I Samuel 4, Ichabod

Samuel has been recognized as a young prophet.  As a child, his first conversations with YHWH foretold the death of Eli's sons.

I Samuel 4:1a, All Israel

And Samuel's word came to all Israel. 

This sentence really concludes the paragraph about Samuel from the previous chapter, 

I Samuel 4:1b-3, Battle against the Philistines

Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek.  The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield.  

When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, "Why did the LORD bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the LORD's covenant from Shiloh, so that it may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies."

Ebenezer means "stone of help".There are apparently a number of sites with this name as we will see another camp named Ebenezer by Samuel in chapter 7 (1 Samuel 7:12.)

The Israelite soldiers look for the reason for their defeat, and hope to use the ark as a talisman against the Philistines.

I Samuel 4:4-5, The ark arrives

So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. When the ark of the LORD's covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook.

There is enthusiasm and a renewal of morale in the Israelite camp. The ark is being viewed as an amulet, a totem, something with magical powers. It is the ark of the "Lord of hosts, who sits above the cherabim." Tagging along with the ark are the sons of Eli, two degenerate priests who have not been following the covenant. The Israelites are about to learn a lesson. 

I Samuel 4:6-9, The Philistines rally

Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, "What's all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?" 

When they learned that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp, the Philistines were afraid. "A god has come into the camp," they said. "We're in trouble! Nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert. Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!"

The Philistines will not be intimidated.  But they are desperate and are aware of YHWH's past work in Egypt and the Exodus.

I Samuel 4:10-11, Israel defeated

So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.  

The ark of God was captured, and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

What a large number of casualties!  30,000! (Or 30 eleph -- this is one more example of unusually large numbers in the Old Testament stories.)

God will not be a talisman.

I Samuel 4:12-18, Eli's death

That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh, his clothes torn and dust on his head.  When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry. 

Eli heard the outcry and asked, "What is the meaning of this uproar?"

The man hurried over to Eli, who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes were set so that he could not see. He told Eli, "I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day."

Eli asked, "What happened, my son?"  

The man who brought the news replied, "Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured."

When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had led Israel forty years.

Eli reacts more to the capture of the ark than to the death of his sons. We read a sad ending to a man of God. It gets worse.

I Samuel 4:19-22, Ichabod 

His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains.  As she was dying, the women attending her said, "Don't despair; you have given birth to a son." But she did not respond or pay any attention.

She named the boy Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel"--because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. She said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured."

This woman, who is unnamed, had endured the infidelity of Phinehas, then his death and the defeat of Israel. Now she is dying just as a son is born. Such sadness.

The Hebrew word kabowd (כָּבוֹד) means "glory." The name Ichabod means "no glory."

First published July 26, 2023; updated July 25, 2026

I Samuel 3, God Speaks to Samuel

The young boy, Samuel, is serving the priest, Eli, at Shiloh.

1 Samuel 3:1-5, God calls Samuel

The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.   

One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.  The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.

Then the LORD called Samuel.   

Samuel answered, "Here I am."  And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."

But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down."

So he went and lay down. Again the LORD called, "Samuel!"

And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."

"My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down."

Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."

Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy.  So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, `Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'"  

So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

The narrator tells us that the "word of the Lord" was rare in that time and so Eli and Samuel are unprepared for this visitation. (It is possible that this is a statement about the apostasy of Eli's ministry.)

Samuel is lying in the inner room of the temporary temple at Shiloh while Eli lies in an outer room. During the night, possibly close to dawn, Samuel is repeatedly called by name. At first he believes Eli is calling him but that is not true. After twice hurrying to Eli's side, Eli eventually realizes that it is YHWH that is calling Samuel and so gives Samuel instructions about the next time the call occurs.

1 Samuel 3: 10-14, YHWH's instructions to Samuel

The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"

Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." 

And the LORD said to Samuel: "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family--from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them.  Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, `The guilt of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.'"

The message that God has for Samuel is not a happy one. Eli's house will be buried by their sins.

1 Samuel 3:15-18, Morning

Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, but Eli called him and said, "Samuel, my son." 

Samuel answered, "Here I am."   

"What was it he said to you?" Eli asked. "Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you."  

So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. 

