# Ruth 4.11 **Book:** [Ruth](/codex/ruth/) · NASB95 ## Immediate context (±2 verses) **ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/)) > 9. And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. 10. Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. > > **11. And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. Jehovah make the woman that is come into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Beth-lehem:** > > 12. and let thy house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give thee of this young woman. 13. So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife; and he went in unto her, and Jehovah gave her conception, and she bare a son. (Ruth 4:9-13, ASV) **WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/)) > 9. Boaz said to the elders, and to all the people, “You are witnesses today, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi. 10. Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, I have purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers, and from the gate of his place. You are witnesses today.” > > **11. All the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May Yahweh make the woman who has come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, which both built the house of Israel; and treat you worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Bethlehem.** > > 12. Let your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the offspring which Yahweh will give you by this young woman.” 13. So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife; and he went in to her, and Yahweh enabled her to conceive, and she bore a son. (Ruth 4:9-13, WEB) **KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/)) > 9. And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. 10. Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. > > **11. And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem: do thou: or, get thee riches, or, power be famous: Heb. proclaim thy name** > > 12. And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman. 13. So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. (Ruth 4:9-13, KJV) **YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/)) > 9. And Boaz saith to the elders, and [to] all the people, 'Witnesses [are] ye to-day that I have bought all that [is] to Elimelech, and all that [is] to Chilion and Mahlon, from the hand of Naomi; 10. and also Ruth the Moabitess, wife of Mahlon, I have bought to myself for a wife, to raise up the name of the dead over his inheritance; and the name of the dead is not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place; witnesses ye [are] to-day.' > > **11. And all the people who [are] in the gate say, also the elders, 'Witnesses! Jehovah make the woman who is coming in unto thy house as Rachel and as Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and do thou virtuously in Ephrathah, and proclaim the Name in Beth-Lehem;** > > 12. and let thy house be as the house of Pharez (whom Tamar bare to Judah), of the seed which Jehovah doth give to thee of this young woman.' 13. And Boaz taketh Ruth, and she becometh his wife, and he goeth in unto her, and Jehovah giveth to her conception, and she beareth a son. (Ruth 4:9-13, YLT) ## Setting - **Speaker:** "all the people that were in the gate, and the elders" (Ruth 4:11) - **Audience:** Boaz, who has just bought Elimelech's land and taken Ruth as wife before witnesses (4:9-10) - **Location:** the gate of Beth-lehem (Ruth 4:1) - **Time period:** "in the days when the judges judged" (Ruth 1:1); the closing genealogy reaches David (4:17-22) ## Theological reading The witnesses answer Boaz's legal declaration with a blessing: "We are witnesses. Jehovah make the woman that is come into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Beth-lehem." Ruth the Moabitess is set beside the mothers of Israel's tribes. "Build the house" is a play on the household Boaz is restoring, for the purpose of the marriage was "to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance" (4:10). The law of Deuteronomy 25:9 speaks of the man "that doth not build up his brother's house"; here the opposite happens, and the people pray that the house will flourish. "Worthily" is Strong's H2428, the word the KJV renders "virtuous" when Boaz calls Ruth "a virtuous woman" (3:11), and "wealth" when he is introduced as "a mighty man of wealth" (2:1). The blessing continues by naming Perez, "whom Tamar bare unto Judah" (4:12). Like Ruth, Tamar was a widow whose claim to continue a dead man's line was at stake, and Judah confessed, "She is more righteous than I" (Genesis 38:26). The prayer is answered in the genealogy that follows, from Perez to David (4:18-22), and Rachel, Bethlehem and Ephrathah are joined in Genesis 35:19, "Ephrath (the same is Beth-lehem)." ## Key words _Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word._ - [H8034 - shem](/codex/h8034-shem/), *shem*, Strong's H8034 - [H6213 - asah](/codex/h6213-asah/), *asah*, Strong's H6213 - [H3068 - YHWH](/codex/h3068-yhwh/), *YHWH*, Strong's H3068 ## Quoted in **Lexicon:** - [G0629 - apolytrosis](/codex/g0629-apolytrosis/), via [Ruth 4.1-12](/codex/ruth-4-1-12/) - [H1350 - goel](/codex/h1350-goel/), via [Ruth 4.1-12](/codex/ruth-4-1-12/) ## Notes _Your annotations._ ## Why these four translations ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance. The four: - **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition. - **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English. - **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base. - **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff. See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.