What Does Ruth 4:12 Mean?
Ruth 4:12 describes the elders and people at the city gate blessing Boaz and Ruth, praying that their marriage would produce a lasting legacy like that of Perez, the son of Judah and Tamar. This blessing connects Ruth’s story to Israel’s larger family line, showing how God uses faithful people - even from outside Israel - to build His plan. Perez’s story in Genesis 38 and the genealogy in Ruth 4:18-22 reveal that God honors unexpected beginnings and turns them into something great.
Ruth 4:12
and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman."
Key Facts
Book
Author
Traditionally attributed to Samuel
Genre
Narrative
Date
Approximately 1000 BC (estimated time of writing)
Key Themes
Key Takeaways
- God builds lasting legacies through faithful, ordinary people.
- Broken pasts don't disqualify us from God's purpose.
- Divine redemption often comes through unexpected, humble beginnings.
The Blessing of Perez in Context
The blessing pronounced in Ruth 4:12 draws a direct line from Boaz and Ruth’s union to the story of Perez, linking their new beginning to a much older tale of redemption and unexpected legacy.
Perez was born to Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38, a story filled with deception and desperation, yet God used it to preserve the family line. Though Tamar was wronged and resorted to drastic measures, she is called righteous for seeking to uphold the levirate custom - where a relative marries a widow to continue the family name. The elders’ blessing in Ruth 4:12 recalls this moment not to highlight the scandal, but to celebrate how God brought fruitfulness out of a messy situation.
By invoking Perez, the people were praying that Boaz and Ruth - like Judah and Tamar - would become ancestors in God’s unfolding plan, despite their unusual start.
Perez, David, and the Messianic Line: A Hinge in God's Redemptive Plan
The blessing in Ruth 4:12 is far more than a hopeful wish - it’s a prophetic link in the chain of God’s redemption, connecting Boaz and Ruth to Perez, and ultimately to King David and even Jesus Christ.
Perez’s birth in Genesis 38 came from scandal: Tamar, widowed and wronged, disguised herself as a prostitute to conceive by her father-in-law Judah, yet she was called righteous for seeking to preserve the family line. This messy, morally complex story shows God working through brokenness and reversal - Perez was born second but emerged first, his hand symbolically breaking through (Genesis 38:29), a sign of divine selection. The elders’ invocation of Perez in Ruth 4:12 isn’t about perfection, but about God’s faithfulness to bring life and legacy from unexpected places. Just as Perez became the ancestor of Israel’s royal line, so Ruth - a foreign widow - would now join that sacred story.
The genealogy in Ruth 4:18-22 traces Perez to David, highlighting how God elevated an unlikely lineage to establish Israel’s greatest king. God consistently chooses the overlooked - Tamar, Ruth, David himself, the youngest son - to fulfill His promises. The messianic hope grows from these roots: Matthew 1:3 and 1:5 later include both Tamar and Ruth in Jesus’ genealogy, showing that God’s salvation includes outsiders and redeems shame.
God’s plan often grows not from palaces, but from painful, overlooked places.
This moment in the city gate, where Boaz takes Ruth as his wife, becomes a quiet turning point in history. From this union comes Obed, then Jesse, then David - and eventually, the Messiah, the ultimate Redeemer.
God Brings Life from Shame and Barrenness
The blessing on Boaz and Ruth powerfully reminds us that God breathes life into places once marked by loss, shame, or emptiness.
Ruth, a foreign widow, and Naomi, who returned empty after losing her husband and sons, represent the kind of brokenness God often chooses to redeem. Just as God brought light out of darkness in the beginning (Genesis 1:3), He brings hope here in the most unlikely way - through a Moabite woman and a kinsman’s faithful love.
God specializes in bringing fullness where there is emptiness and honor where there is shame.
Their story echoes God’s heart seen throughout Scripture: He lifts the lowly, fills the empty, and rebuilds what was broken - pointing forward to a Savior who would come from this very line.
From Perez to Jesus: The Messianic Thread in Ruth's Story
The blessing in Ruth 4:12 is a divine thread woven through generations, leading straight to the birth of Jesus.
Matthew 1:3 explicitly states, 'And Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar,' placing both a scandalous union and a foreign woman in the lineage of the Messiah. God’s redemptive plan, demonstrated by this inclusion, never depends on human perfection but on faithful obedience and His sovereign grace. Just as Perez’s birth marked a turning point in Judah’s line, so Ruth’s inclusion marks another divine reversal in the story of salvation.
The genealogy in Ruth 4:18-22 traces Perez down to David, and Matthew 1:5 later confirms, 'And Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.' From David, the line continues to Jesus, the ultimate heir of the promise. That both Tamar and Ruth - foreign women with complicated stories - are named in Matthew’s Gospel highlights God’s heart to redeem shame and include the outsider. Jesus, born of Mary, another faithful woman in a story surrounded by questions, fulfills this pattern: God brings His greatest victories through humble, unexpected beginnings. The kinsman-redeemer role Boaz fulfills points forward to Christ, our ultimate Redeemer who buys us back not with silver, but with His life.
God’s family tree includes the unexpected, the outsider, and the once-shamed - because His salvation is for everyone.
This entire lineage reveals that the Gospel was never meant for the 'perfect' but for real people with broken pasts. The story of Ruth, tied to Perez and fulfilled in Jesus, invites everyone - no matter their history - into God’s family.
Application
How This Changes Everything: Real Life Impact
I once felt like my past disqualified me - mistakes, loneliness, and seasons where I thought I was forgotten. But reading how God wove Tamar, a woman with a messy story, and Ruth, a foreigner with no claim to Israel’s promises, into the very lineage of King David and Jesus, changed how I see my own life. It reminded me that God redeems brokenness. Just as Boaz stepped in as a kinsman-redeemer, Jesus does the same for us because He is faithful. My shame became part of His story of grace.
Personal Reflection
- Where in my life do I feel disqualified or 'too broken' for God to use? How does Ruth’s inclusion in Jesus’ family tree challenge that belief?
- Am I overlooking someone - like Ruth - who seems like an outsider but could be part of God’s plan? How can I show them kindness instead of judgment?
- How can I live today as someone redeemed by God’s faithful love, just like Boaz redeemed Ruth?
A Challenge For You
This week, identify one area where you feel shame or inadequacy and remind yourself: God uses broken people to build His kingdom. Then, reach out to someone who feels like an outsider - invite them in, just as Boaz welcomed Ruth.
A Prayer of Response
God, thank You that You don’t wait for me to be perfect before You use me. You used Tamar, Ruth, and Boaz - people with pasts and flaws - to bring Your Son into the world. Help me trust that You’re still writing my story, turning my emptiness into purpose. Make me a vessel of Your redemption, just like them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Related Scriptures & Concepts
Immediate Context
Connections Across Scripture
Genesis 38:29
Perez’s birth through Tamar and Judah is the precedent for God using scandal and reversal to advance His redemptive promise.
Matthew 1:3
Tamar is named in Jesus’ genealogy, confirming that God redeems shame and includes the unexpected in His plan.
Luke 1:38
Mary’s submission to God’s plan mirrors Ruth’s faith, showing how God uses humble obedience to change history.
Glossary
places
figures
Perez
Son of Judah and Tamar, ancestor of David and Jesus, symbolizing God’s ability to bring honor from shame.
Tamar
A woman who preserved Judah’s line through unconventional means, yet was declared righteous for her faith.
Ruth
A Moabite widow who showed extraordinary loyalty, becoming part of the messianic lineage through God’s grace.