Then Eli said, "He is the LORD; let him do what is good in his eyes." 

Eli insists that Samuel pass on the message from YHWH and Samuel reluctantly agrees. Eli takes this all quietly. He has apparently been resigned to this for some time. His main legacy now will be Samuel.

1 Samuel 3:19-21, Samuel recognized as prophet 

The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground.  And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD.  The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

YHWH protects and strengthens Samuel. Samuel's words do not "fall to the ground", that is, they take fruit and have good effect. From the tribe of Dan, now in the far north of Israel, to Beersheba in the south, Samuel is recognized as a prophet.  

The chapter begins by saying that the "word of YHWH" was rare; the chapter ends with YHWH continuing to appear to Samuel at Shiloh.

The medieval chapter division leaves out a summary sentence which we include here.

I Samuel 4:1a, All Israel

And Samuel's word came to all Israel. 

First published July 25, 2023; updated July 24, 2026

I Samuel 2, A Young Boy Dedicated in the Temple

God has given Hannah a child. At the tabernacle in Shiloh, she dedicates him to YHWH as a Nazirite.

1 Samuel 2:1-2, Horn lifted high

Then Hannah prayed and said:

`"My heart rejoices in the LORD; 

in the LORD my horn is lifted high. 

My mouth boasts over my enemies, 

for I delight in your deliverance. 

"There is no one holy like the LORD; 

there is no one besides you; 

there is no Rock like our God.  

This song is a song of triumph. It appears early in the scroll of Samuel while David's song of triumph occurs at the end of the scroll, in 2 Samuel 22. These two songs of praise form majestic bookends to the scroll of Samuel.

The "horn" of an animal represents its strength; Hanna's "horn" is lifted up in victory by YHWH.

1 Samuel 2:3, Don't be so arrogant

"Do not keep talking so proudly 

or let your mouth speak such arrogance, 

for the LORD is a God who knows,

 and by him deeds are weighed.

God rewards the humble and brings down the arrogant. In a song of triumph, one acknowledges God's  defeat of one's enemies. It is possible that Hannah's enemies in this song are just the travails of life -- but maybe these verses are aimed at the other wife, Peninnah, who flaunted her own motherhood while Hannah was barren?

1 Samuel 2:4-8a, Broken/unbroken

"The bows of the warriors are broken, 

but those who stumbled are armed with strength.  

Those who were full hire themselves out for food, 

but those who were hungry hunger no more. 

She who was barren has borne seven children, 

but she who has had many sons pines away.  

"The LORD brings death and makes alive; 

he brings down to the grave and raises up.  

The LORD sends poverty and wealth; 

he humbles and he exalts.  

He raises the poor from the dust 

and lifts the needy from the ash heap; 

he seats them with princes 

and has them inherit a throne of honor. 

In rapid fire, Hannah praises God in seven stanzas.  All of these are examples of parallelism, in which a second phrases echoes the thoughts of the first. The first three stanzas are examples of antithetical parallelism, that is, two parallel statements, positive/negative reflections of each other: broken/strong, impoverished/not hungry, barren/many children. Several more stanzas continue the +/- effect, within each line: death/alive, poverty/wealth, poor/raised up.

1 Samuel 2:8b-10, YHWH's strength

"For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's; 

upon them he has set the world.  

He will guard the feet of his saints, 

but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.

 "It is not by strength that one prevails;  

those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. 

He will thunder against them from heaven; 

the LORD will judge the ends of the earth. 

"He will give strength to his king 

and exalt the horn of his anointed."

What is the theme of this song? God does the unexpected; he reverses roles -- he lifts up the humble and puts down the proud.  Hannah's praise will be echoed by Mary, mother of Jesus, in Luke 1:46-55.

At this time, there is no king in Israel (despite the phrasing of verse 10) but Hannah's son will anoint the first two kings of Israel.

1 Samuel 2:11-17, Eli's sons

Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest. 

Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD.  Now it was the practice of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. He would plunge it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.  

But even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest some meat to roast; he won't accept boiled meat from you, but only raw."  If the man said to him, "Let the fat be burned up first, and then take whatever you want," the servant would then answer, "No, hand it over now; if you don't, I'll take it by force."  This sin of the young men was very great in the LORD's sight, for they were treating the LORD's offering with contempt.

