And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom ,.... As a token of her most tender love and affection for it; this it is probable she did quickly after the birth of it: and became a nurse unto it ; that is, after the mother had suckled and weaned it, then she took it from her, and brought it up. read more
And the women her neighbours gave it a name ,.... Josephus says F17 Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 9. sect. 4.) Naomi gave it, by the advice of her neighbours; very probably on the eighth day when he was circumcised, and the neighbours were invited on that occasion, at which time it seems it was usual to give names to children, see Luke 1:59 . The Romans gave names to females on the eighth day, to the males on the ninth; hence the goddess Nundina had her name F18 Alex. ab Alex.... read more
Now these are the generations of Pharez ,.... The son of Judah, by Tamar before mentioned, 4:12 , for the intention of this genealogy is to confirm the truth of Jacob's prophecy, of Shiloh the Messiah coming from the tribe of Judah, Genesis 49:10 and therefore it begins with Pharez, well known to be the son of Judah, and ends with David, whose son the Messiah was to be, as is owned by all Jews and Gentiles that believe the divine revelation: Pharez begat Hezron ; who was one of those... read more
And Hezron begat Ram ,.... Called Aram by the Septuagint, and so in Matthew 1:3 , and Ram begat Amminadab ; in whose name there is no variation, neither in the book of Chronicles nor in the Evangelists; both these, as well as the next, were born in Egypt. read more
And Amminadab begat Nahshon ,.... The prince of the tribe of Judah, as the Targum adds; and so he was when the Israelites were come out of Egypt, and were in the wilderness at the time of the dedication of the altar, Numbers 7:12 called Nahsson, Matthew 1:4 , and Nahshon begat Salmon; or, as in the Hebrew text, Salmah, and in 1 Chronicles 2:11 , Salma; and yet in the verse following Salmon, as we read it. read more
And Salmon begat Boaz ,.... Of Rahab the harlot, whom he married, Matthew 1:5 the very same person that makes a principal part of this book, and whom the Targum here takes to be the judge Ibzan; see Gill on 1:1 . and Boaz begat Obed ; of Ruth; of whom see the preceding verses. read more
And Obed begat Jesse ,.... The Bethlehemite, the father of David: and Jesse begat David ; the Targum adds, the king of Israel; and so the Syriac and Arabic versions add, the king; from whence it is by some concluded that this book was written by Samuel, not only after the birth of David, but after he had been anointed king by him: here being but four generations mentioned, from the coming of the Israelites into Canaan, to the birth of David, which was three hundred and sixty years, each... read more
Naomi took the child - This might do for Naomi, but it was bad for the child. A child, unless remarkably healthy and robust, will suffer considerably by being nursed by an old woman, especially if the child sleep with her. The aged gain refreshment and energy by sleeping with the young; and from the same means the young derive premature decrepitude. The vigor which is absorbed by the former is lost by the latter. It is a foolish and destructive custom to permit young children, which is... read more
The neighbors gave it a name - That is, they recommended a name suitable to the circumstances of the case; and the parents and grandmother adopted it. They called his name Obed - עובד obed , serving, from עבד abad , he served. Why was this name given? Because he was to be the nourisher of her old age, Rth 4:15. And so he must be by lying in her bosom, even if services in future life were wholly left out of the question. These neighbors of Naomi were skillful... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ruth 4:13-22
Here is, I. Ruth a wife. Boaz took her, with the usual solemnities, to his house, and she became his wife (Ruth 4:13), all the city, no doubt, congratulating the preferment of a virtuous woman, purely for her virtues. We have reason to think that Orpah, who returned from Naomi to her people and her gods, was never half so well preferred as Ruth was. He that forsakes all for Christ shall find more than all with him; it shall be recompensed a hundred-fold in this present time. Now Orpah wished... read more