Ruth 4:3
“And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's:”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Boaz informs the kinsman that Naomi is selling the parcel of land that belonged to Elimelech.
What Does Ruth 4:3 Mean?
Boaz opens the matter plainly. Naomi, newly returned from Moab, is selling a parcel of land that had belonged to Elimelech, the kinsman of them both. By the laws of Israel, family land was to be kept within the family, and a near relative had the right and responsibility to buy it back, keeping the inheritance whole. Boaz lays the opportunity, and the obligation, before the nearer kinsman first.
Notice how Boaz begins with the question of land and inheritance, the preservation of a family's portion in the promised land. This was no small matter in Israel, where the land was a sacred trust passed down through generations. Naomi's poverty had forced the sale, and the question now is who will step in to redeem it. Boaz, ever just, gives the nearer kinsman the first and rightful claim. The story of redemption begins with a lost inheritance and the need for someone willing to buy it back, a theme that runs through all of Scripture toward its fulfillment.