Samuel probably lived with Eli from when he, Samuel, was 3-5 years old.

The tabernacle at this time is at Shiloh. The sons of Eli are taking more than their share of the sacrifice. Even in those ancient days, people used the ministry for greed and gain. (The narrator alerted us to upcoming issues with Eli's sons when they are named earlier in 1 Samuel 1:3.)

We get an interesting description of the cooking: "pan or kettle or cauldron or pot" -- what a curious phrase -- and the author also describes a "three-pronged fork."  Alter suggests that the hurried pan/kettle/cauldron/pot phrase paints a scene of greedy priests' frenetically stabbing their forks into every pot and pan.

1 Samuel 2:18-21, Hannah visits her son

But Samuel was ministering before the LORD--a boy wearing a linen ephod.  Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.  Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, "May the LORD give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the LORD." Then they would go home.  

And the LORD was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. 

Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.

The visits from Hannah and Elkanah occurred every year. Notice the token of love, a robe, that Hannah worked on in Samuel's absence. The woman who wept before YHWH at Shiloh, begging to be given a son, surely now cries quietly at home as she sews the small robe, her tears a mixture of joy and longing for the son she misses.

After the birth of Samuel, Hannah has five more children. And Samuel grows up at the tabernacle in Shiloh.

1 Samuel 2:22-26, Eli chastises his sons

Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear spreading among the LORD's people.  If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?" 

His sons, however, did not listen to their father's rebuke, for it was the LORD's will to put them to death.

In contrast to Samuel, Eli's sons are scoundrels, taking advantage of their position to have sex with the women who serve at the Tent of Meeting. Eli chastises his sons but does nothing about it.

The explanation for the stubbornness of Eli's sons echoes that of the Pharaoh in Exodus (eg. Exodus 7:3-4), that is, YHWH affects their reactions for a particular purpose.

1 Samuel 2:27-29, Eli chastised by God

Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: `Did I not clearly reveal myself to your father's house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh?  I chose your father out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your father's house all the offerings made with fire by the Israelites.  Why do you  scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?'

A "man of God", that is, an unnamed prophet, chastises Eli and warns him of the punishment to come. Eli is reminded of the decision, long ago back in Egypt, to honor Eli's ancestors and to reward them. Yet Eli honors his sons more than YHWH.

1 Samuel 2:30-36, Judgement

"Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: `I promised that your house and your father's house would minister before me forever.' But now the LORD declares: `Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.  

"'The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your family line and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, in your family line there will never be an old man. Every one of you that I do not cut off from my altar will be spared only to blind your eyes with tears and to grieve your heart, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life.  

"`And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you--they will both die on the same day. I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before my anointed one always. Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a crust of bread and plead, "Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat."'"

Eli's son, Phinehas, is named after a grandson of high priest Aaron, a priest in the days of the Exodus (Exodus 6:25.)

Eli chastises his sons but does nothing. God chastises Eli and promises to take action. Eli's family are descendants of Aaron. Although Aaron's family is to minister before YHWH for many generations (Exodus 40:12-15), Eli's family line will end. Eli's last descendant, Abiathar, will be dismissed from the priesthood by Solomon in 1 Kings 2:26-27.

Youngblood, in his commentary on First and Second Samuel, argues for an elegant chiastic structure in this chapter. The concentric circles begin and end with praise for the Lord's "anointed one' (verse 10 and 35) on the outer circle and then, moving inward, Samuel ministering before YHWH (verses 11 and 26), the sins of Eli's sons (verses 12-17 and 22-25), Samuel before YHWH (verses 18 and 21b) with the central verse being the blessing of Samuel's parents in verse 21a. The chiastic structure, common throughout the Old Testament writings, might be diagrammed like this:

    A. The Lord's anointed one (2:10)

        B. Samuel ministering before YHWH (2:11)

            C. The sins of Eli's sons (2:12-17)

                D. Samuel in the Lord's presence (2:18)

                    E. The blessing of Elkanah and Hannah (2:21a)

                D'. Samuel in the Lord's presence (2:21b)

            C'. The sins of Eli's sons (2:22-25)

        B'. Samuel ministering before YHWH (2:26)

    A'. The Lord's anointed one (2:35)

First published July 24, 2023; updated July 23, 2026

I Samuel 1, Hannah's Prayer

The people of Israel will transition from the chaos of Judges to the kingdom of David.  That story is covered by the scroll of Samuel. The first half of the scroll (the book of j1 Samuel) will describe the history before David is king.

