What does Ruth 4:6 reveal about the responsibilities of a kinsman-redeemer? Text of the Passage “The kinsman-redeemer replied, ‘I cannot redeem it myself, or I will jeopardize my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption, because I cannot redeem it.’” – Ruth 4:6 Immediate Narrative Setting Boaz has summoned the nearer relative at Bethlehem’s gate. Naomi’s land is on offer (4:3-4). At first the unnamed relative agrees, but Boaz adds the levirate-marriage clause: with the land comes the duty to marry Ruth the Moabitess “to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance” (4:5). Verse 6 records the man’s refusal, transferring the right to Boaz. Torah Foundations of the Kinsman-Redeemer (Hebrew goʾel) 1. Property Redemption – Leviticus 25:25-28: the goʾel buys back land sold because of poverty so it remains within the clan. 2. Personal Redemption – Leviticus 25:47-49: he may purchase a relative out of slavery. 3. Blood Avenger – Numbers 35:19-27: he pursues justice for unlawful death. 4. Levirate Duty – Deuteronomy 25:5-10: if a married kinsman dies childless, the brother (or closest male relative when no brother is available, cf. Matthew 22:24) marries the widow to preserve the deceased’s name and inheritance. Responsibilities Highlighted by Ruth 4:6 1. Comprehensive Obligation – The goʾel must accept both land and widow; he cannot selectively redeem. 2. Financial Sacrifice – Land is purchased with his own silver (Jeremiah 32:7-9 shows the custom). Any firstborn son of the levirate union legally carries the dead man’s name (Ruth 4:10), meaning the redeemer’s outlay yields no permanent return to his estate. 3. Risk to Personal Inheritance – “Jeopardize my own inheritance” indicates potential fragmentation of the redeemer’s patrimony. Ancient Near-Eastern adoption tablets from Nuzi (cf. HSS 19:30) show heirs sometimes renounced portions when extra dependents were added—the same economic concern. 4. Public Accountability – Refusal required shoe-removal ceremony (Ruth 4:7; cf. Deuteronomy 25:9-10). Honor or shame before elders enforced social duty. Why the First Redeemer Declined Archaeology confirms land tenure in Iron-Age Judah was small and fragile. A cuneiform deed from Mesad Hashavyahu (7th c. BC) records a farmer losing holdings through debt, paralleling Naomi’s plight. To marry Ruth meant: • Pay Naomi’s debt or purchase price. • Provide for Ruth and any children. • See the restored parcel revert to Mahlon’s heir at Jubilee (Leviticus 25:28). Thus his own sons’ portion would shrink. The text exposes the costliness of covenant loyalty (ḥesed) and the temptation to self-protect. Contrast: Boaz’s Willing Assumption of All Duties Boaz accepts legal, financial, and relational liabilities (4:9-10). He embodies the Torah ideal: “Do not seek your own benefit only, but the benefit of your brother” (paraphrasing Leviticus 19:18; Philippians 2:4). Theological Trajectory Toward the Ultimate Redeemer Isaiah calls Yahweh “your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 41:14). Boaz’s self-sacrificial act anticipates Jesus Christ who “gave Himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:6). Where the unnamed goʾel safeguarded his inheritance, Christ “though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9). The genealogy in Ruth 4:18-22 culminates in David and ultimately Messiah (Matthew 1:5-16), affirming providential orchestration. Archaeological and Extra-Biblical Parallels • Nuzi Tablets (14th c. BC): contracts merge land transfer with marriage to a widow, preserving the deceased’s lineage—precisely Ruth’s scenario. • Hammurabi Code § 154: a man marrying a dowry-less bride must provide support even if she becomes childless, underscoring legal protection for vulnerable women. • Ketef Hinnom silver scrolls (7th c. BC) quoting the priestly blessing corroborate the textual antiquity of laws Boaz obeyed. These finds validate the historic plausibility of the goʾel institution recorded in Scripture. Moral and Pastoral Applications 1. Redeemer’s Call – Believers are urged to bear one another’s burdens sacrificially (Galatians 6:2). 2. Stewardship over Possession – Earthly assets serve covenant loyalty, not merely self-preservation. 3. Care for Widows and Foreigners – Ruth is both; James 1:27 exhorts pure religion to protect the same. Summary Ruth 4:6 reveals that a kinsman-redeemer’s responsibilities are indivisible (land plus lineage), costly, and enforceable within the covenant community. The refusal of the nearer relative contrasts with Boaz’s obedience, pointing forward to the ultimate Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who bears infinite cost to secure an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade (1 Peter 1:3-4). |
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