Ruth 4:15

"And he shall be unto thee a restorer of life, and a nourisher of thine old age; for thy daughter-in-law, who loveth thee, who is better than seven sons, hath borne him."

"A nourisher of thine old age." Until the birth of this grandson, the prospect of an old age for Naomi in those times and environment was bleak and threatening indeed; but the birth of Ruth's child had changed all that dramatically. As a prospective heir of perhaps both Mahlon and Boaz, the child Obed would indeed be a source of powerful strength and support for Ruth and for his grandmother Naomi. "These lines suggest that, in some sense, the child belongs to Naomi."[17]

"For thy daughter ... loveth thee." Of course, the key factor in all of the tremendous blessing and honor that accrued to Naomi in the birth of this child was the unqualified love of Ruth for her mother-in-law, of which truth there had already been so many conclusive and undeniable proofs.

"Who is better to thee than seven sons." In view of the fact that the ancients strongly preferred having sons rather than daughters, this statement that Ruth was better for Naomi that `seven sons' is "The supreme tribute."[18]