Question
Why did Boaz not immediately commit to marrying Ruth?
He was not sure if he could afford a wedding.
There was no spark between Boaz and Ruth.
There was another man in line before Boaz who could marry Ruth to keep the land in the family.
He wanted to see what his friends thought about him getting married so fast.
He was not sure if he could afford a wedding.
There was no spark between Boaz and Ruth.
There was another man in line before Boaz who could marry Ruth to keep the land in the family.
He wanted to see what his friends thought about him getting married so fast.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Boaz did not immediately commit to marrying Ruth because there was another man in line before him who had the right to marry Ruth and claim the family land. According to the customs outlined in the Book of Ruth, this other kinsman-redeemer had the first option to redeem the family property and marry Ruth in order to keep the lineage intact. Boaz wanted to respect this legal and cultural obligation, thus he first approached the other man to determine if he would fulfill that role before proceeding with his own intentions to marry Ruth.