Ruth 4

THEN went Boaz up to the gate The place where Controversies were decided, and the People Assembled, and where they used to go out, and come in to the Town; where he was most likely to find his Kinsman., and sate him down there: and behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake, came by, unto whom he said, Ho, such an one Doubtless Boaz both knew his Name, and called him by it, but it is omitted by the Holy Writer; partly because it was unnecessary to know it; and Principally in way. of contempt, as is usual, and as a just punishment upon him, that he who would not preserve his Brothers Name, might lose his own, and lie buried in the Grave of perpetual Oblivion., turn aside, sit down here I have some Business of Importance with you.. And he turned aside, and sate down.

And he took ten men To be Umpires or Witnesses between them: for though two or three Witnesses were sufficient, yet in weightier Matters they used more. And ten was the usual Number among the Iews, in Causes of Matrimony and Divorce, and Translation of Inheritances; who were both Judges of the Causes, and Witnesses of the Fact. See 1 King. 21. 8., of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sate down.

And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi Both Naomi and Ruth had an Interest in this Land during their Lives, but he mentions only Naomi, partly because all was done by her direction, to which Ruth wholly submitted her self; and partly lest the mention of Ruth should raise a suspicion of the necessity of his Marrying Ruth, before he had given his Answer to the first Proposition., that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land Which she might do because of her Poverty, Levit. 25. 25., which was our brother Elimelechs.

And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people Before this Assembly, that it may be Legally, and Firmly made over to thee.. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it, but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it besides thee, and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.

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 According to the Law, Deut. 25. 5, &c. Matth. 22. 24, &c., to raise up the name of the dead To revive his Name, which was lost and Buried with his Body, by raising up a Seed to him, to be called by his Name. upon his inheritance.

¶ And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for my self, lest I mar mine own inheritance Either, First, Because having no Children of his own, he might have one, and but one Son by Ruth, who, though he should carry away his Inheritance, yet should not bear his Name, but the Name of Ruths Husband; and so by preserving another Mans Name, he should lose his own. Or, Secondly, Because as his Inheritance would be but very little increased by this Marriage, so it might be much diminished by being divided amongst his many Children, which he possibly had already, and might probably have more by Ruth.: redeem thou my right Which I freely Renounce and Resign to thee. to thy self, for I cannot redeem it.

Now this was the manner in former time in Israel, concerning redeeming, and concerning changing, for to confirm all things i. e. In all Alienation of Lands. So that it is no wonder if this Ceremony differ a little from that Deut. 25. 9. because that concerned only one Case, but this is more general. Besides, he pleads not the Command of God, but only ancient Custom, for this Practice.: a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour He who relinquished his right to another, plucked off his own Shoe and gave it to him. This was Symbolical, and a significant and convenient Ceremony, as if he said, Take this Shoe wherewith I used to go and tread upon my Land, and in that Shoe do thou enter upon it, and take possession of it.: and this was a testimony in Israel This was admitted for sufficient Evidence in all such Cases..

Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee: so he drew off his shoe.

¶ And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelechs, and all that was Chilions, and Mahlons, of the hand of Naomi.

Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place i. e. From among the Inhabitants dwelling within the Gate of this City, which was Bethlehem-Iudah.: ye are witnesses this day.

And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders said, We are witnesses: The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house, like Rachel, and like Leah Amiable and Fruitful. Those two are singled out; partly because they were of a Foreign and Heathenish Original, and yet ingrafted into Gods people, as Ruth also was: and partly, because of that singular Fertility which God vouchsafed unto them above their Predecessors, Rachel and Leah. Rachel is placed before Leah, because she was his most Lawful, and only Intended, and Chosen, and best-Beloved Wife., which two did build the house i. e. Increase the Posterity. See Gen. 16. 2. Exod. 1. 21. of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah Two Names of one and the same Place; of which see on Ruth 1. 2., and be famous in Bethlehem Two Names of one and the same Place; of which see on Ruth 1. 2..

