Ruth 4:7 explains an old legal custom in Israel: when people agreed to redeem property or exchange rights, a man removed his sandal and handed it to his neighbor, and that act made the deal official. The verse is a narrator’s note, written so the reader understands a symbol that the original audience would have recognized immediately. The custom is being described by the narrator of the book of Ruth, shortly after the scene in which Boaz presses the closest relative to decide whether he will buy back Naomi’s land.
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 4:7 (WEB)
What Ruth 4:7 Means
The verse begins by saying this was “the custom in former time in Israel.” The narrator is pointing back to an established practice, so the reader knows the scene is not an odd improvisation but a recognized legal step. The words “concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging” cover two related matters: buying back family land and transferring rights from one person to another. The phrase “to confirm all things” tells us the purpose of the act was to make the transaction binding and beyond dispute.
The sandal itself carried the weight. A man took off his shoe and gave it to his neighbor, and that gesture was the public seal. The verse does not explain the symbolism in detail, and it does not promise anything about God’s action in the matter. It simply records how business was formalized in that time and place.
The Context of Ruth 4:7
The book of Ruth is traditionally attributed to an unnamed author, and it was written for an Israelite audience who would have understood the customs of land, family and inheritance without explanation. The story follows Ruth, a Moabite widow, and Naomi, her mother-in-law, as they return to Bethlehem with nothing. Boaz, a relative of Naomi’s late husband, becomes their redeemer, a kinsman whose role is to protect the family’s land and name.
Just before verse 7, the closer relative declines to redeem the field because it would cost him his own inheritance. Just after, Boaz announces to the witnesses that he has bought the land and taken Ruth as his wife. Read in that setting, the sandal is the final public confirmation that the redemption has taken place, which makes the verse the hinge between a private negotiation and a community-wide acknowledgment.
Key Phrases in Ruth 4:7
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.
(WEB)
This verse finishes Boaz’s public declaration, naming the witnesses and the purpose of the purchase. It shows the sandal ritual in action, because the people gathered at the gate are called to witness what has been done.
Deuteronomy 25:9
Then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face. She shall answer and say, “So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.”
(WEB)
This passage describes a related custom of removing a sandal in a different legal setting, which helps the reader see that the gesture belonged to a wider framework of Israelite law and social responsibility.
A Short Prayer From Ruth 4:7
Lord, you see the places in my life where promises are unclear and where I have left things vague to avoid cost or conflict. Help me to be honest about what I owe, to speak my commitments plainly, and to keep the word I give. Where others need someone to stand in the gap for them, make me willing to step forward with courage and care, as Boaz did. Teach me to honor the people you have placed around me, and let my faithfulness be a witness to those who watch how I keep my word. Amen.
