What connections exist between Ruth 4:9 and the concept of kinsman-redeemer in Leviticus? Scene in Ruth 4:9 “Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, ‘You are witnesses this day that I have bought from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon.’ ” Meaning of “kinsman-redeemer” (Hebrew: go’el) • Closest male relative who steps in when family property, freedom, or posterity is in jeopardy • Carries legal authority to act on behalf of the clan • Motivated by covenant loyalty (ḥesed) to preserve the family’s name, land, and life Levitical provisions that define the role • Leviticus 25:25 – land redemption: “If your brother becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his brother has sold.” • Leviticus 25:47-49 – personal freedom: the go’el may buy a family member out of slavery. • Leviticus 25:32-34 – redemption preserves inheritance inside the clan, especially in walled towns. • The chapter links redemption to the LORD’s declaration, “For the Israelites are My servants… I am the LORD” (25:55) – signaling divine ownership of His people, with the go’el acting as His appointed agent. Direct connections between Ruth 4:9 and Leviticus 25 • Property purchase – Boaz “bought” (Heb. qānâ) Naomi’s land exactly as Leviticus 25:25 instructs. • Closest-relative priority – The nearer kinsman in Ruth 4 declines, echoing the Levitical order that the “nearest relative” has first right of refusal. • Public legal act – Leviticus places redemption within Israel’s legal framework; Boaz seals the transaction before “elders and all the people.” • Perpetuating inheritance – Boaz’s act keeps Elimelech’s land inside the clan, fulfilling the purpose stated in Leviticus 25:23-24 that land “must not be sold permanently, because it is Mine.” • Mercy toward the vulnerable – Naomi (impoverished widow) embodies the “poor brother” protected in Leviticus 25; the law’s heart finds living expression in Boaz’s kindness. Additional Levitical echoes • Freedom dimension – Though the book focuses on land, Ruth herself is a Moabite widow facing figurative “bondage” to poverty; Boaz’s redemption parallels Leviticus 25:47-49’s release from servitude. • Jubilee anticipation – The closing genealogy hints at ultimate rest and restoration, themes rooted in the Jubilee regulations of Leviticus 25:8-17. Outcomes highlighted in Ruth 4 • The family line is restored: “to perpetuate the name of the deceased” (4:10); Levitical redemption safeguards both land and lineage. • Community rejoices (4:11-12), showing that faithful law-keeping blesses the whole covenant family. • Davidic hope is birthed (4:17-22), demonstrating how obedience to Leviticus 25 situates Israel for God’s redemptive plan. Foreshadowing of the ultimate Redeemer • Isaiah 59:20 prophesies, “The Redeemer will come to Zion”; Boaz’s faithful act prefigures Christ, the greater Go’el who secures both inheritance (Ephesians 1:14) and freedom (Galatians 4:4-5) for His people. |
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