4:12a
In 4:11c the people said that they hoped that Ruth would have many descendants. Here they were saying the same thing about Boaz.
And may your house become like the house of Perez: Perez was one of Judah’s sons, a grandson of Jacob and one of the ancestors of Boaz (4:18–21). Although he was not the first-born, his family became more numerous and more important than those of his brothers.
house: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as house refers here to all the descendants of Boaz, not just those who live in his house.
whom Tamar bore to Judah: Tamar was a foreigner who became an important person in Israelite history because she had a baby with Judah, one of the sons of Jacob. Because Ruth was also a foreigner, this may have been the reason that the people compared Ruth with Tamar.
4:12b
because of the offspring: This refers to the children Boaz and Ruth would have and to their future descendants.
the LORD will give you: The people recognized that it is the LORD who enables a woman to bear children. Ruth had not yet had a child, even though she had been married to Mahlon. So the people prayed that the LORD would give Ruth children for Boaz.
by this young woman: Ruth may have married Mahlon at quite a young age, so she still could have been considered young. This may have been true especially when compared with Boaz, who was probably somewhat older than she was. It may also imply that Ruth was still young enough to bear children.
Here are some other ways to translate this verse part:
from the descendant whom the Lord will give you from this young woman (God’s Word)
-or-
May the children that the Lord will give you by this young woman (Good News Translation)
-or-
may the Lord give you many children through Ruth (New Century Version)
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