The text of this verse in Hebrew is literally “and this was (the custom) This is the text of Targum, Syriac version, and Septuagint. Even if this was not the original Hebrew text, it is clearly implicit information which has to be made explicit in translation. in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm A piel instead of a hiphil or polel form as we should expect. Compare Gesenius-Kautzsch, par. 72. Moreover, the verbal form shows clearly Aramaic influences; see Joüon, par. 80. a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was (the manner of) attesting in Israel.” In rendering this verse it is necessary in a number of languages to make certain aspects explicit. One must often clearly indicate the objects of redeeming and exchanging. Good News Translation does this by stating a sale or an exchange of property, and then makes both parties explicit by speaking of seller and buyer. This interprets the ceremony of the shoe as a general witness of a contract for the sale of property. This is a possible interpretation and it is defended by some commentators. So A. R. S. Kennedy, The Book of Ruth, 1928, page 57, and also G. A. Cooke, The Book of Ruth, 1918, page 15. It may be, however, that the ceremony involving the shoe is not a general one to mark the sale of property, but it may be restricted to situations involving relatives and the abandonment of one’s normal responsibility or the transfer of the right of a relative to acquire property on behalf of a dead person. If that is the case, the near relative neither bought nor sold anything; it was only later that Boaz bought the property from Naomi, and in that instance there is no indication of the ceremony of passing a shoe. It is possible that the shoe was regarded as a kind of symbol of power in Israel, as elsewhere, Parallels to this extent have been cited from India, Egypt, and the Nuzi texts. See the literature quoted in Rowley, art. cit., notes 37-40. See also J. M. Mittelmann, Der altisraelitische Levirat, 1934, page 21. and the taking off of the sandal or shoe indicated the surrendering of power or rights. Within the Old Testament, the throwing of a sandal upon a piece of land did mean taking possession of it (Psalm 60.8 {Psalm 60.10 in the Hebrew text.}), and in the present instance the reversal of the process is true: taking off the sandal meant abandonment of any right to the property. For the complicated relationship between Ruth 4.7 and Deuteronomy 25.9, see especially Rowley, op. cit., page 86. It is, therefore, somewhat dangerous to be too explicit in rendering this verse, and it may be preferable to translate “whenever property was acquired and rights exchanged” or “whenever people took property or exchanged rights to property.” For the same reason, it may be preferable to state “a man” and “the other (party)” instead of seller and buyer.

There may be certain problems involved in obtaining a satisfactory rendering for sandal. Sometimes a term for sandal indicates the footwear of particularly poor persons or, in some situations, footwear used only for recreation or sport. If this is the case, it would be better to use a general designation for footwear which would include sandals.

In this way the Israelites showed that the matter was settled may require certain modifications in some languages; for example, “the people of Israel had this custom of showing that a matter was settled,” “… a transaction was finished,” “… the agreement was final,” or “… that the people had decided.”

The inclusion of the information in verse 7 indicates that this practice was not widely known at the time the Book of Ruth was written; otherwise it would not have been necessary to introduce this explanation. The necessity for making this kind of explanation concerning an apparently widespread custom of earlier times would suggest a considerable lapse of time between the events described and their being put into the literary form of this book.

Quoted with permission from de Waard, Jan and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Ruth. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .