Face to Face Questions: Ruth 4:1-121. In this passage we read about Boaz, he was a kinsman redeemer. A kinsman redeemer is “nearest male blood relative. If anyone from poverty was unable to redeem his inheritance, it was the duty of the kinsman to redeem it.” The Hebrew word for “kinsman” is “goel.” “Redeemer” is defined as “one charged with the duty of restoring the rights of another and avenging his wrongs.” The Hebrew word for Redeemer is also “goel.” In Biblical times, these words were interchangeable. If a man was the redeemer of a family, he must have been a kinsman. And if he was a kinsman, then it followed that he was a redeemer for the family. Back in Ruth’s day, the kinsman redeemer avenged deaths, claimed inheritances for poor family members, and married the widow of a dead male relative. He played a role very similar to the one that Jesus played for all mankind, but for his family. (Rit Nosotro, 2003). In this passage, however there was another kinsman redeemer in line before Boaz. What took place, and how did they “seal” the deal?
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There was a kinsman redeemer ahead of Boaz. Boaz explained what was there and at first the first kinsman redeemer said he would take it until he heard Boaz state that Ruth was also there. At that the first kinsman stated that he could not and so Boaz could redeem the estate and marry Ruth. And how did they seal the deal? He took off his sandal.
(in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel)
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