SECTION XXXIII
Text:
v7c7¹8v hÜ!n^g¶b v±7r0f7n L3k×#nh1k%t3k bh1j7t0k
r#A4t vÜ3s7¼8v «,8e0k3j kÜ2t`8k «r#nt`«u d
:c7t¨n v2s}¼!n
«k*tºd!¯o!t h!*g h±b0eÐz s£d±£bºu
©oh1c}A8v s£d£b vb0e¸ r`¡nt2k ±ºbºz7t v3kºd#t
h!¯}r®*n7t h«Ðb4tu s
h×#r4j*t h1f`b7tºu k¨Ütºd1k «},7kz ih2t
h±1 [«v7g0s2tºu] «7g0s2tºu h¡1¦ v7sh±Ð8v k®*tºdÐh t«µo!tºu kÜ7tº
:k7tºd#t h1f`b7t r#nt`u
Targum:
TANAKH |
Translation |
SEPTUAGINT |
Translation |
r#nt`«u |
and he said |
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kÜ2t`8k |
to the redeemer |
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«,8e0k3j |
piece of |
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vÜ3s7¼8v |
the land |
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r#A4t |
that |
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bh1j7t0k |
to our brother |
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L3k×#nh1k%t3k |
to Elimelech |
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v±7r0f7n |
she sells |
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hÜ!n^g¶b |
Naomi |
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v7c7¹8v |
who she returned |
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v2s}¼!n |
from fields of |
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:c7t¨n |
Moav |
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h«Ðb4tu |
and I |
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h!¯}r®*n7t |
I thought |
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v3kºd#t |
I should inform |
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±ºbºz7t |
your ear |
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r`¡nt2k |
to say |
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vb0e¸ |
buy |
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s£d£b |
before |
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« ©oh1c}A8v |
the ones sitting |
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s£d±£bºu |
and before |
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h±b0eÐz |
the elders of |
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h!*g |
my people |
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o!t |
if |
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k*tºd!¯ |
you will redeem |
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kÜ7tº |
redeem |
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o!tºu |
and if |
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t«µ |
not |
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k®*tºdÐh |
he will redeem |
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v7sh±Ð8v |
tell |
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h¡1¦ |
to me |
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7g0s2tºu |
so I will know |
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[«v7g0s2tºu] |
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h±1 |
for |
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ih2t |
no one |
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},7kz |
except you |
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k¨Ütºd1k |
to redeem |
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h1f`b7tºu |
and I am |
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h×#r4j*t |
after you |
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r#nt`u |
and he said |
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h1f`b7t |
I am |
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:k7tºd#t |
I will redeem |
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Peshitta
4:3 And he said to the near kinsman, Naomi is selling to me the parcel of land which belonged to our brother Elimeleck
4:4 And f thought to let you know, and say to you, Buy it in the presence of those who are seated, for I am ready to speak and to purchase it in the presence of the elders of my people who are seated. And now, if you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know that you will not redeem it; then I will redeem it. And he said, I will redeem it.
Stone’s Translation
4:3 Then he said to the
redeemer, “The parcel of land which belonged to our brother, Elimelech, is being
offered for sale by Naomi who has returned from the fields of
4:4 I resolved that I should inform you to this
effect: Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the
elders of my people. If you are willing to redeem, redeem! But if it will not
be redeemed, tell me, that I may know; for there is no one else to redeem it
but you, and 1 am after you. “And he said, “I am willing to redeem.”
KJV
4:3 And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come
again out of the country of
4:4 And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy [it] before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem [it], redeem [it]: but if thou wilt not redeem [it, then] tell me, that I may know: for [there is] none to redeem [it] beside thee; and I [am] after thee. And he said, I will redeem [it].
Septuagint
Ruth
4:3 kai; ei\pen Boo" tw'/ ajgcistei' th;n merivda tou' ajgrou' h{
ejstin tou' ajdelfou' hJmw'n tou' Abimelec h}
devdotai Nwemin th'/ ejpistrefouvsh/ ejx ajgrou'
Mwab
Ruth 4:4
kajgw; ei\pa ajpokaluvyw to; ou\" sou levgwn
kth'sai ejnantivon tw'n kaqhmevnwn kai; ejnantivon tw'n
presbutevrwn tou' laou' mou eij ajgcisteuvei"
ajgcivsteue eij de; mh; ajgcisteuvei" ajnavggeilovn moi kai;
gnwvsomai o{ti oujk e[stin pavrex sou' tou'
ajgcisteu'sai kajgwv eijmi meta; sev oJ de; ei\pen ejgwv eijmi
ajgcisteuvsw
Ruth
4:3-4 And Boöz said to the kinsman, “Concerning the part of the field which belongs to our brother Elimelech, which has been
given to Noemin, who has returned from the land of Moab, 4 as I
said, I will reveal it
to your ear” saying, “Acquire it before those who sit, and before the elders of my people. If you are
next of kin, take the privilege of a kinsman; but
if you will not take the privilege of a kinsman, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to take the
privilege of a kinsman, and I am next
after you.” Then he said, “I
am next of kin; I will take the privilege of a
kinsman.”
Peshat Level:
Targum
3- Then he said to the redeemer: "Naomi, who has returned from the field of Moav, is selling the land inherited by our brother, Elimelech.
4- "So I thought I would tell you about it saying, 'Buy it in the presence of those sitting at the gate, the Beth Din of the Sanhedrin, and in the presence of the elders of my people.' If you are willing to redeem it, do so; but if you are unwilling, tell me, so that I may know, inasmuch as there is no one who is entitled to redeem before you, and who is as close a relative as you are, as far as buying is concerned. Let me know, then, that I may be the redeemer after you." "I will redeem it," said he.
Rashi
4:4 That I may know for there is no one besides you (I.e., as) close (as you) to redeem.
