Ruth 4:10
“Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Boaz announces he has taken Ruth as his wife to preserve the dead man's name and inheritance.
What Does Ruth 4:10 Mean?
Boaz makes the fuller declaration. He has taken Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, to be his wife, so as to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that Mahlon's name might not be cut off from his family and his place. The redemption of land and the redemption of the widow are joined; Boaz embraces the whole costly calling with gladness.
The purpose Boaz names is deeply tender: that the name of the dead be not cut off. He acts so that a man who died childless in a foreign land will not be forgotten, but will have a future and a place among his people. This is redemption at its fullest, restoring not only property but identity and hope. Boaz gives himself so that the lost may be remembered and the broken line made whole. Here the heart of the gospel gleams: the Redeemer takes the outsider as His own and secures a name and an inheritance for those who had none. Ruth the Moabitess is brought fully in.