Ruth 4:7 (WEB)

Passage

Now this was the custom in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: a man took off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor; and this was the way of formalizing transactions in Israel.

Nearby Context

Ruth 4:5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must buy it also from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance.”

Ruth 4:6 The near kinsman said, “I can’t redeem it for myself, lest I endanger my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption for yourself; for I can’t 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 took off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor; and this was the way of formalizing transactions in Israel.

Ruth 4:8 So the near kinsman said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” then he took off his shoe.

Ruth 4:9 Boaz said to the elders, and to all the people, “You are witnesses today, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "custom", "former", "time", "israel", "concerning", "redeeming", and "exchanging". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "custom", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "The near kinsman said I can t..." into verse 8's "So the near kinsman said to Boaz...", so "all things" and "custom" 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 "all things" and "custom" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.