And let thy house be like the house of Pharez As honourable and numerous as his Family was; whom, though he also was Born of a stranger, God so far Blessed, that his Family was one of the five Families to which all the Tribe of Iudah belonged, and the Progenitor of the Inhabitants of this City., (whom Tamar bare unto Judah) of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman.

¶ So Boaz took Ruth Which he might do, though she was a Moabite, because the Prohibition against Marrying such, is to be restrained to those who continue in the Heathenish estate, as is evident from the reason of it; Whereas Ruth as a sincere Proselyte and Convert to the God and Faith of Israel., and she was his wife; and when he went in unto her i. e. Had Conjugal Converse with her. See Gen. 6. 4., the LORD gave her conception i. e. Strength to Conceive and Retain Seed., and in due time she bare a son.

And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which has not left thee this day without a kinsman Which is understood, Either, First, Of the Son new Born. Or rather, Secondly, Of Boaz: For the Name of Goel, which is Translated Kinsman or Redeemer, is never, that I know of, given to the Child Born, but always to the Person Begetting him of his Brother's or near Kinsman's Wife. And whereas it is Objected, That there was no Cause for this Congratulation at this time in reference to Boaz, because that was done divers Months before this time: It may be Replied, That the Memory of that generous Action was revived upon this occasion, and therefore is fitly mentioned as the foundation of this Childs Birth; and this happy effect justly leads them to the Cause and Original of it, which was this, that Boaz had showed himself to be a Kinsman or Redeemer, not only in Name and Title, as the other Kinsman was, v. 6. but in Truth and Reality. The words may be rendred, Which has not made, or suffered thy Kinsman to fail to thee, i. e. To neglect or refuse the performance of his Duty to thee and thine, as the other Kinsman did., that his name may be famous in Israel Heb. and his Name shall be famons in Israel, for this Noble and Worthy Action, wherein he gave so great an Example of Piety, Charity, Humility, and self-Denial..

And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life i. e. Of the comfort of thy life, which was in a great measure dead and gone., and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, has born him To wit, a Son: the Pronoun for the Noun, understood, which is frequent in the Hebrew Tongue. Or, Has born to him, i. e. to thy Kinsman, to wit, a Son, which is easily understood: and so the Pronoun affix is put for the separate; of which there are Instances; as Ios. 15. 19. 1 King. 19. 21. Iob 31. 37. Ezek.... 9. 3..

And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.

And the women... er neighbours gave it a name i. e. They gave her advice about the Name; for otherwise they had no power or right to do so., saying, There is a son born to Naomi, and they called his name Obed A servant, to wit, to thee, to nourish, and comfort, and assist thee, which Duty Children owe to their Progenitors.: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

¶ Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron.

And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,

And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,

And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,

And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David How can this be a true Genealogy, seeing by this means four Persons take up three hundred and eighty years, which were between Salmon and David, and consequently every one of them must beget a Son when he was very old? Ans. 1. It is not certain, that each of these was the immediate Parent of him whom he is said to beget: for sometimes Grand-Fathers are said in Scripture to beget their Grand-Children, to wit, by the Intervention of their immediate Sons; whereof Instances have been given. And sometimes in Genealogies whole Generations are omitted, as may appear by Ezra 7. 2. compared with 1 Chron. 6. 3. and by Matth. 1. 8. which might be done here for divers reasons now unknown. 2. There are many Examples even in profane Writers, both Ancient and Modern, of Persons that have not only lived 120, and 130 years and upwards, but have been Vigorous, and have begotten Children at above 100 years old; and of Women that have conceived and born Children at the age of 50, 60, yea, 70 years. And therefore if it were so in these more ancient times, when men were longerlived, and under the Law, when long Life was expresly promised to the Obedient, and in Persons of strong Constitutions, and sober Conversations, such as some of these are known to have been, and the others may justly be presumed to be such, it is not strange, nor in the least incredible..