Ruth 4:6 (ASV)

Passage

And the near kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: take thou my right of redemption on thee; for I cannot redeem it.

Nearby Context

Ruth 4:4 And I thought to disclose it unto thee, saying, Buy it before them that sit here, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is none to redeem it besides thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.

Ruth 4:5 Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.

Ruth 4:6 And the near kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: take thou my right of redemption on thee; for I cannot redeem it.

Ruth 4:7 Now this was [the custom] in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: a man drew off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor; and this was the [manner of] attestation in Israel.

Ruth 4:8 So the near kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thyself. And he drew off his shoe.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "near", "kinsman", "said", "redeem", "myself", "lest", "mine", and "inheritance". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "near" and "kinsman", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Then said Boaz What day thou buyest..." into verse 7's "Now this was the custom in former...", so "near" and "kinsman" 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 "near" and "kinsman" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.