Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The passage highlights a symbolic act: handing over a shoe to confirm a transaction. This wasn't just a quirky tradition; it was a potent visual, signifying the transfer of ownership and the right to "walk upon" the land, making the transaction legally and symbolically binding.
Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Boaz is facilitating a legal transaction to redeem Naomi's land and marry Ruth, a process that requires a closer relative to waive their rights. After the nearest kinsman declines, Boaz turns to him to formalize this relinquishment before witnesses at the city gate. This verse then explains the symbolic act that seals the transaction, a custom deeply rooted in ancient Israelite practice for confirming agreements involving property transfer.
What does taking off a shoe have to do with confirming a legal deal? This wasn't just a quirky habit; it was a powerful, ancient way to seal a transaction.
In ancient Israel, like many cultures, symbolic actions carried significant legal weight. The act described in Ruth 4:7 – a man taking off his sandal and giving it to another – served as a public, binding confirmation of a sale or transfer of property.
Was this shoe ceremony a direct command from God, or something else? Understanding its basis reveals a lot about how God worked through His people.
Ruth 4:7 highlights that this sandal custom was primarily based on 'former custom' and 'ancient tradition,' rather than a specific Mosaic law. This is a crucial distinction:
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Understand the original words
mishpat · Hebrew Noun
A formal ceremony or established practice in Israel, often reflecting divine law or cultural tradition passed down through generations. Such customs served to maintain social, legal, and covenantal order.
qum · Hebrew Verb
To give public or legal certainty to an agreement or truth. In biblical contexts, testimony is crucial for establishing facts before God and the community.
The sandal ceremony described in Ruth wasn't a direct divine command like the one in Deuteronomy, but a long-standing cultural practice used to confirm significant transactions, highlighting how ancient Israelite society integrated tradition with legal processes.
c. 13th-11th centuries BC
Book of Deuteronomy Written
The laws concerning inheritance, redemption, and marriage customs, including the ceremony of the sandal (Deuteronomy 25:5-10), are codified.
c. 11th century BC
Samuel the Prophet Active
Samuel is a key figure in Israel's transition from judges to monarchy. The practice of attesting transactions with a sandal is noted in 1 Samuel 9:9.
Period of the Judges
Land Transactions Common
The era saw frequent shifts in land ownership due to tribal territories and occasional conflicts, making established customs for property transfer important.
c. 11th-10th centuries BC— this verse
Boaz Completes Redemption
Boaz publicly enacts the ancient custom of the sandal ceremony to legally transfer the rights of inheritance and marriage to himself.
This passage describes a similar, though distinct, ritual involving the removal of a sandal. In this case, it's a public act of refusal to perform a levirate marriage, highlighting how sandal removal was a symbolic gesture with legal and social implications.
Psalm 60:8This psalm uses similar imagery, declaring 'Over Edom I throw my sandal.' This suggests that the act of giving or throwing a sandal could symbolize taking possession or exercising authority over land or people, echoing the confirmation of Boaz's transaction.
1 Samuel 9:9This verse uses a similar introductory phrase, 'Formerly in Israel, when one went to inquire of God, he said, “Come, let us go to the seer,”' to introduce a customary practice. This parallel suggests that Ruth 4:7 might also be referencing a well-established cultural norm, not necessarily a direct Mosaic law.
Matthew 10:14When Jesus instructs his disciples to shake off the dust from their feet if a town rejects them, it parallels the act of 'giving' or 'throwing' a sandal. Both actions signify a breaking of ties and a renunciation of association or claim.
cambridgeRuth 4:7: "Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel."
7 . in former time in Israel ] Cf. 1 Samuel 9:9 , which begins similarly. Driver ( Introd. 8, p. 455) thinks that the present verse is also an explanatory gloss, because it is not needed in the narrative, and has the appearance of being a later addition; see, however, th…
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…
The passage highlights a symbolic act: handing over a shoe to confirm a transaction. This wasn't just a quirky tradition; it was a potent visual, signifying the transfer of ownership and the right to "walk upon" the land, making the transaction legally and symbolically binding.
Boaz is facilitating a legal transaction to redeem Naomi's land and marry Ruth, a process that requires a closer relative to waive their rights. After the nearest kinsman declines, Boaz turns to him to formalize this relinquishment before witnesses at the city gate. This verse then explains the symbolic act that seals the transaction, a custom deeply rooted in ancient Israelite practice for confirming agreements involving property transfer.
Boaz is facilitating a legal transaction to redeem Naomi's land and marry Ruth, a process that requires a closer relative to waive their rights. After the nearest kinsman declines, Boaz turns to him to formalize this relinquishment before witnesses at the city gate. This verse then explains the symbolic act that seals the transaction, a custom deeply rooted in ancient Israelite practice for confirming agreements involving property transfer.
"Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel." — The passage highlights a symbolic act: handing over a shoe to confirm a transaction. This wasn't just a quirky tradition; it was a potent visual, signifying the transfer of ownership and the right to…
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Last reviewed October 2026