Ruth 3:10

3:10 He said, “May you be rewarded¹ by the Lord, my dear!² This act of devotion³ is greater than what you did before.⁴ For you have not sought to marry⁵ one of the young men, whether rich or poor.⁶

Ruth 4:7

4:7 (Now this used to be the customary way to finalize a transaction involving redemption in Israel:⁷ A man would remove his sandal and give it to the other party.⁸ This was a legally binding act⁹ in Israel.)

¹tn Or “blessed” (so NASB, NRSV).

²tn Heb “my daughter.” This form of address is a mild form of endearment, perhaps merely rhetorical. A few English versions omit it entirely (e.g., TEV, CEV). The same expression occurs in v. 11.

³tn Heb “latter [act of] devotion”; NRSV “this last instance of your loyalty.”

⁴tn Heb “you have made the latter act of devotion better than the former”; NIV “than that which you showed earlier.”

sn Greater than what you did before. Ruth’s former act of devotion was her decision to remain and help Naomi. The latter act of devotion is her decision to marry Boaz to provide a child to carry on her deceased husband’s (and Elimelech’s) line and to provide for Naomi in her old age (see Ruth 4:5, 10, 15).

⁵tn Heb “by not going after the young men” (NASB similar); TEV “You might have gone looking for a young man.”

⁶tn Heb “whether poor or rich” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); the more common English idiom reverses the order (“rich or poor”; cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

sn Whether rich or poor. This statement seems to indicate that Ruth could have married anyone. However, only by marrying a גֹּאֵל (go’el, “family guardian”; traditionally “redeemer”) could she carry on her dead husband’s line and make provision for Naomi.

⁷tn Heb “and this formerly in Israel concerning redemption and concerning a transfer to ratify every matter.”

⁸tn Heb “a man removed his sandal and gave [it] to his companion”; NASB “gave it to another”; NIV, NRSV, CEV “to the other.”

⁹tn Heb “the legal witness”; KJV “a testimony”; ASV, NASB “the manner (form NAB) of attestation.”