Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ruth 4:18
Now these [are] the generations of Pharez: Pharez begot Hezron,
18. these are the generations begat ] Standing formulae of P, e.g. Gen 5:3-32; Gen 6:9 ff; Gen 10:1; Gen 11:10 ff. etc. Though cast into P’s form, the genealogy is constructed out of ancient materials. It is attached to Perez, because he is named in Rth 4:12.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
It is probable that there was a family book for the house of Pharez, in which their genealogies were preserved, and important bits of history were recorded; and that the Book of Ruth was compiled from it. (See the note at Gen 2:4)
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 18. Now these are the generations] The Targum gives a copious paraphrase on this and the following verses, I shall insert the principal parts in their proper places.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
18-22. these are the generations ofPharezthat is, his descendants. This appendix shows that thespecial object contemplated by the inspired author of this littlebook was to preserve the memory of an interesting domestic episode,and to trace the genealogy of David. There was an interval of threehundred eighty years between Salmon and David. It is evident thatwhole generations are omitted; the leading personages only are named,and grandfathers are said, in Scripture language, to beget theirgrandchildren, without specifying the intermediate links.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Now these are the generations of Pharez,…. The son of Judah, by Tamar before mentioned, Ru 4:12, for the intention of this genealogy is to confirm the truth of Jacob’s prophecy, of Shiloh the Messiah coming from the tribe of Judah, Ge 49:10 and therefore it begins with Pharez, well known to be the son of Judah, and ends with David, whose son the Messiah was to be, as is owned by all Jews and Gentiles that believe the divine revelation:
Pharez begat Hezron; who was one of those that went down with Jacob into Egypt, being born in the land of Canaan, Ge 47:12 called Esrom in Mt 1:3.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“ These are the generations of Perez,” i.e., the families descended from Perez in their genealogical order ( toledoth: see at Gen 2:4). The genealogy only goes back as far as Perez, because he was the founder of the family of Judah which was named after him (Num 26:20), and to which Elimelech and Boaz belonged. Perez, a son of Judah by Tamar (Gen 38:29), begat Hezrom, who is mentioned in Gen 46:12 among the sons of Judah who emigrated with Jacob into Egypt, although (as we have shown in our comm. on the passage) he was really born in Egypt. Of this son Ram (called Aram in the Sept. Cod. Al., and from that in Mat 1:3) nothing further is known, as he is only mentioned again in 1Ch 2:9. His son Amminidab was the father-in-law of Aaron, who had married his daughter (Exo 6:23), and the father of Nahesson ( Nahshon), the tribe-prince of the house of Judah in the time of Moses (Num 1:7; Num 2:3; Num 7:12). According to this there are only four or five generations to the 430 years spent by the Israelites in Egypt, if we include both Perez and Nahesson; evidently not enough for so long a time, so that some of the intermediate links must have been left out even here. But the omission of unimportant members becomes still more apparent in the statement which follows, viz., that Nahshon begat Salmah, and Salmah Boaz, in which only two generations are given for a space of more than 250 years, which intervened between the death of Moses and the time of Gideon. Salmah ( or , 1Ch 2:11) is called Salmon in Rth 4:21; a double form of the name, which is to be explained form the fact that Salmah grew out of Salmon through the elision of the n, and that the terminations an and on are used promiscuously, as we may see from the form in Job 41:18 when compared with in 1Ki 22:34, and in 1Sa 17:5, 1Sa 17:38 (see Ewald, 163-4). According to the genealogy of Christ in Mat 1:5, Salmon married Rahab; consequently he was a son, or at any rate a grandson, of Nahshon, and therefore all the members between Salmon and Boaz have been passed over. Again, the generations from Boaz to David (Rth 4:21, Rth 4:22) may possibly be complete, although in all probability one generation has been passed over even here between Obed and Jesse. It is also worthy of notice that the whole chain from Perez to David consists of ten links, five of which (from Perez to Nahshon) belong to the 430 years of the sojourn in Egypt, and five (from Salmon to David) to the 476 years between the exodus from Egypt and the death of David. This symmetrical division is apparently as intentional as the limitation of the whole genealogy to ten members, for the purpose of stamping upon it through the number ten as the seal of completeness the character of a perfect, concluded, and symmetrical whole.
The genealogy closes with David, an evident proof that the book was intended to give a family picture form the life of the pious ancestors of this great and godly king of Israel. But for us the history which points to David acquires a still higher signification, from the fact that all the members of the genealogy of David whose names occur here are also found in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. “The passage is given by Matthew word for word in the genealogy of Christ, that we may see that this history looks not so much to David as to Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed by all as the Saviour and Redeemer of the human race, and that we may learn with what wonderful compassion the Lord raises up the lowly and despised to the greatest glory and majesty” ( Brentius).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
The Ancestry of David Rth. 4:18-22
18 Now these are the generations of Pharez; Pharez begat Hezron,
19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,
21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,
22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.
12.
At what period was this? Rth. 4:20-22
Obed was Davids grandfather. If David were born when Jesse was fifty years old and Jesse was born when his father was at a similar age, we would expect this marriage and birth to have occurred at least a century before the time of David. David came to the attention of Israel when he slew Goliath. Later, he became king at the age of thirty. We are fairly certain of his era as beginning around 1010 B.C., thus the events recorded in the book of Ruth must have transpired sometime during the middle of the twelfth century before Christ.
13.
When was the Book of Ruth written, and for what purpose? Rth. 4:22
It was written before Solomon but after David was a popular hero. If Solomon had been born when Ruth was written, it is natural to expect his name would appear in the genealogy. Since his name is not there, we assume the book was written prior to the time of his birth. Samuel did not live to see David on the throne. His death is recorded in 1Sa. 25:1, therefore we place the date of writing as somewhere near 1015 B.C. This would have been after David came to national prominence by killing Goliath (1 Samuel 17). He was also a man of war who went in and came out from among the Israelites with great dignity. They sang songs celebrating his prominence; and during this time after his anointing by Samuel (1 Samuel 16) and before he became king (2 Samuel 2), the book must have been written.
14.
What is the significance of the closing verses? Rth. 4:18-22
The genealogy closes with David, an evident proof that the book was intended to give a family picture from the life of the pious ancestors of this great and godly king of Israel. For us the history which points to David acquires a still higher signification from the fact that all members of the genealogy of David whose names occur here are also found in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. The passage is given by Matthew word for word in the genealogy of Christ (Mat. 1:5-6 a). In view of this, we see this history looks not so much to David as to Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed by all as the Savior and Redeemer of the human race. We learn with what wonderful compassion the Lord raises up the lowly and despised to the greatest glory and majesty,
15.
What state of society under the judges does the book indicate?
Many of the people were faithful to the Law, They were without central government. Matters such as the redeeming of land by the marrying of widows were handled by the council of men who met in the city gate. All in all, it was a time of peace and prosperity except for the terrible famine which must have been brought on the people by the invasion of the Midianites. They were an agricultural people and took pleasure in the common things of life. Women rejoiced when a healthy child was born to one of their number, and the leaders of the community prayed for rich blessings to be upon husbands and wives whose marriages were consummated in their presence. Certainly, mankind has known cruder eras, and Israels crying for a king must have been more from selfishness than from actual need.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(18) Hezron.See Gen. 46:12.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
GENEALOGY OF DAVID, Rth 4:18-22.
This genealogical table presents us with ten names, a round and even number; and this fact, taken in connexion with the well known love of the old Hebrews for a perfectly drawn, symmetrical family register, may at least suggest that some unimportant names have been designedly left out. This is most naturally to be supposed in a list that bridges over many hundred years. The position that every individual link in this ancestral chain, stretching back from David to Pharez, is given here, is an unwarrantable assumption, and utterly destitute of proof. We may, therefore, pass over without notice all questions of chronology which have been raised upon this genealogy. The passage appears again, with but trifling verbal differences, in Matthew’s genealogy of Christ, (Mat 1:3-6,) so that from a lofty spiritual point of view we may look upon it as a carefully finished document, looking not to David only, but also to Messiah. It is a noticeable fact, and worthy of special mention here, that the first two genealogies of Genesis that of Cain (Gen 4:17-22,) and that of Adam through Seth, (Gen 5:1-29,) contain each precisely ten names.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
18. Pharez Son of Judah by his daughter in law Tamar. See Gen 38:29. Thus David and Messiah trace their lineage directly up to Judah.
