# Ruth 4.15 **Book:** [Ruth](/codex/ruth/) · NASB95 ## Immediate context (±2 verses) **ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/)) > 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. 14. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be Jehovah, who hath not left thee this day without a near kinsman; and let his name be famous in Israel. > > **15. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of life, and a nourisher of thine old age, for thy daughter-in-law, who loveth thee, who is better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him.** > > 16. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. 17. And the women her neighbors gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Ruth 4:13-17, ASV) **WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/)) > 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. 14. The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be Yahweh, who has not left you today without a near kinsman. Let his name be famous in Israel. > > **15. He shall be to you a restorer of life, and sustain you in your old age, for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”** > > 16. Naomi took the child, and laid him in her bosom, and became nurse to it. 17. The women, her neighbors, gave him a name, saying, “A son is born to Naomi”. They named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Ruth 4:13-17, WEB) **KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/)) > 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. 14. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. left: Heb. caused to cease unto thee kinsman: or, redeemer > > **15. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. a nourisher of: Heb. to nourish thine: Heb. thy gray hairs** > > 16. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. 17. And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Ruth 4:13-17, KJV) **YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/)) > 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. 14. And the women say unto Naomi, 'Blessed [is] Jehovah who hath not let a redeemer cease to thee to-day, and his name is proclaimed in Israel, > > **15. and he hath been to thee for a restorer of life, and for a nourisher of thine old age, for thy daughter-in-law who hath loved thee, who is better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him.'** > > 16. And Naomi taketh the lad, and layeth him in her bosom, and is to him for a nurse; 17. and the neighbouring women give to him a name, saying, 'There hath been a son born to Naomi,' and they call his name Obed; he [is] father of Jesse, father of David. (Ruth 4:13-17, YLT) ## Setting - **Speaker:** the women of Beth-lehem, speaking to Naomi (Ruth 4:14) - **Audience:** Naomi - **Location:** Beth-lehem - **Time period:** the period of the judges (Ruth 1:1), after the birth of Obed (4:13) ## Theological reading "And he shall be unto thee a restorer of life, and a nourisher of thine old age, for thy daughter-in-law, who loveth thee, who is better to thee than seven sons, hath borne him." The women who once asked "Is this Naomi?" (1:19) now bless her. "Restorer" is Strong's H7725, [*shuv*](/codex/h7725-shuv/), the "return" word of chapter 1. Naomi said, "Jehovah hath brought me home again empty" (1:21); now the child will "return" her life to her. "Life" is [*nephesh*](/codex/h5315-nephesh/) (Strong's H5315). The praise of Ruth reverses the sorrow of 1:5, where Naomi "was left of her two children and of her husband." One daughter-in-law "who loveth thee" is reckoned "better to thee than seven sons." In a culture that measured security by sons, the women count loyal love as the greater gift. ## 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._ - [H2896 - tov](/codex/h2896-tov/), *tov*, Strong's H2896 - [H5315 - nephesh](/codex/h5315-nephesh/), *nephesh*, Strong's H5315 - [H7725 - shuv](/codex/h7725-shuv/), *shuv*, Strong's H7725 - [H1121 - ben](/codex/h1121-ben/), *ben*, Strong's H1121 ## Quoted in **Arguments and defeaters:** - [Gentiles Cannot Be Saved Objection Defeater](/codex/gentiles-cannot-be-saved-objection-defeater/), via [Ruth 4.13-22](/codex/ruth-4-13-22/) ## 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.