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[a]Boaz continued, “When you acquire the field from Naomi, you also acquire responsibility for Ruth the Moabite,(A) the widow of the late heir, to raise up a family for the deceased on his estate.” The redeemer replied, “I cannot exercise my right of redemption for that would endanger my own estate. You do it in my place, for I cannot.”

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Footnotes

  1. 4:5–6 Although redemption and levirate practices are not otherwise linked in the Bible, they belong in the same area of need. Boaz claims that buying Elimelech’s field obligates the other redeemer to produce an heir for Mahlon, who would then inherit the land. That would jeopardize this redeemer’s overall holdings, since he would lose the land he had paid for. He can afford the first step but not the second, and cedes his responsibility to Boaz, who is willing to do both.

Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite,(A) the[a] dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”(B)

At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem(C) it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”(D)

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Footnotes

  1. Ruth 4:5 Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew (see also Septuagint) Naomi and from Ruth the Moabite, you acquire the

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, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.

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.

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