Hezron Mentioned in Gen 46:12, and 1Ch 2:5.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez begat Hezron, and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, and Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.’
The writer now closes his book in triumph. We have noted already that he has often liked to repeat ideas, and here he does so by adding the genealogy of Perez (already mentioned in Rth 4:12) which leads up to the birth of King David (already spoken of in Rth 4:21). King David was the king of Israel/Judah par excellence. He united the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah, established Jerusalem, and expanded his empire in all directions, leaving a rich and powerful empire for his son Solomon to inherit. And it was to him that God made the promise that his seed would rule over God’s people for ever (2Sa 7:11-17). In consequence of this ‘everlasting covenant’ (Isa 55:3) the coming expected king (Gen 49:10-11) was seen in terms of his name (Jer 30:9; Eze 34:23-24; Eze 37:24-25; Hos 3:5), the prophecies finally finding their fulfilment in our Lord Jesus Christ, ‘born of the seed of David according to the flesh, but declared to be the Son of God with power — by the resurrection from the dead’ (Rom 1:3-4).
The commencement of the genealogy with Perez connects back to the story that we have been considering, for in Rth 4:12 the elders had prayed that Boaz’s house might be as the house of Perez, who had also been born of a widow by means of a kinsman redeemer (Rth 4:12). In this genealogy it is seen, therefore, that the house of Perez, and the house of Boaz, had both produced King David. And so the prophecy of the elders was fulfilled. That this genealogy is to be seen as an integral part of the narrative comes out in the chiasmus.
To us this genealogy is just a list of names, but to Israel, brought up to know their history, it was of deeper significance. They would be aware that the wife of Perez was Tamar (see on Rth 4:12), and that Salmon married Rahab the Canaanite prostitute who saved the spies (Joshua 2; compare Mat 1:5), and would recognise the parallel with Ruth the Moabitess. It will be noted that the genealogy is carefully worked out. There are ten generations from Perez to David, ten indicating a complete divine period, with five coming before the Exodus, and five following it. This reminds us of the ten generation for the patriarchs up to Noah (Genesis 5), and the ten generations from Noah to Abraham (Genesis 11), which probably similarly had omissions.
Perez was the son of Judah, begotten through Tamar (Gen 38:29), with Tamar, by trickery, making Judah act as near kinsman. Thus Perez was born of a Levirate marriage. It is this parallel which explains why Perez and not Judah is highlighted. Perez then begat Hezron who is spoken of in Gen 46:12 as being among the ‘sons’ of Judah who emigrated to Egypt (being seen as in the loins of Judah, because he was not yet born but was required to make the number up to seventy, the number of intensified divine completeness). Hezron begat Ram, and Ram’s son Amminadab is described as the father-in-law of Aaron, Aaron having married his daughter (Exo 6:23). Amminadab was the father of Nahshon who is spoken of as a leading prince of Judah at the Exodus (Num 1:7; Num 2:3; Num 7:12). Thus the period from Perez to Nahshon, in other words from the departure from Canaan into Egypt, to the Exodus, is, if we ignore names that have been left out, described as consisting of four-to five generations. Timewise this is quite insufficient, but the answer to that is that only the prominent descendants are listed, Perez, as leader of the sub-tribe, Hezron as leader of one of the clans arising from the sub-tribe, Ram as the leader of the extended family, Amminadab as the leader of the family, and Nahshon the prince of Judah a the Exodus.
