Ruth 4:13-22--Ruth and Boaz Marry

Ruth 4:13-22
English Standard Version

Ruth and Boaz Marry
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

The Genealogy of David
18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

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This will be our last journal article for the book of Ruth.  Now that Boaz has received the right of redemption and become the kinsman redeemer for Naomi and Ruth, he quickly takes Ruth as his wife, and they consummate their marriage and have a son.

Naomi praises the LORD for what He has done in providing a redeemer for Ruth (yet this points to our need for an even greater Redeemer in the person of Jesus Christ.  He acts as the Kinsman Redeemer for all humanity).  Naomi then praises the LORD for Ruth and the child she and Boaz had.

Naomi was given the honor of being the child's nurse, and the women of the neighborhood saw this as the LORD's way of giving Naomi another son.  They may have been mocking or at least joking because at this point Naomi was probably too old to have her own children, but she took so much joy in the child as if it was her own.  I'm sure all those who have been grandparents understand this joy, but it meant even more to Naomi since she no longer had any children of her own (though Ruth had become like a daughter to her).  They named him Obed (which means "servant" or "slave") and Obed became the father of Jesse who became the father of David who would become King of Israel.

However, the text does not stop there, David's lineage as a rightful king must be established by tracing his lineage back to Judah.  Judah and Tamar bore Perez and Zerah in Genesis 38 and it is this Perez that is being referenced in verse 18 of this chapter.  We also see Perez and Zerah mentioned in Genesis 46:12, "12 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan); and the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul."  Salmon mentioned here is the one who married Rahab, and it is by their union that Boaz was born.  We see these names and a few others again in Matthew 1 in the genealogy of Jesus (verses 3-6).


Matthew 1:1-17
English Standard Version

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.