Ruth 4:11 (ASV)

Passage

And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. Jehovah make the woman that is come into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Bethlehem:

Nearby Context

Ruth 4:9 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech`s, and all that was Chilion`s and Mahlon`s, of the hand of Naomi.

Ruth 4:10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.

Ruth 4:11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. Jehovah make the woman that is come into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephrathah, and be famous in Bethlehem:

Ruth 4:12 and let thy house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give thee of this young woman.

Ruth 4:13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife; and he went in unto her, and Jehovah gave her conception, and she bare a son.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "people", "gate", "elders", "said", "witnesses", "jehovah", "make", and "woman". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "people" and "gate", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Moreover Ruth the Moabitess the wife of..." into verse 12's "and let thy house be like the...", so "people" and "gate" belong inside that flow. In Ruth context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "people" and "gate" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.