Gemarah Level:
Talmud Babli
Baba
Bathra 91a R. Hanan b. Raba said in
the name of Rab: Elimelech and Salmon and such a one and the father of Naomi
all were the sons of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab. What does he come to teach
us [by this statement]? — That even the merit of one's ancestors is of no avail
when one leaves the land [of
Midrash Level:
Midrash Rabbah
Ruth VII:9 AND HE SAID UNTO THE NEAR KINSMAN: NAOMI... SELLETH THE PARCEL OF LAND, WHICH WAS OUR BROTHER ELIMELECH'S; AND I THOUGHT TO DISCLOSE IT UNTO THEE, SAYING:... IF THOU WILT REDEEM IT, REDEEM IT (ib. 3 f.)--this he said to the kinsman BUT IF IT WILL NOT BE REDEEMED--this he said to the Beth din. THEN TELL ME THAT I MAY KNOW. that you should not say ‘I have a wife and children, but I will take her into my house, on condition that I need not marry her.’ When the kinsman heard this, he said, ' Certainly! I WILL REDEEM IT,’ whereupon Boaz said, Ruth is lost to me.
Zohar Level:
Other Commentaries:
Me’am Lo’ez
4:3
Then he said to the redeemer, “The portion of field that was our brother
Elimelech’s has Naomi sold, who returned from the Fields of
Boaz urged the redeemer to fulfill his obligation of redeeming the field, in accordance with the Torah law: “If your brother becomes impoverished and sells of his possessions, the redeemer who is close to him will come and redeem that which his brother has sold” (Leviticus 25:25).
“Now the righteous Naomi (she whose deeds are pleasing),” said Boaz, “is selling Elimelech’s field, not out of disregard for her husband’s inheritance but because she has returned from Moab impoverished and needs to sustain herself. Purchase therefore the field of our brother Elimelech, who was a great man, so that his name will not be forgotten and his ancestral inheritance will not fall into a stranger’s hands.
“This field is part of a larger one left by their father to be divided among Elimelech, Tov, and Salmon; and it is unfitting for a stranger to intrude.”
Since
a field may not be redeemed until two years after it is sold, Naomi must have
sold hers while she was still in
That is, according to Torah law the two-year moratorium protects the rights of the buyer only if the field is sold directly by the owner, not if sold by court order for sustenance, as in Naomi’s case.
4:4
“And I thought I would disclose it to you, saying: ‘Buy it before those sitting
here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem, redeem And if he
will not redeem, tell me, that I may know. For there is none to redeem besides
you, and I after you.”
And
he said, “I will redeem.”
When the people saw the elders sitting in the gate, they, too, assembled and were “sitting there.” And before the large gathering, Boaz declared that he had made no attempt to acquire the field for himself, but as soon as he became aware of the situation, his first action was to “disclose it to you.” He thought it within the redeemer’s right to buy the field; moreover, since Ruth was so evidently a woman of valor, he had no reason to think the other would refuse on account of her.
Boaz thus made it clear that he himself was impartial in this matter, and the redeemer’s choice was in no way compromised by the present facts.
Boaz began by telling the redeemer to “buy” the field; but that was only “before the elders,” i.e., in keeping with the accepted norm that a buyer will try to lower the price by disparaging the merchandise. On the other hand, a redeemer who cherishes his ancestral inheritance will willingly pay more than its value. And therefore Boaz added that he was really asking him to “redeem” the field and pay the higher price.
The verse switches from the second person (tigal, ktd,) to the third (yigal, ktdh) That is, “If you will redeem, redeem”’ was said by Boaz; and “If he will not redeem, tell me, that I may know,” was said by one of the elders, or else by Boaz addressing the elders.
According to a different interpretation, ktdh, yagal, here does not mean “he will redeem,” but is the redeemer’s name. Boaz said to the redeemer: “If [it is] not [to be] Yigal, let me know!”
Or else, Boaz uses the third person in addressing the redeemer in order not to embarrass him. When speaking of fulfilling a mitzvah and redeeming the field, Boaz addressed him directly: “If you will redeem, redeem”’ But when it came to refusing, he said tactfully in the third person “If he will not redeem. ...
He insisted upon a definite answer, so if the redeemer would not redeem, Boaz would.
Abraham Ibn Ezra
Malbim
3. He
then said to the redeemer, "The section of the field that belonged
to our brother, Elimelech -Naomi, who returned from the field of
According
to this version, it can be explained as follows: Boaz said but if [he] is
not [willing to] redeem [it]; the verse is written in the third person. It
is as if Boaz were relating to Naomi the details and conditions of a possible
transaction. "And I said to her that I resolved to inform you and that I
would tell you before the elders of my people to buy the field -if you choose to redeem, redeem!" All of this I
promised her that I would tell you, and I said to her, "And if the
redeemer will not redeem..." The rest of the phrase was not completed, as
it was self-understood.] The description of the section of the field implied
only part of the field and not all of it (the explanation of Ibn Ezra that
Elimelech did not have a whole field is difficult to defend) because after the
death of her husband and two sons, Naomi took part of the field as part
of her wedding contract. Boaz initially informed Tov of Naomi's parcel which
she wanted to sell, namely, half of the field which she had received from
Elimelech.
4. I said [to Naomi] I shall make you [Tov]
aware, as follows. Because I do not want the inheritance of our
"brother" to fall into the hands of "strangers," and you
are the primary candidate for the redemption, I said [to Naomi] I shall make
you [Tov] aware, as follows: Make an act of acquisition in front of those
seated [here]...for there is no one [closer] than you to act as redeemer, and I
am after you." He replied, "I shall redeem. " Because Boaz
only discussed Naomi's parcel of land, Tov wanted to redeem that portion.
Alshich