Judges, Ruth: Revised Edition (The NIV Application Commentary)

by K. Lawson Younger

Boaz’s first words are a blessing: “The LORD bless you, my daughter” (v. 10). He then states: “This kindness [hesed] is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.” Literally the Hebrew reads, “You have made your last hesed better than the first.” Ruth’s first act of hesed obviously refers to her compassionate loyalty and kindness to Naomi, which Boaz has already noted (2:11). Ruth’s latest hesed, in this context, seems to refer to her proposal of marriage to Boaz. This is evident from the second clause where Boaz asserts, “You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor” (3:10). That Ruth could have sought marriage with any of the men of the town means that she is under no legal obligation to become the wife of Mahlon’s closest relative in order to raise up an heir for her dead husband (i.e., to carry out the levirate as prescribed in Deut 25:5–10). And vice versa, the closest relative of Mahlon is not obligated to perform a levirate marriage—and apparently none of the relatives (close or otherwise) has given any thought to implementing a marriage to Ruth.29