#i just really love the care and attention to the characters that 1999 is afforded

[leviathiane]

side note, i really like how we've had several scenes now of Kurapika praying to his people and their gods/ancestors. i feel like these little cultural rituals, beyond clothing or his eyes, is what really connects Kurapika to his core past and character to me. He prays before he takes his first kill, and he prays after he buries him. He confronts his anger of his peoples' murder, his grief at their lives taken and the life he has taken, and his fear of what he know he must/will/is become/becoming, and the ritual of spoken prayer soothes that swirling agony into a redemption of purpose:

"The sun upon my face, the grass beneath my feet.

My skin cleansed by the water of a lake.

My spirit soars among the clouds,

my path illuminated by the moon and stars.

I honor my ancestors for bringing me to this place,

and defend my brethen with my dying breath.

I will step forward to humbly share in their joy

and carry the burden of their sorrows.

By my word and deed, their name will live on...

For my scarlet eyes and my blood are one with theirs,

I will take up the mantle, and accept any wrongdoing I commit,

to preserve the Kurta people, until we are redeemed forever.

On the scarlet eyes, I swear this."

(-Episode 58)

[dvalshock]

you're one of the few active clamp blogs i've known. i'm not sure if you'll know how to answer this but do you know if clamp still thinks about finishing their other stories from clampverse (like xxxholic, tsubasa, x, etc) or is it really cancelled? i was wandering if they were gonna bring xxxholic back after finishing clear card but idk if i should keep my hopes up. what do you think?

it’s been a long time since i’ve last talked about clamp here and i recently had my love for their works reignited so it’s been super fun revisiting my favorites.

to answer your question, i think that yes they will eventually. the official statuses for xxxholic rei and x/1999 are that they’re on hiatus, meanwhile twc is concluded (sucks that it’s so short compared to trc). i think... clamp wants to focus on clear card at the moment because they want to put as much care and love into it as they can. cardcaptor sakura is arguably their most adored and famous work so i think they want to do a sequel to it justice and can’t afford to have their attention divided with something else at the moment.

in all honesty xxxholic rei is more likely to be resumed than x/1999, but i think that if they didn’t plan on eventually finishing x they would have released a statement by now saying it’s officially canceled. after all, it’s been 18 years now since it stopped publication. i think they’ll eventually return to it once they figure out just how to publish the last chapters featuring the content they’ve always wanted and planned for it to contain. and i really hope they do, because kamui is one of my favorite characters they’ve ever made. but for now it’s definitely on the backburner.

overall i would say, don’t give up hope! it may be years from now, but i enjoy x and holic way too much to give up hope on them.

[islcreyes]

[  cindy kimberly  .  twenty  .  cis female  .  she/her  ] just saw ISLA REYES dragging their suitcase up the steps to CABIN 2B  .  good luck living with HER  ,  i hear that that they’re UNORGANIZED , IMPULSIVE  ,  EFFERVESCENT  &  AMICABLE  .  Apparently they’re the WINGER LEFT  .  let’s hope the upcoming season doesn’t affect their JUNIOR year of ART ADMINISTRATION   [  marci,  twenty-one,  she/her,  est  ]

hi everyone ! i’m marci and i’m super excited to share isla with all of you. i didn’t have enough time to flesh out her character so excuse my limited detail of her. if you like what you see though, like this post or message me so we can plot together !

stats !

FULL NAME ― isla reyes NICKNAMES ― lala, reyes BIRTHDATE ― november 12th, 1999 AGE ― twenty years old ZODIAC ― scorpio GENDER ― cis female  PRONOUNS ― she/her ORIENTATION ― closeted bisexual

background !

isla was born to mateo and amaia reyes on november 12th, 1999. her father is a mechanic at a family owned auto body shop, while her mother worked as a secretary in some law firm the last time they saw her. isla was only two years old when amaia reyes abandoned her family, leaving a crumpled note in her absence explaining why she left. isla’s father was absolutely heartbroken, more so for his young daughter than himself, devastated that isla would lack a maternal figure in her life.

because of this, mateo made a great effort to compensate for his wife’s neglect by dedicating as much time as he could towards isla. with the help of his buddies from the auto shop and their families, isla grew up feeling more love and care towards her than most children do. mateo’s tremendous dedication towards his daughter resulted in the pair growing to become the best of friends. to this day, isla loves and appreciates the relationship she shares with her dad knowing it took a great deal of love and sacrifice to raise her alone. she often admits to him being her first love and places him in the highest of pedestals.

it’s actually because of her dad that isla became such a great soccer player. following his buddies’ advice, mateo signed isla up for a local kids soccer league in order to give her a distraction. isla had a great affinity towards the sport and was a natural at it too. her father noticed this and quickly began to pour all of his energy into making sure isla had everything she needed to become the best player possible. their mutual goal was to get her noticed by recruiters so that she could receive a full ride to college, which they accomplished through hollis university.

extras !

