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The Pulpit Commentary
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:5
And Boaz said, In the day when thou acquirest the land from the hand of Naomi, and from Ruth the Moabitess, (in that day) thou hast acquired the wife of the deceased, to establish the name of the deceased upon his inher…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:6
And the kinsman said, I am not able to perform, for myself, the kinsman's part, lest I should destroy my inheritance. Perform thou, for thyself, the kinsman's part devolving on me, for I am not able to perform it. The m…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:7
And this was formerly a custom in Israel, on occasion of surrendering rights of kinship, or of selling and buying land, in order to confirm any matter; a man drew off his shoe and gave it to the other contracting party.…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:8
And the kinsman said to Boaz, Acquire for thyself; and drew off his shoe. On the instant that he said, "Acquire for thyself," viz; the land with its living appurtenant, he drew off his shoe and presented it. Josephus al…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:9-11
Honorable conduct honorably witnessed. By the "shoe" in the context is meant, no doubt, the sandal, which in the East was, and is, the ordinary covering of the foot, fastened by means of a thong of leather. Although in…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:9
And Boaz said to the eiders and all the people, Ye are witnesses this day that I have acquired the whole estate of Elimelech, and the whole estate of Chillon and Machlon, from the hand of Naomi. It is absolutely necessa…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:10
The name of the dead. Elimelech was dead, Mahlon was dead. But to Naomi and to Ruth, who survived, and even to Boaz, the kinsmen of the deceased, the dead were sacred. Not only was their memory treasured in the hearts o…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:10
And likewise Ruth the Moabitess, wife of Machlon, have I acquired to myself to wife, to establish the name of the deceased upon his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased may not be cut off from among his Brethre…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:11
And all the people who were in the gateway, and the elders, said, Witnesses! May Yahveh grant that the wife who has come into thy house may be as Rachel and Leah, who built, the two of them, the house of Israel! The peo…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:12
And may thy house he as the house of Pharez, whom Tamer bare to Judah, (springing) from the seed which Yahveh will give to thee of this young woman! Pharez's descendants, the Pharzites, were particularly numerous, and h…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:13
The birth-hour. "And she bare a son." Memorable day that I Read to the end of the chapter: "There was a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of DAVID." The old divines…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:13
And Boaz took Ruth, and she became to him his wife; and he went in to her, and Yahveh gave her conception, and she bore a son.
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:13-22
Little Obed. A birth, and in particular a first birth, in the homes of the "excellent of the earth" is always an interesting and exciting event. What multitudes of beginnings there are in childhood! What multitudes of b…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:13
The birth of a son. With true piety as well as justice the author of this book refers the blessings of domestic life to him Who setteth his people in families, and of whom it is said, "Lo, children are an heritage of th…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:14
And the women said to Naomi, Blessed he Yahveh, who has given thee a kinsman this day! May his name become famous in Israel. Of course it is Ruth's son who is the kinsman referred to, the nearest kinsman, still nearer t…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:14-17
The benevolent happiness of old age. The story of Ruth closes amidst domestic prosperity and happiness, and amidst neighborly congratulations. And it is observable that Naomi, whose trials and sorrows interest us so dee…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:15
And may he be to thee a restorer of life, and for the support of thine old age: for thy daughter-in-law, who loved thee, hath borne him, and she is better to thee than seven sons. The number seven suggested an idea of f…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:16
And Naomi took the boy, and placed him in her bosom, and she became his foster-mother. She became his nurse in chief.
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:17
And the women, her neigh-bouts, named the child, saying, A son has been born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. "Obed," if a participle of the Hebrew verb עָבַד, na…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:18-22
And these are the lineal descendants of Pharez. Pharez begat Hezron, and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, and Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, and…
The Pulpit Commentary on Ruth 4:18-22
The lineage of David. This book closes with a genealogy. Readers of the Scriptures may sometimes have felt perplexed at the frequency with which genealogical tables occur both in the Old Testament and in the New. There…
The Pulpit Commentary on 1 Samuel 1:1-8
THE EARLY LIFE OF SAMUEL. EXPOSITION THE GENEALOGY AND BIRTHPLACE OF SAMUEL (1 Samuel 1:1-8) 1 Samuel 1:1 There was a certain man of Ramathaim-Zophim. Though Samuel belonged to the tribe of Levi, yet no special mention…
The Pulpit Commentary on 1 Samuel 2:1-10
EXPOSITION HANNAH'S SONG OF PRAISE (1 Samuel 2:1-10). 1 Samuel 2:1 And Hannah prayed and said. Like the Magnificat, Hannah's hymn of thanksgiving begins with the temporal mercies accorded to herself, but rises immediate…
The Pulpit Commentary on 1 Samuel 2:11-26
EXPOSITION SAMUEL'S MINISTRATIONS AT SHILOH (1 Samuel 2:11-21). 1 Samuel 2:11 The child did minister. Left by his parents at Shiloh, Samuel ministered unto the Lord; that is, certain duties were allotted him to perform…