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INDEX
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COLLECTIONS
Commentaries,
Word Studies, Devotionals, Sermons, Illustrations
Old and New Testament. |
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Ruth 4:11
All the
people
who were in the
court, and the
elders,
said, "We are
witnesses. May
the
LORD
make the
woman who is
coming into
your
home like
Rachel and
Leah,
both of
whom
built the
house of
Israel; and may
you
achieve
wealth in
Ephrathah and
become
famous
* in
Bethlehem. (NASB:
Lockman) |
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Amplified: And all the people at the gate and the elders said,
We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your
house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the household of Israel.
May you do worthily and get wealth (power) in Ephratah and be famous
in Bethlehem. (Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
CEV: The town leaders
and the others standing there said: We are witnesses to this. And we
pray that the LORD will give your wife many children, just as he did
Leah and Rachel, the wives of Jacob. May you be a rich man in the
tribe of Ephrath and an important man in Bethlehem. (CEV)
GWT: All the people who were at the
gate, including the leaders, said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD
make this wife, who is coming into your home, like Rachel and Leah,
both of whom built our family of Israel. So show your strength of
character in Ephrathah and make a name for yourself in Bethlehem. (GWT)
KJV: 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:
NJB: All the people at the gate said, 'We are witnesses'; and the
elders said, 'May Yahweh make the woman about to enter your family
like Rachel and Leah who together built up the House of Israel. Grow
mighty in Ephrathah, be renowned in Bethlehem! (NJB)
Young's Literal: 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;
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Septuagint (LXX):
kai
eiposan (3PAAI)
pas
o
laos
oi
en
te
pule
martures
kai
oi
presbuteroi
eiposan
(3PAAI)
doe
(3SAAO)
kurios
ten
gunaika
sou
ten
eisporeuomenen
(PMPFSA)
eis
ton
oikon
sou
os
Rachel
kai
os Leian
ai
okodomesan
(3PAAI)
amphoterai
ton
oikon
Israel
kai
epoiesan
(3PAAI)
dunamin
en Ephratha
kai
estai
onoma
en Baithleem
Click here for explanation of verb
parsing
abbreviations in parentheses after each verb
English of
Septuagint: And all the people
who were in the gate said, We are witnesses: and the elders
said, The Lord make thy wife who goes into thy house, as Rachel
and as Lia, who both together built the house of Israel, and
wrought mightily in Ephratha, and there shall be a name to thee
in Bethleem |
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AND ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WERE IN
THE COURT AND THE ELDERS SAID WE ARE WITNESSES:
Witnesses (05707)
('ed) refers to someone who will be accepted to bear a true
testimony in various situations for various reasons.
Elders (02205) (zaqen
related to zaqan = beard) has the basic meaning of old or aged.
In this context zaqen describes those men in the city who were powerful
and influential. In general, the elders functioned in both a political
and judicial role. They would hear disputes, weigh the evidence and
render a decision. As alluded to earlier, in the case of Boaz, they were
functioning primarily as witnesses rather than as jurors.
Centuries later "Ten" became the number necessary for a
Jewish marriage
benediction or a quorum for a synagogue meeting.
Spurgeon writes that...
"Ruth was highly privileged in having such a kinsman as
Boaz, who was not content, for her to glean in his fields, but who took
her as his wife; and your great Kinsman intends that you should be
betrothed unto him forever, and He will bring you to His heavenly home
at the marriage supper of the Lamb." (from his sermon
"Job's Sure Knowledge")
MAY THE LORD MAKE THE WOMAN
WHO IS COMING INTO YOUR HOME
LIKE
RACHEL
AND LEAH
BOTH OF WHOM BUILT THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL: (Ge 24:60;
Ps 127:3-5;
128:3-6)
(Ge 29:32-35;
30:1-24;
35:16-20;
46:8-27;
Nu 26:1-65)
(Dt 25:9;
Pr 14:1)
"May the LORD make..." is
a prayer for blessing.
In recalling these famous Jewish
mothers, the people's remembrance went back almost 900 years to about
1915 b.c.
Rachel
and
Leah
were the wives
of Jacob.
Rachel
is named first and had been barren for many years
before she bore children. Similarly Ruth had been barren in Moab. The
witnesses expressed their prayer that Boaz would be rewarded with
a family comparable to that of Jacob (or Israel), for in Israel children were considered a
blessing and not a burden...
Psalm 127:3 Behold, children
are a gift of the LORD; The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's
youth.
5 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They shall not be
ashamed, When they speak with their enemies in the gate. (Ps 127:3–5).
Psalm 128:3 Your wife shall be
like a fruitful vine, Within your house, Your children like olive plants
Around your table.
4 Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the LORD.
5 The LORD bless you from Zion, And may you see the prosperity of
Jerusalem all the days of your life.
6 Indeed, may you see your children's children. Peace be upon Israel! (Ps
128:3-6) Why does it say
Rachel
and
Leah
built the house of Israel?
