Boaz doesn't just present the land for sale; he carefully details the offer, explicitly stating the kinsman's next position after him. This highlights that the kinsman's decision is not just about a good business deal, but a specific legal and familial right that will pass to Boaz if he refuses.
So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Boaz, acting as the goel (kinsman-redeemer), presents Elimelech's land, which Naomi must sell due to poverty, to the nearest eligible kinsman. He explains the legal process, inviting the man to purchase the land before the town elders and witnesses. The kinsman readily agrees to buy the land, unaware of the full implications of the transaction.
Boaz doesn't just casually mention the land; he makes a formal offer. The language used is quite specific, pointing to a significant legal and relational act.
The phrase 'I thought to advertise thee' or 'I said I will uncover your ear' signifies more than just telling someone something. In ancient Near Eastern culture, this was a way to convey important, confidential, or official information. It’s like pulling someone aside to whisper something crucial. Boaz is initiating a formal process according to the law concerning kinsman-redeemers.
The Legal Setting
Boaz gathers witnesses – 'the inhabitants' and 'the elders of my people' – to ensure the transaction is legal and binding. This wasn't a private sale but a public declaration. The offer is precise: 'If you will redeem it, redeem it.' This highlights the kinsman-redeemer's right and responsibility.
The Stakes for Ruth
While the focus is on the land, the underlying purpose is tied to Naomi’s family line. The land was tied to the deceased husband, Mahlon. Redeeming the land also meant taking on the responsibility for Mahlon’s widow, Ruth, and raising up an heir in his name.
The kinsman-redeemer's role wasn't just about acquiring property; it involved a deeper commitment that he initially overlooked.
Boaz presents the situation clearly to the unnamed kinsman. The primary offer is for the land that belonged to Elimelech. However, the role of a kinsman-redeemer (go'el) in this context carried a second, often more significant, obligation: to marry the widow of the deceased relative if she had no sons, thus raising up a name and heir for the deceased.
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The Land Purchase
'If you will redeem it, redeem it.' This is the offer for the ancestral land, which was crucial for maintaining family inheritance and status. The kinsman's immediate response, 'I will redeem it,' shows his interest in the financial aspect – acquiring valuable property.
The Overlooked Obligation
As indicated in commentary and later verses (Ruth 4:5), the kinsman didn't fully grasp that redeeming the land also meant marrying Ruth. This part of the responsibility, 'that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you,' sets up the crucial turning point. The kinsman was willing to redeem the land but not the legacy tied to Ruth.
Understand the original words
ga'al · Hebrew Verb
The legal act of fulfilling the duty of a kinsman to purchase ancestral property or deliver a relative from servitude. It reflects God’s character as the protector and restorer of His covenant people.
The events in Ruth 4:4 unfold within the ancient Israelite system of kinsman-redeemer laws, designed to protect family land and honor. The public setting and the presence of elders underscore the legal and communal gravity of these transactions, ensuring fairness and continuity.
c. 12th-11th century BC
Period of the Judges
This era in Israel was marked by a decentralized leadership and frequent periods of oppression by surrounding nations, leading to a sense of instability and the need for strong family and community structures.
During the Period of the Judges
Famine in Bethlehem
A severe famine forced Elimelech and his family to migrate from Bethlehem to Moab, a foreign land, leading to subsequent tragedies and the loss of his sons.
Years after the famine
Naomi's Return to Bethlehem
Widowed and with her two daughters-in-law, Naomi decides to return to her homeland, bringing Ruth, a Moabite woman, with her.
Shortly after Naomi's return
Ruth gleans in Boaz's field
Ruth diligently gleans barley in the fields of Boaz, a wealthy kinsman of Elimelech, setting the stage for their encounter and future redemption.
The day of the barley harvest— this verse
Boaz's public inquiry about redemption
Boaz convenes a public meeting at the city gate with the nearest kinsman and elders to disclose the situation and offer the right of redemption for Naomi's land and family.
Immediately following the inquiry
Kinsman declines redemption
The nearest kinsman initially agrees to redeem the land but refuses when Boaz explains the full obligation, including marrying Ruth to raise up an heir.
This passage lays out the legal framework for the kinsman-redeemer, explaining that if a kinsman falls into poverty and has to sell his land, a near kinsman has the right to buy it back. Ruth 4:4 is a direct application of this principle, showing the kinsman being offered the opportunity to redeem Naomi's land.
Deuteronomy 25:5This law explains the obligation for a brother to marry his deceased brother's childless widow to preserve the family name. Boaz later reminds the kinsman of this obligation, which is intrinsically tied to the redemption of the land in Ruth's situation.
Jeremiah 32:7-9This prophetic passage shows a direct parallel to the kinsman-redeemer role, where Jeremiah, acting on God's command, redeems his cousin's field. It illustrates the legal and personal significance of land redemption within Israelite society.
Ruth 3:13This verse shows Boaz speaking to Ruth, acknowledging that while he is a kinsman-redeemer, there is another closer kinsman. This sets the stage for the conversation in Ruth 4:4, where Boaz formally offers the redemption first to that closer kinsman.
gillRuth 4:4: "And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. 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 beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it."
And I thought to advertise thee,.... To give him notice of it; or "I said" (g); he said in his heart and mind, purposing to do it; or he said it to Ruth, promising her that he would do…
henryRuth 4:1-8: "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."
4:1-8 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…
Boaz doesn't just present the land for sale; he carefully details the offer, explicitly stating the kinsman's next position after him. This highlights that the kinsman's decision is not just about a good business deal, but a specific legal and familial right that will pass to Boaz if he refuses.
Boaz, acting as the goel (kinsman-redeemer), presents Elimelech's land, which Naomi must sell due to poverty, to the nearest eligible kinsman. He explains the legal process, inviting the man to purchase the land before the town elders and witnesses. The kinsman readily agrees to buy the land, unaware of the full implications of the transaction.
Boaz, acting as the goel (kinsman-redeemer), presents Elimelech's land, which Naomi must sell due to poverty, to the nearest eligible kinsman. He explains the legal process, inviting the man to purchase the land before the town elders and witnesses. The kinsman readily agrees to buy the land, unaware of the full implications of the transaction.
"So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no on…" — Boaz doesn't just present the land for sale; he carefully details the offer, explicitly stating the kinsman's next position after him. This highlights that the kinsman's decision is not just about…
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Last reviewed October 2026
