Ruth 4:10

My Notes

What Does Ruth 4:10 Mean?

"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: ye are witnesses this day." Boaz's PUBLIC DECLARATION at the gate: he names Ruth fully — 'Ruth the MOABITESS, the wife of MAHLON' — omitting nothing about her identity. Her foreignness. Her widowhood. Her first husband's name. Boaz doesn't minimize what she is to make the arrangement more respectable. He names everything and claims her anyway.

The phrase "have I purchased to be my wife" (qanithi li le'ishah — I have acquired for myself as a wife) uses QANAH — to purchase, acquire, redeem. The same word used for purchasing property (verse 9 — the field of Elimelech). Boaz BUYS the field AND marries Ruth — the land-redemption and the bride-redemption are ONE transaction. The kinsman-redeemer redeems BOTH the property and the person. The land and the woman are both restored through the same act of redemption.

The PURPOSE — "to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance" — reveals Boaz's SELFLESSNESS: the first son of this marriage will legally be counted as MAHLON'S heir, not Boaz's. Boaz is raising up another man's name, preserving another man's inheritance, ensuring another man's legacy. The redeemer gives up his OWN claim so the dead man's name survives. The living sacrifice for the dead man's continuity.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What has your Redeemer named fully about your past — and claimed anyway?
• 2.What does Boaz raising up MAHLON'S name (not his own) teach about the selflessness of true redemption?
• 3.How does the redemption covering both LAND and PERSON describe the comprehensiveness of being fully restored?
• 4.What does 'ye are witnesses' — public, declared, on-the-record redemption — mean for your own story?

Devotional

Boaz stands at the gate and names her completely: 'Ruth the MOABITESS, the wife of MAHLON.' He doesn't edit her story. Doesn't minimize her foreignness or erase her previous marriage. He names everything — Moabite origin, dead husband, widow status — and then says: 'I have purchased her to be my wife.' The full disclosure isn't an obstacle. It's the context for the commitment.

The 'purchased to be my wife' links REDEMPTION and MARRIAGE: the same act that redeems the field redeems the widow. The land and the person are restored through one transaction. This is the kinsman-redeemer's role — not just recovering property but restoring PEOPLE. The redemption is comprehensive. The purchase covers the inheritance AND the inheritor.

The PURPOSE is breathtaking: 'to raise up the name of the DEAD upon his inheritance.' The first son will carry MAHLON'S name, not Boaz's. Boaz marries Ruth not for his own legacy but for a DEAD MAN'S legacy. The redeemer sacrifices his own claim to continuity so that the deceased husband's name survives. The living gives up naming-rights so the dead man's name isn't 'cut off.'

This is the most CHRIST-LIKE act in the Old Testament: the kinsman-redeemer purchases the bride, pays the full price, and gives up his own claim — all to raise up what was dead. The pattern is the gospel before the gospel. The redemption that costs the redeemer everything and restores the redeemed completely. Boaz stands at the gate — the place of public witness — and declares: 'Ye are WITNESSES.' The redemption is public, costly, complete, and witnessed.

What has your Redeemer named fully — foreignness, widowhood, past — and claimed anyway?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture