Bible for us: “A man may die and leave a wife but no children. Then that man's brother must marry the woman. Then their children will be called the children of the brother who died.”
Commentaries on Ruth 4:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Thou must buy it also of Ruth - More properly, Thou wilt also acquire Ruth. Thou canst not get the land without taking the wife of the deceased and then the children which thou mayest have shall be reputed the children of Mahlon, thy deceased kinsman.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Observe the action of the Levirate law. If there had been no one interested but Naomi, she would have sold the land unclogged by any condition, the law of Levirate having no existence in her case. But there was a young widow upon whom the possession of the land would devolve at Naomi‘s death, and who already had a right of partnership in it, and the law of Levirate did apply in her case. It was, therefore, the duty of the גאל gā'al to marry her and raise…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5On the day you buy the land...you must also acquire the widow of the deceased: In Hebrew manuscripts, the verse reads I buy, but a scribal correction in the margin reads you buy, differing by one letter. The scribe believed you buy was the original text, suggesting an error in the main text. Some think I buy is the original, indicating Boaz and Ruth's marriage was already planned (see study note on Judges 3:11). However, most translators believe you buy…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-51. Then went Boaz up to the gate of the city--a roofed building, unenclosed by walls; the place where, in ancient times, and in many Eastern towns still, all business transactions are made, and where, therefore, the kinsman was most likely to be found. No preliminaries were necessary in summoning one before the public assemblage; no writings and no delay were required. In a short conversation the matter was stated and arranged--probably in the morning as…Read the comment
Topics related to Ruth 4:5
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ruth 4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
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