Contradictions and Paradoxes in Ruth 4:5

Check out Contradictions Catalog of Ruth 4:5 for the comprehensive list of verses that contradicts Ruth 4:5. Some key contradictions and paradoxes are described below.

According to the author of the Book of Ruth, Boaz is explaining that when you buy the field from Naomi, you also need to marry Ruth to help keep her late husband's family name alive. This means taking care of Ruth and having a family with her to honor her first husband who has died.

Ruth 4:5: Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy [it] also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.

Contradiction with Deuteronomy 25:5

Deuteronomy 25:5 refers to the levirate marriage, where a brother is required to marry his dead brother's widow, while Ruth 4:5 involves Boaz, who is not the direct brother but a kinsman redeemer.

Deuteronomy 25:5: If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. [her husband's...: or, her next kinsman]

Contradiction with Matthew 19:4-6

Matthew 19:4-6 emphasizes the sanctity and permanence of marriage between a husband and wife, which seems to contrast with Ruth 4:5 where marriage arrangements are negotiated and involve legal redemption.

Matthew 19:4-6: And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made [them] at the beginning made them male and female,

Contradiction with 1 Corinthians 7:39

1 Corinthians 7:39 allows a widow to marry whom she wishes with no obligation to follow a levirate-like arrangement, unlike the situation in Ruth 4:5, where Boaz follows cultural obligations to marry Ruth.

1 Corinthians 7:39: The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.

Contradiction with Leviticus 25:23-25

Leviticus 25:23-25 discusses rules about land redemption in a Jubilee context, focusing on land not people, contrasting with Ruth 4:5 which intertwines land and marriage redemption.

Leviticus 25:23-25: The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land [is] mine; for ye [are] strangers and sojourners with me. [for ever: or, to be quite cut off: Heb. for cutting off]

Contradiction with Romans 7:3

Romans 7:3 states that a woman is free to marry another if her husband dies, without obligations like those found in Ruth 4:5, which involves duties of kinsman redeemers in marriage.

Romans 7:3: So then if, while [her] husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

Paradox #1

The potential contradiction in this verse could be the tension between following family traditions and individual desires. The obligation to marry to preserve a family name might conflict with personal freedom and genuine romantic interests.

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