And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.
Parallel translations
- WEB He took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here,” and they sat down.
- KJV And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.
- BSB Then Boaz took ten of the elders of the city and said, “Sit here,” and they did so.
- NASB Then he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.
- NLT Then Boaz called ten leaders from the town and asked them to sit as witnesses.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Boaz gathers ten elders as official witnesses to the transaction. He ensures the redemption is legally valid and publicly confirmed.
Overview
By seating ten elders, Boaz convenes a proper legal quorum to witness and ratify the proceedings. His careful adherence to lawful process underscores his integrity and the legitimacy of what follows. The public setting guarantees that the redemption of Naomi's land and the marriage to Ruth will be fully recognized.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Prov 31:23Her husband is respected in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.
- 1 Kgs 21:8So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, who lived with Naboth.
- Acts 6:12They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and came against him and seized him, and brought him in to the council,
- Lam 5:14The elders have ceased from the gate, The young men from their music.
- Exod 21:8If she doesn’t please her master, who has married her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her.
- Deut 31:28Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
- Exod 18:21–22Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men which fear God: men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
- Deut 29:10All of you stand today in the presence of Yahweh your God; your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel,
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Christ at the center
Boaz the kinsman-redeemer who buys back the destitute and takes a bride foreshadows Christ, our Redeemer who pays the price to make a people his own; and from Ruth's line comes David, and David's greater Son.
How Ruth 4:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.