Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.
The verse illustrates the law of redemption by which, when an Israelite lost his inheritance or fell into bondage and could not redeem himself, the right of redemption belonged to his nearest able blood-relative. Boaz's transaction with the nearer kinsman shows this kinship-based right in practice. Boaz first offered the nearer kinsman Elimelech's land, which he agreed to redeem, but when told he must also take Ruth the Moabitess to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, he refused lest he mar his own inheritance and told Boaz to redeem it himself.
The verse records the nearer kinsman transferring, yielding and relinquishing his right to Boaz before the elders at the gate, authorizing Boaz to buy all that was Elimelech's, Chilion's and Mahlon's. That property is described as the family property, Naomi's inheritance and Ruth's possession, and with it Boaz was to take Ruth, so Boaz accepts the role of redeemer. The drawing off of the shoe was the customary manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and changing, a public sign done to confirm all things as a legal testimony, by which the refusal and transfer were marked and made binding.
The book of Ruth is a brief pastoral story set in the time of the judges, whose conclusion traces the ancestry of Jesus and includes Ruth, a Moabite woman. The near kinsman is a type of the Lord. Boaz's transaction points to Christ, who became humanity's nearest of kin by sharing human flesh and blood and is able to redeem humanity and its lost inheritance. The kinsman's giving Boaz the right to redeem Naomi's inheritance points forward to Jesus, who had the right to redeem and did so through the sacrifice of his life. The relinquishment makes way for Boaz as redeemer and points to Christ as the Redeemer who rescues the lost when no other can.
The verse illustrates the law of redemption by which, when an Israelite lost his inheritance or fell into bondage and could not redeem himself, the right of redemption belonged to his nearest able blood-relative. Boaz's transaction with the nearer kinsman shows this kinship-based right in practice. Boaz first offered the nearer kinsman Elimelech's land, which he agreed to redeem, but when told he must also take Ruth the Moabitess to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, he refused lest he mar his own inheritance and told Boaz to redeem it himself.
The verse records the nearer kinsman transferring, yielding and relinquishing his right to Boaz before the elders at the gate, authorizing Boaz to buy all that was Elimelech's, Chilion's and Mahlon's. That property is described as the family property, Naomi's inheritance and Ruth's possession, and with it Boaz was to take Ruth, so Boaz accepts the role of redeemer. The drawing off of the shoe was the customary manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and changing, a public sign done to confirm all things as a legal testimony, by which the refusal and transfer were marked and made binding.
The book of Ruth is a brief pastoral story set in the time of the judges, whose conclusion traces the ancestry of Jesus and includes Ruth, a Moabite woman. The near kinsman is a type of the Lord. Boaz's transaction points to Christ, who became humanity's nearest of kin by sharing human flesh and blood and is able to redeem humanity and its lost inheritance. The kinsman's giving Boaz the right to redeem Naomi's inheritance points forward to Jesus, who had the right to redeem and did so through the sacrifice of his life. The relinquishment makes way for Boaz as redeemer and points to Christ as the Redeemer who rescues the lost when no other can.