Editing Book of Ruth (section)

===Levirate marriage and the "redeemers"===
The Book of Ruth illustrates the difficulty of trying to use laws given in books such as [[Deuteronomy]] as evidence of actual practice.{{sfn|Grabbe|2004|p=105}} Naomi plans to provide security for herself and Ruth by arranging a [[levirate marriage]] with Boaz. She instructs Ruth to uncover Boaz's feet after he had gone to sleep and to lie down. When Boaz wakes up, surprised to see a woman at his feet, Ruth explains that she wants him to redeem (marry) her. The usual interpretation is to see sexual allusions in this part of the story, with 'feet' as a [[euphemism]] for [[genitals]].{{sfn|West|2003|p=210}}{{sfn|Coogan|2010|p=13}}{{sfn|Wright Knust|2011|p=32}}<ref group="Note" name="Genitals">For "feet" as a euphemism for genitals see, for example, Amy-Jill Levine, "Ruth," in Newsom and Ringe (eds.), ''The Women's Bible Commentary'', pp. 78-84. The usual interpretation, as given here, is that Ruth is told to uncover Boaz's genitals, but see Kirsten Nielsen, "Other Writings," in McKenzie and Graham (eds.), ''The Hebrew Bible Today'', pp.175-176, where it is argued that Ruth is to uncover herself.</ref>

Since there is no heir to inherit Elimelech's land, custom required a close relative (usually the dead man's brother) to marry the widow of the deceased in order to continue his family line ([[Deuteronomy]] 25:5–10). This relative was called the ''[[Goel (Judaism)|goel]]'', the "kinsman-redeemer". As Boaz was not Elimelech's brother, nor Ruth his widow, scholars refer to the arrangement here as "Levirate-like".{{sfn|Allen|1996|p=521-522}} A complication arises in the story when it is revealed that another man is a closer relative to Elimelech than Boaz and therefore has first claim on Ruth.{{sfn|Allen|1996|p=521-522}}

This conflict is resolved through the custom that required land to stay in the family: a family could mortgage land to ward off poverty, but the law required a kinsman to purchase it back into the family (Leviticus 25:25ff). When Boaz meets the near kinsman at the city gate, the place where contracts were settled, the kinsman initially agrees to purchase Elimelech's (now Naomi's) land; but upon hearing he must also take Ruth as his wife, he withdraws his offer. Boaz thus becomes "kinsman-redeemer" to Naomi and Ruth.{{sfn|Allen|1996|p=521-522}}