Because they were Jacob's 2 wives and between them and
their two handmaids they bore all of Jacob's sons.
Little did they realize that from this union would issue Israel’s
greatest kings including David and the Eternal King, the Lord Jesus
Christ.
AND MAY YOU ACHIEVE WEALTH
IN EPHRATHAH
AND BECOME FAMOUS IN BETHLEHEM: (see note
Ruth 1:2;
Ge 35:16,19;
Ps 132:6;
Mic 5:2;
Mt 2:6)
A prayer and a prophecy ultimately
fulfilled in the Messiah (see
Messianic Prophecies)...
"But as for you, Bethlehem
Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One
(Messiah) will go forth for Me to be Ruler in Israel. His goings forth
are from long ago, from the days of eternity (literally = "the days of
old" a phrase used also in Isa. 63:9, 11; Amos 9:11; Mal. 3:4). (Messiah
was to be brought forth as a baby in Bethlehem, but was also to have
been "going forth" from eternity. Such an amazing prophecy sounds
impossible, but was literally fulfilled when God became man, in divine
incarnation in the person of Jesus Christ." (Mic 5:2)
'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF
JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU
SHALL COME FORTH A RULER (the Messiah), WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE
ISRAEL.'" (Mt 2:6) The use of the word Ephrathah is
not without significance for the word means “fruitful.” The people wanted
Ruth to be fruitful and famous and bring honor to their little town. It
was the place where Rachel was buried (Ge35:19), but more importantly,
it would be known as the place where Jesus Christ was born. Ephrathah
(also spelled Ephrath and Ephrathah) was another name for Bethlehem.
"Become
famous" is literally "call
a name" (qera' shem)
expressing a wish for children who would be reckoned descendants of
Boaz. |
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Ruth
4:12 "Moreover, may your
house be like the
house of
Perez
whom
Tamar
bore to
Judah,
through the
offspring
which the
LORD will
give you by
this
young
woman." (NASB:
Lockman) |
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BBE: May your family be like the family of Perez, the son whom
Tamar gave to Judah, from the offspring which the Lord may give you by
this young woman.
CEV: May the children you have by this young woman make your
family as famous as the family of Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah.
(CEV)
GWT: Also, from the descendant whom the LORD will give you from this
young woman, may your family become like the family of Perez, the son
whom Tamar gave birth to for Judah." (GWT)
KJV: 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.
NJB: And
through the children Yahweh will give you by this young woman, may
your family be like the family of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.' (NJB)
Young's Literal: 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.'
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Septuagint (LXX):
kai
genoito
(3SAMO)
o
oikos
sou
os
o
oikos
Phares
on
eteken
(3PAAI)
Tamar
to
Iouda
ek
tou
spermatos
ou
dosei
(3SFAI)
kurios
soi
ek
tes
paidiskes
tautes
English of
Septuagint: And let thy
house be as the house of Phares, whom Thamar bore to Juda, of
the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this handmaid |
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MOREOVER, MAY YOUR HOUSE BE LIKE THE HOUSE OF PEREZ
WHOM TAMAR BORE TO JUDAH: (Ge 46:12;
Nu
26:20-22) (Ge 38:29;
1 Chr 2:4;
Mt 1:3) Little did they realize that from this union would issue Israel’s
greatest kings including David and the Eternal King, the
Messiah, the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Why
Perez? Probably because he was the offspring of Levirate marriage
similar to that of Ruth and Boaz.
Tamar was a non-Israelite who became a widow and faced barrenness
took into her own hands so to speak the law of goel after the death of
two husbands. She was denied levirate marriage to Judah's remaining
son Shelah (Gen 38:14).
Tamar then invoked deception, disguising herself as a harlot and
enticing Judah into a sinful liaison which resulted in the birth of
twin boys . Perez, the first born of the twins became the main
ancestor of the Ephrathites and Bethlehemites. Tamar and Judah sinned when
they acquired a child, but Ruth and Boaz acted righteously and God
rewarded them.
THROUGH THE OFFSPRING WHICH THE LORD SHALL GIVE YOU
BY THIS YOUNG WOMAN: (1 Sa 2:20)
"Offspring (02233)
(zera = seed) ...Jehovah shall give" is testimony to the
their understanding that...
"children are a "gift of Jehovah.
The fruit of the womb is a reward." (Ps 127:3) (Comment: A
truth we have sadly forgotten in America)
Note that the offspring or
firstborn would be considered the son of Mahlon and any additional
sons born would legally be the offspring of Boaz. Moses explains
that...
"And it shall be that the
first-born whom she bears shall assume the name of his dead brother,
that his name may not be blotted out from Israel." (Deut 25:6)
Young woman (05291)
(na'arah) a girl, a young woman or a maidservant. It was used
to indicate a young girl who was marriageable as in Genesis, where
Moses records Isaac's servant prayer for a wife for Isaac...
