A Marriage Blessing From Ruth (Ruth 4.11-12)
May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you produce children in Ephrathah and bestow a name in Bethlehem; and, through the children that the LORD will give you by this young woman, may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.
Background
The eighth prayer in the book of Ruth is another prayer-blessing—the sixth in a row. This one is not offered by Boaz or Naomi, but by the elders of the city and some citizens.
Ancient towns had a council of wise, elderly men who acted as city council and court. They sat at the city gate during the day, allowing all to come before them, making decisions and passing judgment on disputes. This is the setting for this scene. There are other bits of cultural background that help us make sense of the events. For example, land in Israel remained with the family who owned it first; even if it had to be mortgaged or sold in trying times, it still belonged to the heirs and was to be returned at the Jubilee which occurred every fifty years.1 When a widow or a daughter had no husband or sons, she needed someone with land to provide for her. If she was from a different family line, this could cause difficulties among heirs of the two clans. Boaz discovers that there is a closer relative, who could have a claim to Naomi and any heirs and land of the family. This creates a problem for Boaz.
Boaz goes to the city gate and finds the closer relative. The writer of Ruth never mentions the man’s name. Boaz addresses him with a word that literally means “a certain one.” In modern terms, we might say, “John Doe” or “so-and-so.” “Hey, you, so-and-so, come sit over here for a moment,”2 says Boaz. Surely, he knew the man’s name. Is he not named because he is not a good person? Is it because he refuses to redeem Naomi and Ruth, and the writer sees him as a lesser man than Boaz? The Biblical writers often refuse to name characters who they consider trivial or negative examples.
Boaz explained about Naomi and Ruth to the elders, Mr. John Doe, and the witnesses. At first, Mr. So-and-So likes the idea of taking in Naomi. He will gain the land from Naomi’s family at the Jubilee. But when he hears that Boaz is engaged to Ruth, he realizes that the land will go to Ruth’s children, not his. Moreover, he will have the burden of taking care of the widow Naomi. There is no benefit to him. He is happy to let Boaz become the redeemer.
The elders confirm the agreement, and all are impressed with the character of Boaz. He has taken on the responsibility of caring for a widow and her foreign daughter-in-law, who have land that does not belong to his family. Of course, on the positive side, he now has a beautiful young wife, and their children will inherit the land. Still, what he has done is quite noble, and the people at the gate offer the prayer of blessing.
Meaning
We might pray for an engaged couple and their relationship. But marriage blessings in the ancient world rarely focused on the spouses themselves—it was more about the children. Recall the covenant blessing that God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that they would have many descendants.3
The prayer begins with a blessing on Ruth, then Boaz, but the rest is for their children and their effects on Israel. Some historical characters mentioned in the blessing tell us more about the function of this prayer. Rachel was the favorite wife of Jacob and gave him many children. Leah also produced many children for Jacob, and was the mother of Judah, the foremother of the tribe of Judah. The children of Leah and Rachel became the twelve tribes of Israel. These are high expectations indeed for Ruth (we will find out why this is so in the next prayer passage). Ephrat was the mother of the clan named after her, Ephrathah, also mentioned in the prayer. Bethlehem was a city in the land of that tribe. Finally, they mention Tamar and the “house of Perez.” Tamar, referred to in the last chapter, was the widowed woman who lived in the house of her father-in-law, Judah (the son of Leah). He is the one who neglected to provide her a home or heirs after her husband (Judah’s son) died. Tamar found a bold way to secure her future (just like Ruth), by pretending to be a prostitute to force Judah to do the right thing and marry her to another son. The result was a son named Perez and his descendants, also mentioned in this prayer.
The prayer contains a lot of genealogy, history, and some foreshadowing. The blessing is on an engaged couple, but more so on their children and the future of Israel. We see that prayer-blessings do not only have to be about the here-and-now (“happy wedding!”), they can contain a depth of history, culture, and meaning.
Application
Do you know any couples that have been recently engaged or married? Look over this prayer-blessing again and use the structure and content to write a blessing on the wife, and the husband, and also on any future children and their lives. Think about the history of this couple—their families, their goals in life. Is there a way to incorporate the larger picture of their extended family and friends into your prayer-blessing? Once you have finished writing and editing the prayer, consider sharing it (in words or writing), with the couple.
- See Lev 25.8–55. ↩
- Translations that render this word as “friend” miss the symbolism. ↩
- See, for example, Gen 30. ↩
