Ruth 4:2 (GNV)

Passage

Then he tooke ten men of the Elders of the citie, and sayd, Sit ye downe here. And they sate downe.

Nearby Context

Ruth 4:1 Then went Boaz vp to the gate, and sate there, and beholde, the kinsman, of whome Boaz had spoken, came by: and he sayd, Ho, snch one, come, sit downe here. And he turned, and sate downe.

Ruth 4:2 Then he tooke ten men of the Elders of the citie, and sayd, Sit ye downe here. And they sate downe.

Ruth 4:3 And he said vnto ye kinsman, Naomi, that is come againe out of ye countrey of Moab, wil sell a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelechs.

Ruth 4:4 And I thought to aduertise thee, saying, Buy it before the assistants, and before the Elders of my people. If thou wilt redeeme it, redeeme it: but if thou wilt not redeeme it, tel me: for I know that there is none besides thee to redeeme it, and I am after thee. Then he answered, I wil redeeme it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "tooke", "elders", "citie", "sayd", "downe", "here", and "sate". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "tooke" and "elders", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "Then went Boaz vp to the gate..." into verse 3's "And he said vnto ye kinsman Naomi...", so "tooke" and "elders" 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 "tooke" and "elders" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.