1 Samuel 1:1-5, Hannah's sorrow

There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.  

Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the LORD. Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb.

Note the significant lineage of Elkanah. An earlier Elkanah appears in Exodus 6:24, in the descendants of Levi.

Although polygamy was part of the culture of the ancient Near East (ANE), it required significant resources. Elkanah is likely to have been fairly well off.

The name Hannah persists into New Testament times. A woman named Hannah served in the temple at the time of the birth of the Messiah Yeshua. In her brief appearance in Luke 2:36-38, her named is transcribed into Greek as Anna.

At this time the central meeting place for worship was still Shiloh. According to the covenant (Exodus 34:23), Israelite men were to go to the tabernacle three times a year to offer sacrifices.

1 Samuel 1:6-8, Hannah's pain

And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.  

Elkanah her husband would say to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?"  

As was common in the ANE and in Israelite culture, women longed to be mothers and, in particular, to give their husbands sons. Elkanah cares deeply for Hannah. He communicates to her that he is happy with her and he wants her to be content. His words imply that she need not provide him with children. But, like any husband, he does not quite understand her strong desire to be a mother. 

Peninnah, like Sarah's maidservant long ago (Genesis 16:3-5), enjoys her status as mother and lords it over Hannah. 

It is possible that Hannah was Elkanah's first wife but that her barrenness led him to find a second wife. (This is a claim of the midrash, says a Wikipedia page on Peninnah.)

The name Peninnah is probably a feminine form of peninim (פָנִין), meaning "rubies", "pearls" or "precious stones" -- see Proverbs 3:15 for a form of that Hebrew word.

1 Samuel 1:9-11, Hannah's prayer

Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the LORD's temple. In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD.  And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."

Hannah brings her pain personally to YHWH in the temple and pours out her soul there. Although this is not explicitly said in the Masoretic text, Hannah is offering her first son as a Nazirite. (The Nazirite commitment is described in Numbers 6.) The Septuagint adds the rest of the Nazirite requirements: "he will not drink wine or any intoxicating beverage" and, says Youngblood, a fragment of this chapter in the Dead Sea Scrolls uses the term Nazirite in verse 22, below.

1 Samuel 1:12-16, Eli's reaction

As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine."  

"Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD.  Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief."  

Hannah is praying silently. Apparently that is unusual, but she may not want others to hear her prayer. However, the priest, Eli, suspects she is drunk. 

Throughout this passage, Hannah's prayers are serious and intimate. As she grieves and brings her requests to God, she hopes that He not only hears her personal prayer but intercedes for her.

1 Samuel 1:17-18, Go in peace

Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him."  

She said, "May your servant find favor in your eyes." Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

Eli gives Hannah a blessing and suggests that, maybe, the God of Israel will answer her. Hannah names YHWH and appears to speak to Him personally, deeply. Eli gives a more general description of YHWH "God of Israel" and does not appear to be all that engaged. (Eli is not a particularly strong example of a priest; his sons will be much much worse.)

1 Samuel 1:19-20, God answers

Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the LORD for him."

YHWH "remembers" Hannah, that is, gives attention to her, and allows her to conceive. (This result is similar to the miracle given to Ruth in Ruth 4:13.) 

The name Samuel is a combination of two words, the verb shama ( שָׁמַע), meaning "to hear" or "to declare", and el (אֵל), the generic name for God. Hannah is declaring, in that name, that "God heard!"

1 Samuel 1:21-28, Hannah's sacrifice

When the man Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow, Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, "After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the LORD, and he will live there always." 

"Do what seems best to you," Elkanah her husband told her. "Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the LORD make good his word." 

So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.

 

"So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." 

And he worshiped the LORD there.

Once Samuel is weaned (probably between the ages of two and three, possibly older) Hannah reminds Eli of their conversation some years before and gives Samuel to YHWH, to serve in the temple as a Nazirite. As part of that ceremony, the parents offer a sacrifice.  

