Thus far nothing had been said concerning Ruth’s part in the transaction. Boaz apparently felt it best to make the property the main issue, perhaps considering that a more favorable response might thus be secured. But now that the nearer kinsman has expressed his intention to purchase the property Boaz reveals the fact that Naomi has limited the sale of the land by requiring the purchaser to marry Ruth.

The order in which Boaz brought up the two aspects of the case implies that he was more interested in Ruth than in the land. This would be a typically Eastern approach to the problem, for Oriental psychology would lead Boaz to hold in the background that which was of major concern to him, and seek to arrange a satisfactory settlement without making his own interest in the matter the determining factor. In contrast, the nearer kinsman’s interest was centered exclusively on the land as a source of profit.