Introduction
I have seen advertisements for the game show Deal or No Deal Island. I have never watched it and likely never will, but I did watch several episodes of its predecessor, Deal or No Deal, hosted by Howie Mandel. Contestants would select briefcases hoping to avoid the high-dollar amounts so the banker would offer them a compelling deal. Sometimes risk paid off. Other times the next briefcase ruined everything.
The final scene of Ruth’s story involves another kind of deal. Boaz wants to act as the family redeemer and marry Ruth, but another relative stands between him and that possibility. So Boaz goes to Bethlehem’s gate—the town’s courtroom—to settle the matter.
Will Boaz succeed in redeeming the land and marrying Ruth? Will Naomi experience restoration after the bitterness she expressed in chapter one? And why is the story of this seemingly ordinary family preserved in Scripture?
Ruth 4 answers these questions. But the story does more than explain a legal transaction. It reveals how God quietly works through faithful people to accomplish His redemptive purposes—purposes that ultimately lead to King David and, generations later, to Jesus Christ.
A Quick Look: Ruth 4
Ruth 4 brings the story to its joyful conclusion. Boaz meets a closer relative at Bethlehem’s gate to settle the matter of redeeming Naomi’s land. When the other man refuses the responsibility of marrying Ruth, Boaz gladly steps forward as the family redeemer.
Boaz marries Ruth, and the Lord blesses them with a son named Obed. This child restores Naomi’s joy and becomes the grandfather of King David. What began with famine, death, and bitterness ends with redemption, restoration, and a family line that will eventually lead to Jesus Christ.
Read the passage: Ruth 4
Back to top ↑A Simple Explanation (Ruth 4)
4:1–2 — Boaz brings the matter to the gate.
Boaz goes to the town gate early in the morning. In ancient Israel, the city gate functioned as the community courtroom where legal matters were settled before witnesses. When the closer family redeemer passes by, Boaz invites him to sit and discuss Naomi’s situation. Ten elders are gathered to witness the proceedings.
4:3–4 — The opportunity to redeem the land.
Boaz explains that Naomi is relinquishing the rights to Elimelech’s land. According to Israel’s customs, the nearest relative has the first opportunity to redeem it so the property remains in the family. At first, the man agrees, seeing what appears to be a good opportunity.
4:5–6 — The full responsibility is revealed.
Boaz then explains that redeeming the land also involves marrying Ruth, Mahlon’s widow, so that a child can carry on the deceased man’s name. When the man realizes this responsibility could threaten his own inheritance, he declines. The right of redemption passes to Boaz.
4:7–10 — The deal is sealed.
The man removes his sandal and gives it to Boaz as a public sign that the right of redemption has been transferred. Boaz declares before the witnesses that he will redeem the land and marry Ruth so that Mahlon’s family line will continue.
4:11–12 — The community blesses the marriage.
The people of Bethlehem pray that Ruth will be like Rachel and Leah, the mothers of Israel, and that Boaz’s family will prosper like the house of Perez. Their blessing recognizes God’s hand in this moment.
4:13–17 — A son restores Naomi’s joy.
Boaz marries Ruth, and the Lord enables her to conceive. She gives birth to a son named Obed. The women of Bethlehem celebrate Naomi’s restoration, recognizing that Ruth has been better to her than seven sons.
4:18–22 — The genealogy of David.
The book concludes with a genealogy connecting Boaz and Ruth to King David. What began as the story of a struggling family turns out to be part of God’s larger plan for Israel’s future.
A Deep Dive: Redemption, Legacy, and God’s Hidden Hand
The town gate as courtroom
City gates served as the legal center of ancient towns. Business transactions, disputes, and public decisions were handled there in front of community witnesses. By bringing the matter to the gate, Boaz ensures everything is done openly and honorably.
His actions show integrity. Boaz does not try to bypass the closer relative even though he clearly desires to marry Ruth. Instead, he respects the legal order and trusts God with the outcome.
The contrast between two redeemers
The unnamed relative initially agrees to redeem the land. From a financial perspective, it looks like a good opportunity. However, when he learns that the arrangement includes marrying Ruth and producing an heir for Mahlon, the deal becomes costly.
The man refuses because he fears it will endanger his own inheritance.
This moment highlights a powerful contrast between the two men. The unnamed redeemer is willing to help only when it benefits him. Boaz, on the other hand, is willing to accept personal sacrifice to care for Ruth and Naomi.
True redemption always involves cost.
The symbolism of the sandal
The removal of the sandal served as a public sign transferring legal rights. While the exact origins of this custom are debated, it likely symbolized the right to walk upon and possess the land.
Once the sandal is given to Boaz, the transaction becomes official and irreversible.
The blessing at the gate
The people bless Ruth by comparing her to Rachel and Leah, the matriarchs of Israel. Their prayer that Boaz’s household would flourish like the house of Perez recalls the story of Tamar and Judah in Genesis 38.
Although Tamar’s story involved complicated circumstances, God used it to preserve the family line of Judah. Now the people pray that God will similarly bless Boaz and Ruth.
The birth of Obed
The narrator emphasizes that the Lord enabled Ruth to conceive. After years of barrenness during her marriage to Mahlon, God opens her womb.
This detail reminds readers that the story’s outcome is not simply the result of human decisions. God Himself is directing events.
Naomi’s restoration
The women of Bethlehem celebrate Naomi’s transformation. Earlier she believed her life had become empty. Now she holds a grandson in her arms.
The community recognizes that Ruth’s devotion has been more valuable to Naomi than seven sons—the ideal family size in ancient Israel.
The genealogy and God’s bigger story
The genealogy at the end of the book connects the story to King David. For the original readers, this revealed that God had been quietly shaping Israel’s royal lineage through the faithfulness of ordinary people.
Later Scripture shows that this family line continues through David until it ultimately leads to Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5).
What looked like a small family story was actually part of God’s plan to bring the Redeemer into the world.
Back to top ↑Bottom Line (Ruth 4)
From a legal transaction at Bethlehem’s gate, God unfolds a story that ultimately leads to the Redeemer of the world.
Boaz willingly paid the cost to redeem Ruth and Naomi’s family. In a far greater way, Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price to redeem humanity from sin.
The story of Ruth reminds us that God often accomplishes His greatest plans through the faithfulness of ordinary people who choose obedience, sacrifice, and covenant love.
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