English Standard Version
Ruth 4:1
1Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, "Turn aside, friend; sit down here." And he turned aside and sat down.
Ruth 4:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.
- New International Version (NIV)Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, friend, sit down here.” So he came aside and sat down.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Boaz went to the town gate and took a seat there. Just then the family redeemer he had mentioned came by, so Boaz called out to him, “Come over here and sit down, friend. I want to talk to you.” So they sat down together.
Context of Ruth 4:1
Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, "Turn aside, friend; sit down here." And he turned aside and sat down. 2And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, "Sit down here." So they sat down. 3Then he said to the redeemer, "Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech.
Read all of Ruth 4Ruth 4:1 word by word
וּבֹ֨עַז עָלָ֣ה הַשַּׁעַר֮ וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב שָׁם֒ וְהִנֵּ֨ה הַגֹּאֵ֤ל עֹבֵר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּר־בֹּ֔עַז וַיֹּ֛אמֶר ס֥וּרָה שְׁבָה־פֹּ֖ה פְּלֹנִ֣י אַלְמֹנִ֑י וַיָּ֖סַר וַיֵּשֵֽׁב׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then wentעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
- Boazבֹּ֫עַזbô‛az · BoazH1162
- to the gateשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
- and sat him downיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- there: and, behold, the kinsmanגָּאַלgâ'al · to redeem: redeemH1350
- spakeדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
- cameעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
- by; unto whom he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Hoהוֹיhôy · woe!H1945
- suchפְּלֹנִיpelônîy · someoneH6423
- a oneאַלְמֹנִי'almônîy · someoneH492
- turn asideסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: turn asideH5493
Cross-references for Ruth 4:1
- Deuteronomy 16:18"You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
- Deuteronomy 17:5then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you shall stone that man or woman to death with stones.
- Deuteronomy 21:19then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives,
- Deuteronomy 25:7And if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, 'My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.'
- Job 29:7When I went out to the gate of the city, when I prepared my seat in the square,
- Job 31:21if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help in the gate,
- Amos 5:10They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth.
- Ruth 3:12And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I.
- Isaiah 55:1"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
- Zechariah 2:6Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north, declares the Lord. For I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the Lord.
Commentaries on Ruth 4:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Then went Boaz up to the gate - We have often had occasion to remark that the gate or entrance to any city or town was the place where the court of justice was ordinarily kept. For an account of the officers in such places, see the note on Deuteronomy 16:18. Ho, such a one! - sit down here - This familiar mode of compellation is first used here. The original is אלמני פלני פה שבה shebah poh, peloni almoni ! "Hark ye, Mr. Such-a-one of such a place! come…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1The gate is the place of concourse, of business, and of justice in Oriental cities (see Judges 19:15 note; Genesis 34:20; Deuteronomy 16:18). Ho, such a one! - Indicating that the name of the kinsman was either unknown or purposely concealed 1 Samuel 21:2; 2 Kings 6:8.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The kinsman refuses to redeem Ruth's inheritance. (1-8) Boaz marries Ruth. (9-12) Birth of Obed. (13-22) Verses 1-8 This matter depended on the laws given by Moses about inheritances, and doubtless the whole was settled in the regular and legal manner. This kinsman, when he heard the conditions of the bargain, refused it. In like manner many are shy of the great redemption; they are not willing to espouse religion; they have heard well of it, and have…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1Most legal transactions, like property transfers, happened at the town gate. friend: Boaz may have used the man's name, but the author of Ruth did not.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 4:1
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries