SECTION XXXVIII
Text:
:i2c s3k‚2Ż•u i¨„h7r2v šˆ7k v‚¶u`vşh
i«2ŻĐœ•u 7vh×3k2t t`„c¶œ•u vÜ7ą!t0k
¨±k‘h1v}Ż•u «,ťr‘,#t z*g`‹c j«8żĐœ•u
dh
¨„n}A t‚2r7żĐhşu o¨×œ8v k„2t`Ź Lˆ7k
,h‚1c}A1v t±µ r#A4t¸ vܶu`vşh Lť±r7c hÜ!n^g¶b‘k#t «oh!A¶°8v
v¶b}r‹*nt`Ż•u sh
:k2t7r`}aĐh0c
ťŻÜ8s7kşh «L#,«8c2v4t‘r#A4t L‹2,7¦8f h±1ƒ
L×2,7ch`2a‘,#t k„2ƒ0k8f0kť A3pÜŁb ch±!A2n0k «L7k
v¶h‹7vşu uy
:ohĐb7c
v„7g0c!ą!n LÜ7k v7c¨±y «th1v‘r#A4t
Targum:
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TANAKH |
Translation |
SEPTUAGINT |
Translation |
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j«8żĐœ•u |
so he took |
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z*g`‹c |
Boaz |
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‘,#t |
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«,ťr |
Ruth |
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‘h1v}Ż•u |
and she became |
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¨±k |
to him |
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vÜ7ą!t0k |
to wife |
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t`„c¶œ•u |
and he went |
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7vh×3k2t |
into her |
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i«2ŻĐœ•u |
and he gave |
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v‚¶u`vşh |
HaShem |
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šˆ7k |
to her |
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i¨„h7r2v |
conception |
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s3k‚2Ż•u |
and she bore |
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:i2c |
son |
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v¶b}r‹*nt`Ż•u |
and they said |
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«oh!A¶°8v |
the women |
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‘k#t |
to |
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hÜ!n^g¶b |
Naomi |
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Lť±r7c |
being blessed |
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vܶu`vşh |
HaShem |
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r#A4t¸ |
who |
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t±µ |
not |
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,h‚1c}A1v |
he let cease |
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Lˆ7k |
for you |
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k„2t`Ź |
redeemer |
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o¨×œ8v |
the day |
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t‚2r7żĐhşu |
and he called |
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¨„n}A |
his name |
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:k2t7r`}aĐh0c |
in |
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v¶h‹7vşu |
and he will be |
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L7k |
to you |
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ch±!A2n0k |
as one renewing |
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A3pÜŁb |
soul |
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k„2ƒ0k8f0kť |
and to sustain |
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‘,#t |
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L×2,7ch`2a |
your old age |
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h±1ƒ |
for |
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L‹2,7¦8f |
your daughter-in-law |
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‘r#A4t |
who |
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«L#,«8c2v4t |
she loves you |
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ťŻÜ8s7kşh |
she bore him |
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‘r#A4t |
who |
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«th1v |
she |
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v7c¨±y |
she good |
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LÜ7k |
to you |
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v„7g0c!ą!n |
than seven |
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:ohĐb7c |
sons |
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Peshitta
4:13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife; and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.
4:14 And the women said to Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.
4:15 And he shall be to you a comforter of your soul and a nourisher to your city; for your daughter-in-law,
who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.
Stone’s Translation
4:13 so, Boaz took Ruth
and she became his wife; and he came to her. HASHEM let her conceive, and she bore a son.
4:14 And the women said to Naomi, Ruth “Blessed is HASHEM who has not left you without a redeemer today! May his name be famous in
4:15 He will become your
life-restorer, to sustain your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves
you, has borne him, and she is better to you than seven sons.
KJV
4:13 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.
4:14 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.
4:15 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 borne him.
Septuagint
Ruth
4:13 kai; e[laben Boo" th;n Rouq kai; ejgenhvqh aujtw'/ eij"
gunai'ka kai; eijsh'lqen pro;" aujthvn kai; e[dwken aujth'/ kuvrio"
kuvhsin kai; e[teken uiJovn
Ruth
4:14 kai; ei\pan aiJ gunai'ke" pro;" Nwemin eujloghto;"
kuvrio" o}" ouj katevlusev soi shvmeron to;n ajgcisteva
kai; kalevsai to; o[nomav sou ejn Israhl
Ruth
4:15 kai; e[stai soi eij" ejpistrevfonta yuch;n kai; tou' diaqrevyai
th;n poliavn sou o{ti hJ nuvmfh sou hJ
ajgaphvsasav se e[teken aujtovn h{ ejstin ajgaqhv
soi uJpe;r eJpta; uiJouv"
Ruth
4:13-15 And Boöz took Ruth and
she became his wife, and he went into her, and the LORD gave her a pregnancy, and she
bore a son. 14 And the women said to Noemin, “Blessed is the LORD, who did not neglect a kinsman for you this day; and may
your name be called out in
Peshat Level:
Targum
4:13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife; and he had intercourse with her, and God gave her conception, so that she bore a son.
4:14
Then the women said to Naomi: "Blessed be the name of the Lord, who has
not left you without a redeemer today. May the boy's name be among the righteous
of
4:15 "He will be life-sustenance to you and provide your old age with delights; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, she, who during your widowhood was better to you than many sons, gave birth to him."
Gemarah Level:
Talmud Babli
Niddah 38b It was taught: The pious men of old performed their marital duty on a Wednesday only, in order that their wives should not be led to a desecration of the Sabbath. ‘On a Wednesday’, but not later? — Read: From Wednesday onwards. Mar Zutra stated: What was the reason of the pious men of old? — Because it is written, And the Lord gave her conception [herayon], and the numerical value of herayon is two hundred and seventy-one.
Sanhedrin 19b R.Hanina says this is derived from the following: And the women her neighbors, gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi. Was it then Naomi who bore him? Surely it was Ruth who bore him! But Ruth bore and Naomi brought him up; hence he was called after her [Naomi's] name.
Midrash Level:
Midrash Rabbah
Ruth
VII:14 SO BOAZ TOOK RUTH, AND SHE BECAME HIS WIFE; AND HE WENT IN UNTO HER,
AND THE LORD GAVE HER CONCEPTION (IV, 13). R. Simeon b. Lakish said: She lacked
the main portion of the womb, but the Holy One, blessed be He, shaped a womb
for her.
Ruth
VII:15 AND THE WOMEN SAID UNTO NAOMI: BLESSED BE THE LORD, WHO HATH NOT
LEFT THEE THIS DAY WITHOUT A NEAR KINSMAN (ib. 14). Just as this day holds
dominion in the skies, so shall your seed produce one who shall hold dominion
and rule over
Ruth VII:16 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 (IV, 15). R. Judah and R. Nehemiah commented on this. R. Judah said: Better than the seven chiefs of fathers’ households who are mentioned later, viz. Ozem the sixth, David the seventh (I Chron. II, 15). R. Nehemiah said: Better than the seven who are mentioned here, viz. Perez, Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, and Boaz (Ruth IV, 18-21).
Zohar Level:
Other Commentaries:
Me’am Lo’ez
4:13
So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. He came to her, and the Lord gave
her conception, and she bore a son.
The righteous Boaz kept his word to Ruth. who, significantly, is no longer called a Moabite. After buying the field in the presence of the elders and the people, he asked them to witness the marriage ceremony. and when they agreed and gave their blessings, he immediately married her.
The Jewish marriage ceremony consists of kiddushin (contracting the bond of “consecration” by. for example, the giving of a ring) and nesuin (the seven blessings recited under the chupah-canopy which make the couple legally man and wife.) Accordingly, the verse states that “Boaz took Ruth”—” taking” refers to acquiring by giving money or an object of value. i.e., kiddushin—and “she became his wife” (nesuin).
The field is not mentioned, for Boaz had no desire to actually acquire property. His only interest was in marrying Ruth to perpetuate the name of the deceased. Thus “Boaz took Ruth....”
Our sages elaborate: “She became his wife”—a worthy woman to a worthy man.
Just as “Boaz took Ruth” in joy for she was righteous and beautiful, so “she became his wife” with joy although he was very old, for her intentions were purely for the sake of heaven.
She did not need time to adjust to his opinions and wishes. but was immediately a wife to him.
Thus the brief marriage was perfect: “She became his wife,” designated for him by heaven, as no other had been. That is why, although neither of them had surviving offspring from their previous marriages,together they two established a dynasty that will last as long as man-kind.
“He
came to her”—only after the wedding, as he had sworn to his evil inclination on
the threshing floor. Since the marriage was to fulfill God’s will, and was
consummated out of the purest motives, the scripture does not say, “she
conceived and bore a son,” but “the Lord gave her conception.” Divine
assistance was necessary because Boaz was very old and weak, and Ruth was a
hitherto barren woman of forty. The miracle is ascribed to “her,” however,because
it came in the merit of her dedication in cleaving to
The gematriya of iuhrv, “conception,” is 271, the number of days of gestation. God arranged for her to give birth a full nine months after the wedding as a testimony that the child was conceived after the wedding and that the father was Boaz. Indeed, everyone recognized that the child was blessed of God, and they therefore named him scug, Obed, that is, servant of God. According to an ancient Midrash, he was born circumcised.
Boaz is not mentioned again in the narrative, and the verse says only that she bore a son, not that she bore him a son, for he died that very night. This is further borne out by the fact that the child was named not by Boaz but by the women neighbors.
How quick must one be to perform a mitzvah! Had Boaz tarried but one day, the root of the house of David and the Messiah would not have come into being. This is in accordance with the verse, “Time to do for the Lord, they have violated your Torah” (Psalms 119:126). That is, those who defer doing a mitzvah by saying that there is yet time, in the end do not fulfill the Torah.
Thus the scripture says. “We are but of yesterday, and know nothing, for our days upon the earth are a shadow” (Job 8:9). That is, no one can be sure of today, for death can strike him down suddenly. One can count only days already passed. For man’s days are like a shadow— not like the shadow of a tree or a house, but like the passing shadow of a bird flying by (Talmud).
According to the opinion that Boaz is Ibetzan, who had been punished with the loss of his many sons for failing to invite Manoach to their wedding festivities (Talmud, Baba Bathre 91a), he repented in his old age, and God forgave him and provided him with offspring to perpetuate his name. Had he however delayed one day, he would have died without an heir.
4:14
The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, Who has not left you without a
redeemer this day. May his name be called in
The women knew that Ruth had previously had no womb and they immediately recognized the miracle in this birth and came to congratulate her.
At the same time, they came to comfort her and Naomi for the death of Boaz. “Blessed be the Lord” is an allusion to the customary words on such an occasion: “Blessed be the True Judge”—,nt ihslurc.
The
death of Boaz on the very night of their wedding (“ this day”), they said,
showed that only for this purpose had he come into the world. Although he had
ended the famine through his prayer and conquered
Many strategems had been necessary to keep the Satan and the seventy angels of the nations from thwarting this act. But now that it had been done with the approval of the Sanhedrin, it could not be undone.
“Although you have not enjoyed long years together with your husband,” they said, “thank God that you have been redeemed, and that the name of Boaz will be perpetuated through the son you have borne him.”
Generations earlier, the patriarch Jacob, fearing that Joseph’s descendants from the Egyptian convert Osnat would intermarry, had said, “May my name be called upon them” (Genesis 48:16), that is, may it be recognized that they are Israelites. Boaz, too, feared that his descendants from Ruth the Moabite might intermarry, and the women therefore said, “May his name be called in lsrael”—may it be recognized that his seed is worthy of entering God’s congregation.
They
prayed that the newborn child become a great man like his father, whose name
would constantly be on the lips of the people of
The
end letters of ouhv ktud lk, are the letters of lkn
king, to hint that just as Boaz had redeemed Ruth, so would their descendant
redeem
Generations later, when the queen mother Ataliah destroyed all the royal seed, one child—Yoash—escaped to continue the royal dynasty (2 Kings 11). And our sages declare that it was the women’s blessing— “Who has not left you without a redeemer”—that saved David’s seed from annihilation.
4:15 “And he shall be to you a restorer of life,
and sustain your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is better
to you than seven sons, has borne him.”
The new infant, said the women, would bring joy into Naomi’s life and restore her spirit. And when he grew up, he would support her in her old age and bury her when she died. Furthermore, if she educated him to walk in righteousness before God, her soul would be rewarded in the World to Come for his good deeds, in accordance with the principle that “a son achieves merit for his parents” (Talmud).
Although his parents were Ruth and Boaz, they continued, the child could also be considered a son of Naomi, for the two women were of the same root. This is evident in the fact that, despite the natural antagonism between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Ruth loved Naomi to the extent of leaving her people to cleave to her, and she took better care of her than seven sons would have done.
Love of Naomi would therefore be in the child’s blood. Just as the mother had picked in the fields to bring Naomi food, so would the son support her. And just as the mother had followed in Naomi’s footsteps and learned from her to be good, so would the son.
According to a different interpretation, the women assured her that the child would be righteous because he was the product of seven generations of tzaddikim that preceded him: Peretz, Chetzron, Aminadav, Ram, Nachshon, Salmon, and Boaz. The seventh in line is saintly, and the eighth even more so, as hinted at by “who is better.., than seven sons.
The women also hinted that the child would be the grandfatherof David, the youngest and best of lshai’s “seven sons” (1 Samuel 16:10); and he would be the tenth in line from Peretz, hence, most saintly.
The expression apb chan soul-restorer literally, alludes as well to the resurrection of the dead that will take place during the reign of David’s descendant, the Messiah.
Abraham Ibn Ezra
Malbim
13. Boaz
then took. The story relates that Boaz did not take her as one does in
levirate marriage by cohabitation (money or written contract would not have
established the marriage) preceded by rntn [1](a
form of rabbinic betrothal). Since this levirate marriage was only obliged by
custom, Boaz married her with either money or contract, as it says, Boaz
then took (implying betrothed) Ruth and she became his wife. Before
cohabiting with her, hence, only afterwards he came to her.
The ETERNAL caused her to become pregnant. It was an act of Divine Providence that she immediately conceived with Boaz in spite of her not having had any children with her first husband.
14. The
women then said to Naomi, "The ETERNAL [has shown Himself to be] the
Source of blessing, that He has not deprived you today of a redeemer!" For
whatever happens in the future, today you are required to bless HaShem Who has
not left you without a redeemer -for it is your son who is embodied in this
child. It is known from the esoteric
secrets of levirate marriage that it is the soul of the deceased which actually
suffuses the infant; he is therefore your "redeemer," that you will
not die without any children surviving you. Relative to the future, May
[this child] become famous among
15. And may he be for you [like] a living re-embodiment [of MachIon]. He has returned the soul of Machlon into this world -his soul was Machlon's, your son's, soul. He will also provide [for you in] your old age, for he is born to your daughter-in-law who loves you, and together they will provide for you in your old age.
Alshich