Nahshon then begat Salmon (or Salmah, a variation of the name – 1Ch 2:11), whom Mat 1:5 tells us became the husband of Rahab. Thus Salmon was involved in the Conquest. Salmon begat Boaz. That means that two generations at the most are supplied to cover the period from the Exodus to the time of Boaz, and only one generation from the Conquest. From this it will clearly be seen, and the writer would have been aware of it, that if Boaz is considered to be operating in the time of Gideon, some names must have been omitted. If he is seen as operating during the period of the late Judges period even more names have been omitted. But this is not surprising in that such deliberate omissions were in fact quite common in ancient genealogies (Matthew quite patently leaves names out of his genealogies in Matthew 1). Only the crucial names were often included, heads of tribes, heads of sub-tribes, heads of clans, and heads of wider families.
The final section, from Boaz to David, is then seen to consist of three to four generations. This would be sufficient if Boaz was operating in the late Judges period, but not if he was operating during the period of Gideon.
So the genealogy confirms that God’s purpose in producing David was fulfilled through levirate marriage (Tamar and Ruth) and through ‘foreign women’ (Rahab and Ruth), all of whom were then seen as true Israelites, indicating that God in His goodness reaches outside Israel and incorporates into His people those who are from other nationalities. And it was because of Ruth’s involvement in the birth of David that the story of Ruth became accepted as Scripture.
Thus we may sum up what this verse teaches us:
Firstly, that these are the antecedents of the great King David.
Secondly, that God accepts foreigners and incorporates them into His chosen people Israel (this would turn into a flood when Jesus called the new Israel, the believing remnant, out of the old, resulting in the incorporation of many Gentiles into the true Israel as seen in Acts).
Thirdly, that such proselytes, like Ruth, are seen by God as an integral part of His people and not just as second rate, and that their full acceptance is thus guaranteed (Genesis 12:48; this would have been important in the reign of David when many of his most loyal supporters were not native born Israelites, and when as part of his empire other peoples were faced with the claims of the covenant).
Fourthly, that God works in mysterious ways in the bringing about of His purposes. Who would have seen the tragic circumstances of Naomi, who had deserted Israel and had gone into the land of Moab, and whose deceased sons had married Moabite women, as fertile ground for the birth of Israel’s greatest King, and subsequently for the birth of the Messiah (Matthew 1).
Fifthly, that God hears the heart cry of His people, bringing them from barrenness to fruitfulness. Compare how in Rth 1:11-13 Naomi bewailed the fact that God had left her without sons, and how in the closing section of Ruth 4 He gave her a son (Rth 4:17).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, (19) And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, (20) And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, (21) And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, (22) And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.
There can be no doubt (for it seems to carry with it a decided evidence), that as the Holy Ghost hath been pleased to chose the book of Ruth with this genealogy, tracing back the pedigree of Boaz from Pharez the son of Judah, and carrying it forward to David, very Plainly the intention is, to shew our Lord’s descent after the flesh from him: for our Lord sprang out of Judah. And as the Holy Ghost in the opening of Matthew’s gospel, hath yet further followed up this genealogy his gracious design is manifest therein. But with what pleasing acknowledgment and holy joy, ought we of the Gentile church, to behold the junction of the Gentile with our elder brother the Jew in this genealogy. Reader! is it mint a matter of heartfelt satisfaction, to trace our alliance with Jesus among the poor Gentiles of the earth, when we see that Boaz sprung out of Rahab, and Obed from Ruth; both aliens by nature, from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise. Surely! we may well exclaim, in the contemplation of such marvellous grace, What hath God wrought; See Mat 1:1-5 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Rth 4:18 Now these [are] the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,
Ver. 18. These are the generations. ] This catalogue showeth that Shiloh came of Judah, according to the promise.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
these are the generations. The thirteenth occurrence, out of fourteen given in the Bible. The last in O.T. See note on p. 1.
