Ho, Such a One! Ruth 4:1 - Equipped for Battle

Boaz' plan is underway, and now all he must do is engage the kinsman who is nearer than he and convince him that Ruth should be his wife rather than the closer one. Let us remember that Ruth is home with Naomi sitting still and waiting on the outcome. Boaz is the one at work, and we see his work begin in verse one of chapter four in the book of Ruth where we read:

Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.

We read first “Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat down there:”. If we are unfamiliar with the Bible times we might at first glance not understand why this was significant. In those days the “gate” was like the courthouse. Prominent men of the city or village would meet at the “gate” to discuss social affairs, make decisions for the public or try criminal activities. The “gate” was where legal matters could be decided. So naturally Boaz knew the right place to go to transact his intentions toward Ruth.

As he sat at the gate, “behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by;”Boaz was clearly aware of the family lineage, and he knew exactly who had the proper position and advantage to have Ruth as his wife. When this certain man came by, Boaz recognized him immediately.

When Boaz saw him, he called out, “Ho, such a one! Turn aside, and sit down here.” Now we may be unfamiliar with this term “Ho”, and it is indeed a King James Version word, but it makes the passage memorable. We might say “Hey” or “Hey buddy” or “Hey Dude”, the idea is that Boaz wanted to get this man's attention. An exclamation point is used to indicate that Boaz said this loudly or possibly shouted it. His request was that the man “turn aside” or turn from the direction he was going and come to where Boaz was. Then Boaz desired that the man sit down with him. When such direction was given to another at the “gate” it generally meant there was business to be conducted. We should use our imagination to see these events occurring, and if we do, can we envision the passion of Boaz as he makes this appeal?

After Boaz gives his invitation to the man, we read that “he turned aside, and sat down.” If we think about this for a moment, we will consider all the times in this book people obeyed the desires of others. Here is another case. This man turned aside at the bidding of Boaz, and now the story grows in intensity, however, we shall wait till next time to discover what happens next.

Next time we will see Boaz gather witnesses to carry out his plan, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

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