"Now may it be that the girl
(na'arah) to whom I say, 'Please let down your jar so that I
may drink,' and who answers, 'Drink, and I will water your camels
also';-- may she be the one whom Thou hast appointed for Thy servant
Isaac; and by this I shall know that Thou hast shown lovingkindness to
my master." (Genesis 24:14) |
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Ruth
4:13 So
Boaz
took
Ruth, and she
became his
wife, and he
went in to her. And the
LORD
enabled her to
conceive, and she
gave
birth to a
son. (NASB:
Lockman) |
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BBE: So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and he went in to
her, and the Lord made her with child and she gave birth to a son.
CEV: Boaz married Ruth, and the LORD blessed her with a son.
(CEV)
GWT: Then Boaz took Ruth home, and she became his wife. He slept with
her, and the LORD gave her the ability to become pregnant. So she gave
birth to a son. (GWT)
KJV: 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.
NJB: So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. And when they
came together, Yahweh made her conceive and she bore a son. (NJB)
Young's Literal: 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.
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Septuagint (LXX):
kai
elaben (3SAAI) Boos
ten Routh
kai
egenete (3SAPI)
auto
eis
gunaika
kai
eiselthen (3SAAI)
pros
auten
kai
edoken (3SAAI)
aute
kurios kuesin
kai
eteken (3SAAI)
huion
English of
Septuagint: And Booz
took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her; and
the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son |
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SO BOAZ TOOK RUTH AND SHE BECAME HIS WIFE:
The events of at least nine
months are described in one sentence of fifteen Hebrew words,
including five verbs. We are given no details concerning the kind of
marriage ceremony that united Boaz and Ruth. Neither are we told how
much time elapsed between their marriage and the birth of their first
son.
Ruth went from...
loneliness to love,
toil to rest
poverty to wealth
worry to assurance
despair to hope
And so did you and I the moment the Spirit swept us into the
Kingdom of heaven by grace through faith in the satisfactory
substitutionary sacrifice of our precious Goel, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ponder Paul's reminder to the
Ephesian Gentiles
"Therefore remember, that formerly
you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision"
by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by
human hands-- remember that you were at that time separate
from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and
strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and
without God in the world.
But now
in Christ Jesus you
who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood
of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one,
and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His
flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in
ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man,
thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to
God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. AND HE
CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE
WHO WERE NEAR; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit
to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you
are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household,"
(Eph
2:11-19)
AND HE WENT IN TO HER
AND THE LORD ENABLED HER TO CONCEIVE AND SHE GAVE BIRTH TO A SON: (Ruth
4:12;
Ge 20:17,18;
21:1-3;
25:21;
29:31;
30:2,22,23;
33:5;
1 Sa1:27;
2:5;
Ps113:9;
127:3)
"Went
(0935)
(bow) in to her" is an Old
Testament euphemism for sexual intercourse
"The
LORD enabled (05414)
(nathan = to give) her".
Moses gives a similar testimony
to the faithfulness of God writing...
Now the LORD saw that Leah was
unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. (Genesis
29:31)
Then God remembered Rachel, and God
gave heed to her and opened her womb. (Genesis 30:22)
The gift of children was never taken for granted in Israel. The fact
that Boaz and Ruth were able to raise up a son to the deceased Elimelech was evidence of God’s blessing. Ruth had been barren in Moab
for the entire period of her marriage to Mahlon (see note
Ruth 1:4;
1:5). Now her
faithful obedience was rewarded as God gave her conception. The sojourn
in Moab lasted at least 10 years (Ruth
1:4). By contrast, within a few
short weeks of their return to Bethlehem, Naomi and Ruth had
experienced blessing that was rich and full.
God had been gracious to Ruth back in Moab by giving her the faith to
trust Him and be saved. His grace continued when she moved to
Bethlehem, for He guided her to the field of Boaz where Boaz fell in
love with her. God’s grace continued at the town gate where the nearer
kinsman rejected Ruth and Boaz purchased her. After the marriage, God
poured out His grace on Ruth and Boaz by giving her conception and then by giving her the safe delivery of a
son, whom they named Obed ( means “servant”).
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Ruth
4:14 Then the
women
said to
Naomi,
"Blessed is the
LORD
who has not
left you
without a
redeemer
today, and may his
name
become
famous in
Israel. (NASB:
Lockman) |
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BBE: And the women said to Naomi, A blessing on the Lord, who has
not let you be this day without a near relation, and may his name be
great in Israel.
CEV: After his birth, the women said to Naomi: Praise the LORD!
Today he has given you a grandson to take care of you. We pray that
the boy will grow up to be famous everywhere in Israel. (CEV)
GWT: The women said to Naomi, "Praise the LORD, who has remembered today
to give you someone who will take care of you. The child's name will
be famous in Israel. (GWT)
KJV: 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.
NJB: And the women said to Naomi, 'Blessed be Yahweh who has not left
you today without anyone to redeem you. May his name be praised in
Israel! (NJB)
Young's Literal: 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,
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