Elkanah supports Hannah's decision. (Does he have much choice?)

Despite the miracle of Hannah's pregnancy, this offer of her son must have been very difficult for her. She will probably only see her son at the annual visit, when they offer sacrifices. 

First published July 22, 2023; updated July 22, 2026

Ruth 4, A Redeemer Born in Bethlehem

Ruth has spent a night in a barn, lying at Boaz's feet.  This is a marriage proposal that we all hope will be successfully resolved, but there is a problem: another man has more rights to Ruth than does Boaz!

Ruth 4:1-2, Town gate
Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat there. When the kinsman-redeemer he had mentioned came along, Boaz said, "Come over here, my friend, and sit down." So he went over and sat down. Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, "Sit here," and they did so.

In the ancient Near East, the city gate was the place of legal business. Boaz draws the kinsman-redeemer to him and then arranges for ten elders to join him. He has set up a classical ANE official meeting.

We lose a bit in the NIV's translation "friend" in verse 1.  The Hebrew that the NIV translates as "friend" is a rhyming phrase: peloni almoni, and might literally be translated "such-and-such" or "Mr. So-and-so." It is a device to leave the man unnamed. 

The ability to bring together ten elders suggests that Boaz has a certain status in the community. Ten Jewish men would be enough to make this meeting official, a minyan, but for legal, not liturgical purposes.

Ruth 4:3-6, A sale of land

Then he said to the kinsman-redeemer, "Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech. I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line."

"I will redeem it," he said.

Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the land from Naomi and from Ruth the Moabitess, you acquire the dead man's widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property."

At this, the kinsman-redeemer said, "Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it."

Boaz begins with a mention of a sale of land. (This is the first that we have heard of this sale.) As he introduces this sale, he makes it clear that he, Boaz, is available as a backup to purchase the land.

Once the other man agrees, Boaz follows with his surprise.  Purchase of that land will mean also taking care of Naomi and Ruth.  Furthermore, via the kinsman-redeemer rules of Israel (and the ANE), the man would be expected to father children with Ruth. Any sons of Ruth would apparently inherit Elimelech's land. This will be a significant burden to this man, but Boaz has thoughtfully handed him a way out of this burden by promising to be the backup on the purchase.  The man grabs this solution, giving Boaz freedom to be the kinsman-redeemer.

Ruth 4:7-10, Exchange of sandals
(Now 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.) 

So the kinsman-redeemer said to Boaz, "Buy it yourself." And he removed his sandal.

Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, "Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from the town records. Today you are witnesses!"

This is a fascinating cultural scene. There is enough detail here that I suspect the Storyteller thinks these activities are interesting also. The ritual with the sandal seems to be a gentler variant on the "Family of the Unsandaled" confrontation described in Deuteronomy 25:7-10.

Hubbard, in his commentary on page 251, has a lot on the significance of feet in near Eastern traditions. Apparently the sandal represents transferring the right of go'el, redeemer.

Here we learn that Ruth's first husband was Mahlon.

At this point, Boaz has completed a business deal, resolving the status of the land and the widows. But the audience for our Storyteller and the town witnesses of this sale, all recognize a much more significant agreement.  In the next paragraph, the elders and others at the gate, applaud not the business arrangement but something more important....

Ruth 4:11-12, Like Rachel and Leah

Then the elders and all those at the gate said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. Through the offspring the LORD gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah."

The elders and other townspeople (and the Storyteller's audience) applaud not the sale but the upcoming marriage of our hero and heroine. In Jewish fashion, they wish this couple many children, comparing Ruth to the mothers of the twelve tribes, and to Tamar, mother of Perez and thus of the descendants of Judah. This is high praise for the couple, and, more so, high praise to identify this alien Moabitess with famous Jewish mothers.

Ephrathah is the region in which Bethlehem sits. It was the place where Rachel died and was buried (Genesis 35:16-18.) The blessing of the townspeople will echo again in Micah 5:2 and then later in the New Testament gospels, Matthew (2:1-6) and Luke (2:4-7.)

Ruth 4:13, A son!
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. Then he went to her, and the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.