Pharez. The son of Judah. See App-29. Gen 38:39. 1Ch 2:4. Mat 1:3. Luk 3:33. See the diagram for Rth 4:21.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Pharez: 1Ch 2:4-8, 1Ch 4:1, Mat 1:3, Luk 3:33, Phares, Esrom
Reciprocal: Num 1:7 – Nahshon Num 26:20 – Pharez 1Sa 16:1 – Jesse 1Ch 2:5 – Hezron Neh 11:4 – Perez Luk 3:32 – was the son of Jesse Heb 7:14 – sprang
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
4:18 Now these [are] the generations of {k} Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,
(k) This genealogy is brought in to prove that David by succession came from the house of Judah.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
D. The genealogical appendix 4:18-22
Far from being an unimportant postscript, this genealogy helps us see one of the main purposes for which God gave us this book.
Why does the genealogy start with Perez? He was the founder of the branch of Judah’s family that took his name, to which Elimelech and Boaz belonged (Num 26:20). Perez was the illegitimate son of Judah (1Ch 2:5) who, like Jacob, seized the initiative to stand in the line of messianic promise from his twin brother (Gen 38:27-30). [Note: Merrill, "The Book . . .," p. 134.] This genealogy emphasizes how God circumvented custom and tradition in providing Israel’s great redeemer, David. Like Perez, Boaz was the descendant of an Israelite father, Salmon, and a Canaanite harlot, Rahab (Mat 1:5). Both Tamar and Rahab entered Israel because they believed and valued God’s promises to Israel, as Ruth did. David himself was the youngest rather than the eldest son of Jesse.
"It is clear that a major purpose of the biblical narrator was to establish links between Judah and Tamar on the one hand and Boaz and Ruth on the other, links binding the royal promise given to Judah with the fulfillment of the Davidic dynasty. This was accomplished not only by demonstrating the affinities between the stories of Tamar and Ruth, but also by suggesting important contrasts." [Note: Idem, Kingdom of . . ., p. 184.]
The wording of the genealogy (Heb. toledot), to so-and-so was born so-and-so, does not necessarily imply that this is a complete list (cf. 1Ch 2:5-15; Mat 1:3-6; Luk 3:31-33). The word toledot is key to the structure of Genesis, indicating its major divisions (Rth 2:4; ruth 5:1; et al.). This is one more of the many allusions back to the early history of Israel that Ruth contains. This book shows that God was still working faithfully with the Israelites as He had earlier in their history even though they were generally unfaithful to Him during the Judges Period. We might have expected Mahlon, rather than Boaz, to be mentioned since by marrying Ruth, Boaz perpetuated the line of Mahlon, Ruth’s former husband. Evidently the genealogy goes through Boaz because Boaz was the physical father of Obed.
"The first five names cover the period from the time of the entry into Egypt (Perez, Gen 46:12) to the time of Moses (Nahshon, Exo 6:23; Num 1:7), while the remaining five belong to the period of the early settlement in Canaan to the closing years of the judges." [Note: Huey, p. 548.]
The fourth chapter brings to a tidy conclusion all the themes and threads spun out in the earlier chapters. [Note: See again the diagram of the structure of the book in the notes introductory to chapter 1 to visualize how these ideas come together.] Then the genealogical appendix adds information that helps us appreciate the greatness of God’s gift of the son, Obed. He became the ancestor of King David. The appendix also ties the events of the Book of Ruth to the past as well as to the future. It does so by showing connection with God’s promise to raise up a ruler over His people from the descendants of Judah.
"Throughout the book the narrator has deliberately cast the characters as stellar models of hesed, of deep and sincere devotion to God and to one another, expressed in self-sacrificial acts of kindness toward one another. Into the plot he has also carefully woven markings of the providential hand of God, rewarding who[ever] rewards authentic piety with his fullness and care. The birth of Obed symbolizes the convergence of these two themes: piety and providence. But the narrator is aware that in the providence of God the implications of a person’s covenantal fidelity often extend far beyond the immediate story. In fact, the story of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz does not end with the birth of Obed. It simply signals a significant turn in the history of this family and the history of Israel, down a course that leads directly to King David." [Note: Block, p. 736.]
Boaz, like Enoch in Genesis 5, represented the seventh of ten generations and set the course of his family toward godliness.