Rut gives us a concrete example of the Lord’s personal and particular love for his bride. It is a small story within the larger story of redemption found throughout the whole Bible. It helps us to keep sight of the personal, intimate, familial nature of redemption – of God’s love for his beloved. And Rut 4 brings this story of redemption to a close. The first half of the chapter (4:1–12) shows Bo’az seeking to resolve the matter of a closer relative who may choose to marry Rut. These verses do not feature Rut herself, but they show the legal process by which Bo’az redeems her. This may disappoint anyone hoping for a romantic wedding scene. But understanding the legal transaction Bo’az and this other relative discuss will help us see how wonderful Bo’az’s redemption of Rut is – just as understanding the theological depth of Yeshua’s redemption should increase our appreciation of it. For redeeming Rut is not straightforward: there is a price to pay. The question is: which man will pay it?
The morning after the night before, Bo’az goes up to the city gate and sits down (4:1). Legal transactions, judicial proceedings, and official business were all conducted at the city gate (Genesis 23:18; 34:20, 24; 2 Samuel 15:2–6; Proverbs 22:22; Amos 5:12, 15). It was a spacious place for people to assemble in, like a modern-day courthouse. Further, it was also the best place to find someone. Everyone in the city regularly passes through this gate. So Bo’az sits here, waiting for the other potential redeemer to come through.
Rut’s Appeal to Bo’az
3 1 Na‘omi, her mother-in-law, said to her, “My daughter, I should be seeking security for you; so that things will go well with you. 2 Now there’s Bo’az, our relative – you were with his girls. He’s going to be winnowing barley tonight at the threshing-floor. 3 So bathe, anoint yourself, put on your good clothes, and go down to the threshing-floor; but don’t reveal your presence to the man until he’s finished eating and drinking.
In view of Bo’az’s relationship to the family and his kindness and generosity thus far to Rut, perhaps he could be persuaded to take the further step of marriage. At the end of the barley harvest, in late May or June, the barley had to be winnowed, tossed into the air with a fork, allowing the wind to carry away the lighter chaff while the heavier grain fell to the ground. At night, someone guarded the grain against theft or animals. Apparently, this was Bo’az’s night to be on duty. Dressing as Naomi instructed would not only enhance Rut’s attractiveness to Bo’az but also symbolize the end of her mourning for her husband (2 Samuel 12:20), signaling her willingness to remarry.
4 Then, when he lies down, take note of where he’s lying; later, go in, uncover his feet, and lie down. He will tell you what to do.” 5 She responded, “I will do everything you tell me.” 6 She went down to the threshing-floor and did everything as her mother-in-law had instructed her. 7 After Bo’az was through eating and drinking and was feeling good, he went to lie down at the end of the pile of grain. She stole in, uncovered his feet and lay down.
Naomi instructed Rut to go to Bo’az when he was asleep and uncover his feet, or, more precisely, “uncover the place of his feet.” By this act, Rut was asking Bo’az to fulfill the role of family redeemer, to take her as a wife and provide for her. (see note at 4:5–8 in the next post).
8 In the middle of the night the man was startled and turned over, and—there was a woman lying at his feet! 9 He asked, “Who are you?” and she answered, “I’m your handmaid Rut. Spread your robe over your handmaid, because you are a redeeming kinsman.”
Although her mother-in-law had expected Bo’az to take the initiative in the conversation, Rut responded to Bo’az’s question about her identity by clarifying her purpose. She asked him to spread the corner of his robe over her as a symbolic statement of a marriage commitment (Ezekiel 16:8). The request also involved wordplay, since spread your cloak over me literally means “spread your wing over me,” inviting Bo’az to become the answer to his own prayer in 2:12 that she might find refuge under the wings of the Lord.
10 He said, “May Adonai bless you, my daughter. Your latest kindness is even greater than your first, in that you didn’t go after the young men, neither the rich ones nor the poor. 11 And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you everything you say, for all the city leaders among my people know that you are a woman of good character.
Bo’az’s first words, “My daughter,” showed he had not been misled by the situation’s potential ambiguity. He declared himself willing to pay the social and financial costs of welcoming this despised outsider into his family. Bo’az rightly saw Rut’s proposal as another act of covenant faithfulness (Hb chesed) on Rut’s part. Just as she had left her own household and family to be with Naomi, so now she was subordinating her own interests to Naomi’s. In the Hebrew ordering of the Tanak, the book of Rut comes immediately after Proverbs, which closes with a description of a woman of good character (Proverbs 31:10).
12 Now, it is true that I am a redeeming kinsman; but there is a redeemer who is a closer relative than I am. 13 Stay tonight. If, in the morning, he will redeem you, fine!—let him redeem you. But if he doesn’t want to redeem you, then, as Adonai lives, I will redeem you. Now, lie down until morning.”
Even though Bo’az was a near relative of Naomi, someone else had a prior claim to act as redeemer. Yet Bo’az reassured Rut that one way or another, she (and Naomi) would be redeemed.
14 She lay at his feet until morning; then, before [it was light enough that] people could recognize each other, she got up; because he said, “No one should know that the woman came to the threshing-floor.” 15 He also said, “Bring the shawl you are wearing, and take hold of it.” She held it while he put six measures of barley into it; then he went into the city.
If it became widely known that Rut had visited Bo’az that night, people would wrongly assume that Bo’az had taken Rut as wife or that they were guilty of sexual impropriety. Bo’az was unwilling to preempt his close relative, who had first right of refusal to Rut, so getting Rut home before daylight kept wrong impressions from forming. To seal his commitment (and perhaps also to provide Rut with an excuse for being out so early), Bo’az gave her six measures of barley. If the unspecified measures are seeds, then that would be around 80 pounds, an enormous load. Yet the lack of a measure may be intended to focus attention on the number six, which often represents incompleteness in the Tanak. Even this generous gift is incomplete. Rut still awaited the final installment of “seed” that would accomplish her rest.
16 When she came to her mother-in-law, she asked, “Who are you? My daughter?” She told her everything the man had done for her. 17 Then she added, “He gave me these six measures of barley, because he said to me, ‘You shouldn’t return to your mother-in-law with nothing.” 18 Na‘omi said, “My daughter, just stay where you are, until you learn how the matter comes out; for the man won’t rest unless he resolves the matter today.” [1]
On Rut’s return, Naomi asked her literally, “Who are you? My daughter?” This is the same question Bo’az asked in 3:8. Was Rut merely an awkward, embarrassing duty to Naomi, or would she give Naomi an enduring place in Israel’s genealogies by providing a son? The answer depended on what transpired overnight. This was the real nature of Naomi’s question, as evidenced by Rut’s answer.
In your workplace, you may feel overlooked or undervalued. Rut’s bold approach in seeking Bo’az shows that sometimes you must take the first step. Identify a colleague who might benefit from your support, maybe a person who’s struggling with workload or feeling isolated. Approach them and offer your help, and you’ll not only foster a supportive environment but may also inspire others to uplift someone in need.
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[1] Rut 3:1-18.
