The third chapter of Ruth ended with a cliffhanger: will Boaz be able to marry Ruth and be her family redeemer? There is a closer family redeemer than himself who is to reacquire the property and inheritance of Elimelech. So Boaz goes to the city gate. The city gates were the center of city life and where important assemblies occurred (cf. 1 Kings 22:10; Jeremiah 38:7). The city gates were also the place where legal transactions and legal judgments were made (cf. Amos 5:10-15; Proverbs 22:22; Deuteronomy 22:15). The gates of the city were the place of public business. These gates are the right place for what Boaz is about to do in this chapter.
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