📖 Ruth — Chapter 4 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Ruth 4:1 Then went Boaz up Rto 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.
Ruth 4:2 And he took ten men of Rthe elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.
Ruth 4:3 And Rhe said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s:
Ruth 4:4 And TI thought to advertise thee, saying, RBuy 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.
Ruth 4:5 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, Rto raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
Ruth 4:6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.
Ruth 4:7 Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; Ra man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.
Ruth 4:8 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.
Ruth 4:9 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, RYe are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi.
Ruth 4:10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, Rhave 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: ye are witnesses this day.
Ruth 4:11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. RThe LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and Tdo thou worthily in Ephratah, and Tbe famous in Bethlehem:
Ruth 4:12 And let thy house be like Rthe house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman.
Ruth 4:13 So RBoaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.
Ruth 4:14 And Rthe women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not Tleft thee this day without a Tkinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.
Ruth 4:15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and RTa nourisher of Tthine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.
Ruth 4:16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.
Ruth 4:17 And Rthe women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Ruth 4:18 Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,
Ruth 4:19 And Hezron Rbegat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
Ruth 4:20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat TSalmon,
Ruth 4:21 And RSalmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,
Ruth 4:22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat RDavid.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Ruth 4:1–8 — The matter is settled at the gate
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Boaz gathers the nearer kinsman and ten elders at the gate. When the land transaction is linked with Ruth and preserving the dead man's name, the kinsman declines. The exchange of a shoe witnesses the transfer according to the custom described by the narrator.
Key Truth: Boaz handles the family matter openly before witnesses.
Check What You Remember
1. Where did Boaz meet the nearer kinsman? (Ruth 4:1)
Find it in Ruth 4:1 (KJV).
2. How many elders did Boaz gather? (Ruth 4:2)
Find it in Ruth 4:2 (KJV).
3. What object was removed to confirm the transaction? (Ruth 4:7)
Find it in Ruth 4:7 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Ruth 4:9–12 — Public commitment and blessing
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Boaz announces the purchase and his intention to take Ruth as wife to preserve the dead man's name. The people and elders acknowledge their witness and bless the household with references to Rachel, Leah, and the line of Pharez. The commitments connect present care with Israel's family history.
Key Truth: The family commitment is publicly witnessed rather than hidden.
Check What You Remember
1. Who was Ruth's deceased husband? (Ruth 4:10)
Find it in Ruth 4:10 (KJV).
2. Which two women are named in the first blessing? (Ruth 4:11)
Find it in Ruth 4:11 (KJV).
3. Which son of Tamar and Judah is named in the next blessing? (Ruth 4:12)
Find it in Ruth 4:12 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Ruth 4:13–22 — Obed, Naomi, and the line of David
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The LORD gives Ruth a son after her marriage to Boaz. The women bless the LORD, honor Ruth's love for Naomi, and name the child Obed. The genealogy ends with David, showing that the care of this bereaved household belongs within a much larger history.
Key Truth: The book moves from famine and loss to provision, family continuity, and David's ancestry.
Check What You Remember
1. What name was given to Ruth and Boaz's son? (Ruth 4:17)
Find it in Ruth 4:17 (KJV).
2. Who was Obed's son? (Ruth 4:17)
Find it in Ruth 4:17 (KJV).
3. Who was Jesse's son at the end of the genealogy? (Ruth 4:22)
Find it in Ruth 4:22 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Matthew 1:5 — Matthew's KJV genealogy names Ruth in the ancestry leading to Jesus Christ.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
Compare the women speaking to Naomi here with her words in chapter 1. How does the book connect ordinary acts of loyal care with its closing genealogy?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. What additional responsibility changes the nearer kinsman’s response?
2. What reason does the nearer kinsman give for declining?
3. How does the removed shoe function in the account?
4. What purpose does Boaz state for taking Ruth as wife?
5. How does Obed’s birth connect the household story with the book’s closing genealogy?
Notes
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