Notice how quickly the storyteller moves us now. The marriage, now agreed upon, would have presumably occurred within the next few days, with a public celebration. Then the couple retire in privacy and Ruth, who has been childless so far, is able to conceive a child. (The phrase "went to her" was a euphemism for sex, it usually meant "he went into her room...". The similar American phrase would be "he slept with her".)

This book rarely mentions YHWH directly.  Here YHWH is explicitly identified as making Ruth able to conceive.

Ruth 4:14-17, A kinsman-redeemer
The women said to Naomi: "Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth."

Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him.

The women living there said, "Naomi has a son." And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

I think this is my favorite passage of the whole book.  Ruth has labored through the day; the midwives work with her and finally amid her cries, there is the cry of a child! A son! The child is cleaned by the midwives and caressed by the exhausted Ruth, maybe he nurses a little, and then he is triumphantly carried by the women of the community to Naomi, who waits for word of Ruth's labor. Naomi, who at the beginning of the story identified herself as "bitter", is now allowed to hold her grandson on her lap. Can you see Naomi sobbing softly, holding the child, as the women leave to take the good news to the streets?

Once again, the perspective is that of the women of the community.  The reaction of the men is irrelevant to this story.

Ruth is praised by the women as "better than seven sons", high praise for a stranger from Moab.

Who named Obed? (Obed apparently means "one who works/serves". It may be short for Obadiah, which means "one who serves Yahweh".)

The phrase translated "cared for him" in verse 16 implies some type of long-term arrangement, as a nanny, guardian, foster-mother.

Ruth 4:18-22, A family line
This, then, is the family line of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.

Hezron is mentioned in Genesis 46:12 as traveling with Jacob's descendants to Egypt at the time of Joseph. Nahshon, is mentioned in Numbers 1:7 as the leader of the tribe of Judah when the Israelites leave Egypt with Moses. We are being given only part of the lineage of Boaz.

According to ancient tradition (says a commentary) the position of seventh descendant in a genealogy was a special one. So this may have been structured to give prominence to Obed, Ruth's son.

This beautiful short story of Ruth ends with a surprise. Ruth, the Moabitess, is the great-grandmother of David!  She is mentioned in Matthew 1:5 in the genealogy of the Messiah, Yeshua.

Some Hebrew vocabulary

Our Hebrew word for the day is ga'al, a verb, "to ransom, redeem, avenge."

גָּאַל

Some Random Thoughts

The story of Ruth has two endings, the romantic one, in which a good man and a good woman are successful in finding each other and taking care of each other. And then a second ending, in which we discover that these two ordinary good people are parents at the head of a famous tribe, a famous dynasty.

First published July 21, 2023, last updated July 21, 2026

Ruth 3, A Night in a Barn

Ruth has been faithfully working in the fields of Boaz, and in that role, been well-treated by him. But the harvest is coming to an end. What will happen to Naomi and Ruth?

Ruth 3:1-6, Naomi's plan
One day Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for? Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don't let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do." 

"I will do whatever you say," Ruth answered. So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.

The first verse of this chapter echoes Naomi's prayer in Ruth 1:9.  Naomi hatches a plan to marry Ruth to Boaz.  It involves Ruth dressing for the part, washing, putting on her best clothes and perfume. Given the cultural differences between Moab and Israel, Ruth is told to follow precise instructions.

Once again, we are given the women's point of view.  We hear the conversation between the two women, a conversation that includes details that women would be more likely to appreciate.

It would be easier for Ruth stay hidden on the threshing floor than we might think -- there would be very little lighting at night, maybe none at all. The threshing floor (barn?) would be dark soon after the sun had set. And would stay dark until dawn.

Hubbard says the threshing room floor was often associated with licentiousness and debauchery, with harvest orgies and wild drinking. (See Hosea 9:1 for example.) There is significant risk for Ruth here, either from other men at the threshing floor or because she might be viewed as a prostitute. Both Naomi and Ruth are putting their lives and reputations into Boaz's hands.

Ruth 3:7-9, Middle of the night
When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet. "Who are you?" he asked. 

"I am your servant Ruth," she said. "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer."

Note: another interpretation of "something startled the man" is "the man was made to tremble/shiver". It is possible that he awoke because his feet were cold!