-- isla got into drawing and art in general from spending days at her dad’s shop just doodling away. because he couldn’t afford a babysitter for her, isla often just tagged along with him at work and kept herself busy by drawing. she would often draw the cars that were in the shop and “pimp” them out, until she grew out of it and began to draw the people who were in the shop instead. aside from soccer, drawing is one of isla’s favorite hobbies and the reason she’s majoring in art administration. she often dreams about owning her own art gallery someday. 

-- growing up isla was a bit of a tomboy due to her dad not really knowing what little girls liked. he would try his best to dress her up and do her hair, but eventually gave up when isla saw his struggle and asked him to stop. it wasn’t until she befriended a few girls in high school that isla learned to be a little more feminine. these girls proudly took her under their wing and taught her the ways of being a “girl”. she soon learned how to apply makeup properly and shop for clothes that accentuated her body instead of hiding it. this transformation garnered attention from boys who use to see her as nothing more than their friend and gave teenage isla a tremendous boost of confidence.

-- since being accepted to hollis, isla can at times forget that her position on the team isn’t permanent. although she isn’t a slacker and takes school seriously, isla is extremely unorganized and often makes impulsive decisions regarding her social life that affect her negatively on the field. all the pressure that’s put on the players to succeed this year frustrates isla and leads to her forgetting why she even participates in the sport. if it weren’t for her natural talent, isla would have been benched already; however, if she doesn’t get her shit together soon she’ll lose her starting position.

connections !

click here to find my wanted connections page. please don’t feel limited to these though, we can come up with anything together !

[chvrrybaby]

*itzy  vc*  hey  hey  hey   !   (  i  see  that  i’m  icy  )   what’s  up,  i’m  diana,  i’m  nineteen,  and  i’m  ur  resident  girl  group  stan.  i  reside  in  the  est  timezone  &  go  by  the  pronouns  she/her.  now,  finally  introducing  ...  loona    !!   jk,  her  name  is  blair  &  u  can  learn  abt  her  under  the  cut   !   my  discord  is  lana del rey is coming <3#5522   (  stream  her  new  album  august  30th  ),  so  feel  free  to  message  me  there  or  through  tumblr  im’s  if  u  prefer  that   !   otherwise,  i’ll  come  to  u <3

—  kim doyeon. she/her. cis female. | was that blair ryu i just saw in the hideaway lobby ? i hear the nineteen year old spends most of their time working as a sugar baby/studying classic literature and women’s studies, but i’ve always just seen them writing in her dream journal. they live in 5A and i often see them in the halls. they always give me a vibe of loosely curled hair, cherry lip gloss, the lingering scent of vanilla in the air.

(    𝑩𝑨𝑪𝑲𝑮𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑫.   )

born on october 5th, 1999  ( this is literally a day before my bday ooc but anyway ajkdhsjdh )  in rochester, new york, blair’s first impression of the world was a crisp autumn day

she was her parents first and only child. her mother was an elementary school teacher, while her father worked at a nearby power plant in ontario

the family never made too much money, but they were able to get by, at least at first

she had a fairly happy childhood, though it was a lonely one. her father was always working odd hours, and with her mother gone during the day, she spent most of her time with a babysitter and the family golden retriever

eventually, she herself started going to school. she immediately excelled in the english department and fell in love with reading. blair realized early on how much she enjoyed escaping reality with a novel, immersing herself in a story so exciting compared to her dull life

almost everything was fine until her high school years. aside from the fact that she never had a present father figure, she was closer to her mom and still loved by both of her parents. however, when her high school years came around, her father lost his job

her father was the families main provider, and her mothers salary alone would not be enough to take care of the entire family. while he searched for another job, they had to give away the family golden retriever to one of blair’s aunts because they couldn’t afford the extra cost :(

on top of losing her beloved pet, the loss of her father’s job prompting the family to pick up and move their entire life

already in the midst of high school, blair had to leave her life as she knew it behind. the family moved to statesboro, georgia, and her father found a job at the nearby power plant

the transition to life in georgia was not easy for blair. though she didn’t exactly have trouble making friends, she didn’t feel like she could truly connect with anyone

once again, blair turned to losing herself in a book to pass the time

shortly after the move to georgia, her parents experienced some difficulties within their marriage. they ended up separating, and blair spent the remainder of her high school years living with each of them for half of the time

she did not mind her parents separating, as she knew it was for the best. however, her father found a girlfriend fairly quickly, and blair would eventually find out her father had been having an affair

her father spent most of his free time with his new girlfriend and her family. blair was upset at how he prioritized his the new people in his life over her when he was barely ever around for her growing up

meanwhile, her mother was having trouble adjusting to being alone, so she moved back to new york to live with her sister

blair stayed behind in georgia to finish high school, but knew she wanted to go elsewhere for college. she wanted to get as far away from her father and his new life as possible

once blair turned eighteen, she began to sell pictures for money. she wanted to earn as much as possible so she could afford to go away for university. she created an alias and began to sell pictures and videos of her feet. eventually, she expanded her horizons once she realized how much money she could earn

she never went as far as sleeping with her clients, but she would go on dates with them and spend the days with them to earn more money ( kind of like ludovica/chiara in the italian show baby on netflix minus sleeping w them )

she dated a few people throughout her high school years, and began to more “seriously” date a guy during her senior year in high school, though she knew the relationship wouldn’t last. despite appearing as a more serious relationship, to her, it wasn’t really anything of the sort, and she mostly wanted a relationship for senior prom and other trivialities

after senior year ended and she had accepted admission into uni in seattle, she basically cut ties with everyone in georgia aksdjskdjh she said good bye forever ! rip poor unnamed boyfriend he didn’t see it coming ...

her father also did not see it coming because she didn’t even tell him where she applied. but at the same time, did he ask ? no :/

once she left for uni, her relationship with her father became very very estranged. she still speaks to her mom on a pretty regular basis, but even then, she has a whole secret life and doesn’t feel particular close to either of them sjkdfhskdjh

and that’s that for background !

(   𝑷𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑻𝒀.   )

blair is a libra sun leo moon ( rising sign & other placements tbd )

she is definitely a friendly/sociable person. she can be pretty outgoing and loves to be around people. idk her mbti yet but she is def an extrovert ! ( she does tend to keep her feelings to herself tho )

despite her friendly demeanor, she does have a fiery spirit. if u wrong her she will hold a grudge against u until it gets settled/sorted. she can be more on the mean side when she’s upset, but even then she does not have a bad heart at all

when it comes to relationships, blair is all over the place. she can be very flirty/charismatic and is constantly hopping from one relationship to the next. she hasn’t quite been able to settle down, but it is possible. she kind of thinks being in a real relationship means losing her freedom, because that’s kind of what she saw happen with her parents, so she doesn’t really want to be tied down to someone in fear of losing herself in a way. does this make sense ? maybe ? ok !

blair has a fairly strong sense of self, but she’s still very young so she’s still growing and changing. she is the type of person to know what she wants and go after it ( yes, even with ppl ! ). she will stop at nothinggg to get what she wants ( oop ). u could say she loves the chase, but kind of gets bored afterwards unless u have more to offer !

omg she literally loves 2 be the center of attention. i mean, who doesn’t love attention ? but blair takes it 2 another level. she gets all :( if she’s being ignored or isn’t receiving enough attention

kind of bouncing off the whole attention thing, blair loves a good party ! she’s young and here for a good time. she def loves to drink at parties and stuff even tho she isn’t legal here in the us, why should that stop her am i right ? when it comes to drugs, she’s a veryyy casual user and doesn’t do anything crazy. a social weed smoker n will do pills here and there

being a libra sun with a leo moon, i think it’s safe to say she can be a bit dramatic at times ( i mean, as a libra sun with a leo venus i am not one 2 judge xx ). she reads 2 much and watches 2 many movies like ajkdhsjkhd life rly isn’t that serious but she can b a lil overdramatic sometimes whew ! we told u this was melodrama ... lorde stans make some noise !

blair’s fav books are anything by jane austen and les liaisons dangereuses by pierre choderlos de laclos, aka the book cruel intentions was based on ( which happens 2 be one of her fav movies )

shows she loves: gossip girl ( she shares a name w blair so she probably used 2 call herself queen b in high school or something ), desperate housewives ( no wonder this binch is so dramatic ), big little lies, pretty little liars ( the early seasons only ), the netflix show baby, and buffy the vampire slayer

movies she loves: clueless, almost famous, thoroughbreds, moulin rouge, palo alto, marie antoinette, coyote ugly, american beauty, cruel intentions, and valley of the dolls ( to name a few )

her fav colors are pink, red, and white !

u can find her pinterest board here.

she is bisexual babey !!

(   𝑾𝑨𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑫 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑵𝑬𝑪𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺.   )

party buddies - this is pretty basic and self explanatory, but someone blair can go out and have fun with. their friendship might be more surface level, or started that way at least, but it’s possible they’re closer friends ( maybe she opened up under the influence and it brought them closer aksdhsdjh drunk blair def would )

ex-fling/gf/bf - blair relationship hops, so she could have quite a few of these. we can plot it however, there can b feelings there, they can hate each other, of they can be just friends now, u name it !

unrequited crush -  ur character could have feelings for blair, but maybe she doesn’t feel them back or is unaware that they like her. this could develop into her eventually having feelings for ur muse or not, whatever we want ! OR blair could def have a crush on someone who does not like her back. maybe that person is super non-committal, or they simply do not like her back. we could plot this out however <3

current fling/friends w benefits - someone she is currently seeing/sleeping with. could be no strings attached, or there could b some feelings there. maybe they don’t want to make it anything serious, or maybe they’re ready to take it to the next level. maybe one person is ready to go further, and the other isn’t.

enemies w benefits - imagine the tension!!! they started out hating each other, but ended up hooking up. maybe it was a one time thing, or maybe they can’t stop going back to each other. i think it would b cool if they kept it a secret, they don’t want anyone else to know. this could develop in soooo many ways !

ex-friends - someone she used to consider a close friend, but they had a falling out for whatever reason n maybe they hate each other now. maybe they want to re-kindle their friendship but don’t know how

sibling-like friendship - someone she sees like a sibling. they’re there for each other and look out for one another, always have each other’s backs. being an only child and not really close to her parents, blair would love a friend that she could basically call family !

dynamic duo - basically like her current best friend. this person is prob one of the closest people to her and knows her very well ! they could b a power duo, always looking out for each other 

take care - someone who kind of looks after her ?? maybe when she parties a lil too hard and drinks a lil too much, someone who kind of takes care of her n makes sure shes ok ! they would be someone she trusts a lottttt

confidant - someone who confides in her or someone she confides in, or they confide in each other. they don’t necessarily have to be the closest friends ever, but they get along, trust each other, and maybe they talk more in private

rivals - they hate each other for whatever reason. maybe it’s jealousy or their personalities just clash, but for whatever reason they do not get along. i love a good enemies plot. they can just b nasty to each other !!! maybe they bring out a really bad side to blair that most ppl dont see. someone who makes her act like blair waldorf ( i’m def kidding abt the blair waldorf part )

bad influence - blair isn’t a goody-two-shoes by any means, but doesn’t really do anything crazy, so i’d luvv for someone to kind of influence her to do shit she normally wouldn’t on her own

these are all the plot ideas i can think of for now, but i’ll prob make a plots page later on and add more stuff !

so this is everything !! this has taken me longer than it should have but i’m finally done whew,,, cheers 2 me <3 anyway i would absolutely luv to plot, so feel free to hit me up on discord or tumblr im’s, or i can also come to u ! i’m so excited to get started <333 i’m gonna b logging off now most likely, since it’s 3 am my time, but i’ll be back in the morning

[mmoozzee]

Thanks to @lesliealiceinwonderland for Venmoing me $1.00

Q&A beneath the tab

1. What is your middle name? I have two! Robert after my father's best friend and Belew which is my grandmother's maiden name 2. How old are you? 20 3. When is your birthday? April 21st, 1999 4. What is your zodiac sign? Taurus, people tell me this is accurate but I think horoscopes are dumb 5. What is your favorite color? Like a silvery grey. I like certain accent colors at different times, but grey is consistent to me 6. What’s your lucky number? My old dorm room number: 213 7. Do you have any pets? My parents have a cat but I don't really think she counts as mine anymore 8. Where are you from? Orange, Texas, a town I am very proud of despite how much I complain. 9. How tall are you? 6'3" 10. What shoe size are you? An 11.5, but I can fit a Nike 11 11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Six, consisting of three sandals, two Brooks tennis shoes, my grandfather's oxfords, and a pair Nike gave to me for reasons 12. What was your last dream about? Clothes that I could never wear or afford 13. What talents do you have? I can make friends with almost anyone very quickly. 14. Are you psychic in any way? I'm just gonna guess No 15. Favorite song? Right now? I Got The by Labi Siffre 16. Favorite movie? Either The Martin or The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 17. Who would be your ideal partner? This question deserves its own post, remind me later. 18. Do you want children? I'd probably adopt if I did 19. Do you want a church wedding? I want a small wedding with a few choice friends 20. Are you religious? I am very spiritual but less religious. I am a Christian but have many issues with the Church and the current Christian movement 21. Have you ever been to the hospital? Not as an adult besides check-ups 22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? Not Yet 23. Have you ever met any celebrities? I once got pushed by Alex Jones 24. Baths or showers? Showers, I don't have the attention span for a bath. 25. What color socks are you wearing? Knee-high black socks, like always. some habits die hard 26. Have you ever been famous? I'm trying. 27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? That's the goal. I'm working on it, but I want to become a person that inspires people to strive to become a better person. 28. What type of music do you like? I have no idea how to tl;dr my music taste. I like what I like, I don't what I don't 29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? No, but it sounds so relaxing 30. How many pillows do you sleep with? Two. One for my head and one between my legs 31. What position do you usually sleep in? On my side with my legs bent because I'm tall 32. How big is your house? I'm in an apartment with two others and a loft 33. What do you typically have for breakfast? Nothing 34. Have you ever fired a gun? Yes, a pump-action twelve gauge is my weapon of choice 35. Have you ever tried archery? Yes, I'm okay at best 36. Favorite clean word? llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch or defenestration 37. Favorite swear word? Fuck. It's definitely the easiest to go to. 38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep? Two days? I can't remember. 39. Do you have any scars? Yes. A few accidental, some not so accidental. 40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? If so, I'd like them to come out and say it. 41. Are you a good liar? Depends on how important it is that they believe me. 42. Are you a good judge of character? I'd like to think I am 43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? I'd like to think I can 44. Do you have a strong accent? Only if I'm talking about East Texas, then it hits hard. 45. What is your favorite accent? Whatever David Tennant has. 46. What is your personality type? INTP-t apparently 47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? My navy suit. that's a 3-figure number. 48. Can you curl your tongue? Yes 49. Are you an innie or an outie? Innie 50. Left or right-handed? Ambisinister 51. Are you scared of spiders? No, they're lovely! I just don't like if they sneak up on me 52. Favorite food? Raising Cane's chicken, not sure if it's really my "favorite" but it is my most eaten meal for this summer 53. Favorite foreign food? Takoyaki 54. Are you a clean or messy person? Messy, my floor is currently covered in clothes. I want to be clean, but ugh 55. Most used phrase? "Fun Fact" followed by a piece of information I find really cool. 56. Most used word? "Nice", it's a useful adjective 57. How long does it take for you to get ready? Depends, to go get food? 10 minutes. To hang out with friends? 30. 58. Do you have much of an ego? Only about being right. I get super ashamed to be wrong about something. 59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? Suck, biting cuts the experience short. 60. Do you talk to yourself? All the time! It's both one of my biggest distractions and ways of focusing. 61. Do you sing to yourself? Sometimes when walking. 62. Are you a good singer? No 63. Biggest Fear? Failure 64. Are you a gossip? I prefer "Information Broker" 65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen? Interstellar is the most dramatic I remember. Love that film. 66. Do you like long or short hair? On me? I think I can only pull off short, but on others either is great. 67. Can you name all 50 states of America? I think I can name most of their capitals too. 68. Favorite school subject? History 69. Extrovert or Introvert? Introvert with the face of an extrovert. 70. Have you ever been scuba diving? Yes 71. What makes you nervous? Money/Crowds/Authority Figures/My Future 72. Are you scared of the dark? Only in places where I haven't been before 73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? Only if it would be beneficial. 74. Are you ticklish? Unfortunately 75. Have you ever started a rumor? I'm sure I must have. 76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? Yes, but mostly as a second-in-command 77. Have you ever drank underage? Yes, Jack Daniel's Honey-Whiskey is my favorite, but I don't drink often. 78. Have you ever done drugs? Other than some weird hormonal herbs I got from Asia? No, well weed once but nothing happened so I think I did it wrong. 79. Who was your first real crush? Our resident horse girl, but my first Real crush was this cute guy from colorguard who I occasionally dreamed of sleeping with. 80. How many piercings do you have? Zero. Believe, I'd change that, but my current career path doesn't let me have any fun with my body. Got to look like a cis straight dude in this economy and I loathe the very notion that I don't get to break out of that box without losing political capital in the eyes of strangers that I'd be working for. 81. Can you roll your Rs? Yes 82. How fast can you type? Decently fast 83. How fast can you run? Decently slow, like a 10-11 minutes mile 84. What color is your hair? Brown, not that I want it to stay that way. See: Q80 85. What color are your eyes? Brown with a tint of green 86. What are you allergic to? Nothing I think 87. Do you keep a journal? I should. Life gets better when I write things down. 88. What do your parents do? Father teaches biology and is the energy specialist for the district. Mom is a principal. 89. Do you like your age? I'm ok with being 20, sure beats 90, but I feel like I slept through junior high. Love to try again. 90. What makes you angry? People who litter. The love of money. and Tribalism. 91. Do you like your own name? It's ok. Don't think I would have chosen it, maybe Kyle instead, I'd have to think about that more. I do like my Surname. 92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? Not really. Sasha or Alexander perhaps. 93. Do you want a boy or a girl for a child? I just want them to live well and live with ambition. I don't care what their birth certificate says. 94. What are your strengths? Ambition, hard-working, out-of-the-box thinking. 95. What are your weaknesses? I'm nervous, I procrastinate, and I am SUPER distractable 96. How did you get your name? It's biblical 97. Were your ancestors royalty? If they were, I revoke my claim to the throne. This nation doesn't stand for a monarchy, or at least it shouldn't 98. Do you have any scars? Yes. A few accidental, some not so accidental. 99. Color of your bedspread? Black, but I have a green quilt and this wonderful Minecraft fleece 100. Color of your room? Beige, I f#cking hate beige

