Ruth 4:3

"Boaz took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here,” and they sat down."

Key Reflection

In Ruth 4:3, Boaz gathers a respected group of community leaders to witness his transaction with the near kinsman regarding the land previously owned by Naomi’s late husband, Elimelech. This act underscores the formal and public nature of the legal process in ancient Israel, where important business or legal matters were often conducted in the presence of recognized elders to ensure transparency and legitimacy.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

According to the lawLeviticus 25:25-28, if any Israelite, through poverty, would sell his possession, the next of kin (theגאלgā'al) had a right to redeem it by paying the value of the number of years remaining until the jubilee (see the marginal reference). This right Boaz advertises theגאלgā'alof, so as to give him the option which the law secured to him of redeeming “our brother Elimelech’s” land, i. e. our kinsman’s, according to the common use of the term brother, for near relation (seeGenesis 13:8;Genesis 24:27;Leviticus 25:25;Numbers 27:4;Judges 9:1).

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