Hubbard: The word for "servant" in verse 9 is amah, a higher form than the term used by Ruth in Ruth 2:13. This term denotes an Israelite with enough standing to marry. (The term was used for Bilhah and Zilpah, the servants of Rachel and Leah.) Ruth also uses a familial term for "you" when she says I am your servant and, unlike chapter 2, she uses her name. Her words here are bolder, much less submissive than those in the previous chapter.

Why is Boaz in good spirits? Hubbard sees him lying in the darkness, full and content. He has a good God, he has had a good harvest, life is wonderful! What more could a man want? Oy, maybe he is a little lonely, yes?

In the previous chapter (Ruth 2: 12), Boaz asks YHWH, "the God of Israel" to bless Ruth, for she has taken refuge under His wings. Ruth's request in verse 9 is that Boaz spread his wings over her. (The Hebrew word translated "wings" in 2:12 is kanaph; here that same word is translated "corner of your garment.") Boaz has a chance to answer his own prayer!

This is the climax of the story, with considerable tension. We now have our hero and heroine together, indeed they are next to each other in the dark! How will Boaz react?

Ruth 3:10-13, Boaz responds
"The LORD bless you, my daughter," he replied. "This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. 

"Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the LORD lives I will do it. Lie here until morning."

Boaz responds like the good man of character he is. The audience, listening to this story, sighs with happiness.  Yes, Boaz reacts with integrity and compassion.  He demonstrates hesed (loyal compassion.) And he compliments Ruth for her kindness, for her demonstrations of hesed.

But, just as the Storyteller's audience sighs with happiness, one last conflict is introduced into the story. There is a closer kinsman! Boaz assures Ruth that one of them will take care of her.  But this is not good news! By this time our audience is rooting for a Ruth-Boaz couple and so this second man is a problem. (Three thousand years later, Hallmark movies use a similar dramatic technique -- for two-thirds of the movie, the audience yearns for the hero and heroine to discover each other. Then, finally, when they meet, suddenly a crisis occurs and the perfect match is suspended by a thread, to be resolved in the last minutes of the movie.)

Boaz promises to resolve everything in the morning.  Until then, Ruth is to stay with him in the dark, where she is safe.

Ruth 3:14-15, Return to town
So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and he said, "Don't let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor." 

He also said, "Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out." When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and put it on her. Then he went back to town.

Boaz doesn't want Ruth to be seen in the dawn light. Otherwise people would make an obvious assumption about a woman leaving the threshing floor in the morning.

The Hebrew of verse 15 (and later, verse 17) does not give a unit of measurement for the barley, but merely says that Boaz "measured six of barley." 

The Old Testament audience would recognize fertility symbols in the gift of six measures of barley. YHWH has been gracious to Boaz, with a fertile harvest, and Boaz is now passing on these gifts to Ruth and Naomi. The ANE audience is now hopeful that this story will include future fertility.

Ruth 3:16-18, Unfinished business
When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, "How did it go, my daughter?" 

Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her and added, "He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, `Don't go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.'" 

Then Naomi said, "Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today."

Ruth has been gone all night. Naomi has probably been anxious the entire time -- both her future and that of Ruth -- depend on a man stepping up and taking care of them.  Ruth, returning with six measures of barley and a promise of marriage, is the best she could hope for, even if we do not yet know the identity of the husband-to-be.

From Ruth's story, Naomi knows that Boaz will resolve the kinsman-redeemer issue and provide a husband to Ruth.  Her suggestions to Ruth have a hint of optimism, as she sees considerable evidence that Boaz plans to be the one to marry Ruth. With this hope, the Storyteller ends this chapter.

Some Hebrew vocabulary

Our Hebrew word for the day is amah,  feminine noun, "maidservant."

 אָמָה

Some Random Thoughts

Ruth is a strong woman. She has committed herself to Naomi and to the God of Israel and followed Naomi into an unfamiliar culture, with an unfamiliar language, where she might be rejected. She is subservient to Boaz when she first meets him and recognizes her place at the bottom of the societal rung. Yet when she has to step up, she confronts Boaz with both gentleness and yet a demand, a demand that includes presenting herself as a woman deserving respect.

First published July 20, 2023, last updated July 20, 2026