Ruth 4:11

And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
people	הָעָ֧ם ha.'Am	H5971	a people (as a congregated unit) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
gate	בַּשַּׁ֛עַר ba.Sha.'ar	H8179	an opening · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
elders	וְהַזְּקֵנִ֖ים ve.ha.ze.ke.Nim	H2205	old · conjunction + definite article + adjective, masculine plural absolute
said	וַיֹּ֨אמְר֜וּ vai.Yo.me.Ru	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
witnesses	עֵדִ֑ים 'e.Dim	H5707	concretely · noun, common masculine plural absolute
LORD	יְהוָ֨ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
make	יִתֵּן֩ yi.Ten	H5414	to give · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
woman	הָאִשָּׁ֜ה ha.'i.Shah	H802	a woman · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
come	הַבָּאָ֣ה ha.ba.'Ah	H935	to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · definite article + verb, qal active participle, feminine singular absolute
house	בֵּיתֶ֗ךָ bei.Te.kha	H1004	a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
Rachel	כְּרָחֵ֤ל ke.ra.Chel	H7354	Rachel · preposition + proper noun, a woman's name
Leah	וּכְלֵאָה֙ u.khe.le.'Ah	H3812	Leah · conjunction + preposition + proper noun, a woman's name
two	שְׁתֵּיהֶם֙ she.tei.Hem	H8147	two · noun, common feminine dual construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
build	בָּנ֤וּ ba.Nu	H1129	to build (literally and figuratively) · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
house	בֵּ֣ית beit	H1004	a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular construct
Israel	יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל Yis.ra.'El	H3478	Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
do	וַעֲשֵׂה va.'a.seh-	H6213	to do or make · conjunction + verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine singular
worthily	חַ֣יִל Cha.yil	H2428	probably a force · noun, common masculine singular absolute
Ephratah	בְּאֶפְרָ֔תָה be.'ef.Ra.tah	H672	Ephrath · preposition + proper noun, a woman's name
famous	וּקְרָא u.ke.ra'-	H7121	to call out to (i.e. properly · conjunction + verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine singular
Beth-lehem	בְּבֵ֥ית be.Veit	H1035	Beth-Lechem · preposition + proper noun, a place name

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Genesis 29:32-30:24 And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now theref…
Micah 5:2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be…
Matthew 2:6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule…
Psalms 127:3-5 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Genesis 35:16-20 And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.
Genesis 46:8-27 And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.
Numbers 26:1-65 And it came to pass after the plague, that the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying,
Deuteronomy 25:9 Then shall his brother’s wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and s…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ruth 4:9-12

Boaz now sees his way clear, and therefore delays not to perform his promise made to Ruth that he would do the kinsman's part, but in the gate of the city, before the elders and all the people, publishes a marriage-contract between himself and Ruth the Moabitess, and therewith the purchase of all the estate that belonged to the family of Elimelech. If he had not been (Rut 2:1) a mighty man of wealth, he could not have compassed this redemption, nor done this service to his kinsman's family. What is a great estate good for, but that it enables a man to do so much the more good in his generation, and especially to those of his own household, if he have but a heart to use it so! Now concerning…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ruth 4:11

all the people and the elders, said, We are witnesses--A multitude, doubtless from curiosity or interest, were present on the occasion. There was no signing of deeds; yet was the transfer made, and complete security given, by the public manner in which the whole matter was carried on and concluded. the Lord make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah--This was the usual bridal benediction.

Adam Clarke on Ruth 4:11

We are witnesses - It is not very likely that any writing was drawn up. There was an appeal made to the people then present, whether they had seen and understood the transaction; who answered, We have witnessed it. If any minutes of court were kept, then the transaction was entered probably in some such words as these: "On ___ day of ____, Boaz bought the land of Elimelech from Naomi his widow, and took Ruth, her daughter-in-law, to wife; ____, who had the nearest right, refusing to buy the land on the conditions then proposed." The Lord make this woman - like Rachel and like Leah - May thy family be increased by her means, as the tribes were formed by means of Rachel and Leah, wives of the…

Read the whole note in the console

John Gill on Ruth 4:11

The Church Fathers

The elders confirmed the marriage with a blessing, saying, "The Lord made this woman," etc. Moreover, "So that she may be an example of virtue in Ephrathah," they predicted the salvific birth through which Bethlehem was made famous among all people.
— Theodoret of Cyrus, QUESTIONS ON RUTH

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Bethlehem — House of bread. (1.) A city in the “hill country” of Judah. It was originally called Ephrath (Gen. 35:16, 19; 48:7; Ruth 4:11). It was also called Beth-lehem Ephratah (Micah 5:2), Beth-lehem-judah (1…
Boaz — Alacrity. (1.) The husband of Ruth, a wealthy Bethlehemite. By the “levirate law” the duty devolved on him of marrying Ruth the Moabitess (Ruth 4:1-13). He was a kinsman of Mahlon, her first husband.…
Benedictions · .By the people, upon Ruth — .By the people, upon Ruth
Covenant · Loosing the shoe — Loosing the shoe
Covenants · Conditions of: Witnessed — Conditions of: Witnessed
Ephratah · .The ancient name of Beth-lehem- — .The ancient name of Beth-lehem-
Heir · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Inheritance · Provisions for inheritance un — Provisions for inheritance un
Land · 23:3-20; — 23:3-20;
Leah · “The buil — “The buil
Marriage · Ceremony attested by witnesses — Ceremony attested by witnesses
Ruth · Marries Boaz — Marries Boaz
Witness · To marriage — To marriage

Ruth 4:11

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ruth 4:9-12

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ruth 4:11

Adam Clarke on Ruth 4:11

John Gill on Ruth 4:11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Ruth 4:11

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ruth 4:9-12

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ruth 4:11

Adam Clarke on Ruth 4:11

John Gill on Ruth 4:11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Ruth 4:6-12

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ruth 4:11

Rashi on Ruth 4:11