[mrlnsfrt]

Love is... (part 4)

We have arrived at the conclusion of our series on Ruth, and what a journey it has been! What began as a message about love for the month of February became a 4 part sermon series. I find it so exciting when God leads in ways I had not previously anticipated. Studying the Bible is so exciting especially because there is so much that can be learned even from familiar stories.

I am so grateful that you have joined me in this journey and I hope this journey has sparked in you a desire to revisit familiar Bible stories with more patience attention to detail.

I also hope that this story has challenged and expanded your understanding of what love can look like in the life of a believer.

Boaz takes action

We begin Ruth 4 focusing on Boaz who goes up to the town gate and sits there. All other characters will merely respond to Boaz’s initiatives.

From archeological finds we know that city gates in Palestine in the early iron age were complex structures with lookout towers at the outside and a series of rooms on either side of the gateway where defenders of the town would be stationed. These gateways also served a secondary purpose, as a gathering place for the citizens of the town. (Block, Daniel Isaac. Judges, Ruth. Broadman & Holman, 1999. p704-705)

It was at the city gate that the official administrative and judicial business of the community was conducted.

The last blog post left the reader wondering how Boaz was going to solve the obstacle to his desire to marry Ruth, now we realize that he took the mater to “court.”

When individuals were going to the fields or coming home from the fields they would have to go through the city gates. So Boaz places himself there hoping to spot the closer relative that he needs to talk to.

The second sentence of verse 1 begins with the word hinneh that is “behold” indicating a surprise! The man Boaz was looking for happened to be passing by just as Boaz had come to look for him. What are the odds of that happening right!?

This is another example of the hidden hand of God at work, guiding events that were beyond human control.

In Ruth 3:13 Boaz said he would take care of things in the morning and had invoked the name of God in a sign of determination. Here we see God coming through and assuring a quick resolution to the matter at hand.

