Ruth 4:8
in Ruth 4So the kinsman-redeemer removed his sandal and said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
So the near kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thyself. And he drew off his shoe.
KJV
Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.
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This verse in Ruth 4
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Now in former times in Israel
on Ruth 4:7-8
Verse 7 explains a custom to readers who no longer kept it, which places the writing long after the events. Deuteronomy 25:9 has the widow pull off the man's sandal and spit, while here the man removes his own sandal and no shaming is recorded. Albert Barnes reads a general form of transfer, and Keil and Delitzsch read Deuteronomy as the narrow case and Ruth as the wider custom.
This site's exposition
So the kinsman-redeemer removed his sandal
The sandal marks the transfer of the right, as verse 7 explains. In Deuteronomy 25:9 the widow pulls it off and spits, while here the man removes it himself and no shame is attached. The book records his refusal and never gives his name.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
It was an old custom that if a groom wished to divorce his bride he took off his sandal and this was the sign of the divorce. Consequently, he was ordered to take off his sandals, lest he approach the church wearing sandals like a …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Honesty will be found the best policy. 9 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:89%@v9-10
And therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, buy it for me,....
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֧אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הַגֹּאֵ֛ל | hagoel | the kinsman-redeemer | H1350 → | 104 times |
| לְבֹ֖עַז | levoaz | to Boaz | H1162 → | 24 times |
| קְנֵה־ | keneh- | acquire [it] | H7069 → | 84 times |
| לָ֑ךְ | lakh | for <the> yourself | ||
| וַיִּשְׁלֹ֖ף | vaiyishlof | and he took off | H8025 → | |
| נַעֲלֽוֹ׃ | naalo | sandal his | H5275 → |
וַיֹּ֧אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
הַגֹּאֵ֛לthe kinsman-redeemer
hagoelH1350 →104 times
לְבֹ֖עַזto Boaz
levoazH1162 →24 times
קְנֵה־acquire [it]
keneh-H7069 →84 times
לָ֑ךְfor <the> yourself
lakh
וַיִּשְׁלֹ֖ףand he took off
vaiyishlofH8025 →
נַעֲלֽוֹ׃sandal his
naaloH5275 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
About Ruth
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Isidore of Seville, ON RUTH; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.