We never find out the name of the man Boaz met. He is referred to by an expression (pĕloniy 'almoniy) that has no clear literal translation  but rather is the equivalent of “so-and-so.” An expression that seems to be used whenever a proper name cannot or should not be used. (Block 706)

By keeping the character anonymous the writer intentionally diminishes our respect for him. Like Orpah, Naomi’s other daughter-in-law who left Naomi served as a contrast for Ruth, here this man serves as a contrast to Boaz.

Now Boaz had to gather around enough men to hold a legal assembly. He gathers 10 elders, who were men responsible for the administration of the town. These men left their work to follow Boaz, which shows that Boaz was respected in the community.

Getting Technical

When the men are discussing the piece of land that belongs to Elimelech they are talking about the apportionment of the land among the tribes and clans of Israel under Joshua. According to Mosaic law the land was never to leave the family, and the institution of the kinsman redeemer or goel was one of the ways they prevented this from happening. (Leviticus 25:25-30) (Block 708).

Boaz refers to Elimelech as their “brother” but we don’t know how closely related they were. This means only that they are related. Genesis 38, Deuteronomy 25:5-10, talk about levirite obligations with regards to the immediate brothers, and according to Numbers 27:9-11 if a man died without having any children his property would pass to his brothers or to his paternal uncles, and after that to the nearest relative from their own clan.

We do not know how far Boaz and the other relative were, but they are the closest relatives with the other man being closer than Boaz.

The land did not belong to Naomi, she had no claim to it, neither did Ruth. That is why Mosaic law provided for widows and foreigners allowing them to glean. However, the land was still connected to them so far as it was connected to the family of their deceased husband. This meant that the land could be restored to a close relative and the close relative would also provide for them.

And this is where this gets a bit confusing. Because we don’t have anything similar in our society it becomes difficult to translate the interaction. Naomi is in a sense giving permission for the goel to redeem the land even though the land is not hers to sell. Chances are her husband sold the land during the period of drought and once they ran out of money and had to choose between leaving or selling themselves as slaves they chose to leave.

However, coming back now, Naomi could call on a close relative to redeem the land from whoever had possession of it, in the name of her dead husband, Elimelech. In a way, Naomi is attending to the legal business of the family, at least indirectly through Boaz. Naomi can claim the land back to the family of her husband.

From the events of the previous night Boaz realized that something must be done regarding the land. It was not right for the land to remain in the hands of an outsider. Boaz also knows that solving the issue with the land is directly related to his marriage to Ruth. The land was the key to him having the right to marry Ruth.

Boaz then makes the goel aware of the situation and states that if he is not willing to acquire the land that he is next in line to do so.

Official Business

The goel replies with two words in Hebrew stating he will redeem it.

With two words he makes the heart of the reader sink. “Oh no!” But what about the love between Ruth and Boaz? What about this relationship we have been carefully following and watching it grow and develop? Does it all end here? Like this? What about Ruth, how will she feel? Does Boaz not lover her after all?

If the story ended here many would likely be very unhappy. We want a happy ending right?

But Boaz had a plan, and now he adds some additional terms and conditions. This reminds me of legal papers or even commercials that mention really fast at the end, “terms and conditions may apply.”

Boaz casually mentions, "oh yes, and by the way, you also get to marry the widow, you know Ruth, from Moab, and provide and heir, someone to keep the family name going and to inherit the land."

This meant that the goel would not get to keep the land indefinitely to himself. He would have to invest into taking care of it and after all his ward work the land would go to the son of Ruth. Also he would become involved with a Moabitess, a foreigner. Is he willing to risk all that? How willing is he to help make sure the name of his brother is not erased? His offspring would have mixed blood, would he be accepted by the community?

The goel is suddenly not so sure this investment is worth it. Why would he go through so much trouble just to give it away in the end?

Suddenly he realizes this will cost him more than he expected and he realizes he can avoid the extra trouble and focus on what he already has. The goel was probably already busy enough as it was and didn’t need the extra hassle that would come with more land and a wife that is a foreigner and providing for someone who would not carry his name forward but rather the name of the deceased.

When the goel realized all that was involved in helping he decided he could not afford to help. Sure Moses would have liked him to. Sure the laws of Moses reflected the will of God. But his self-interest kept him from helping, because helping would not advance his personal interests in any way. His selfishness led to him remaining nameless in the story while Ruth has a whole book of the Bible named after her.

Ruth was the only hope for the family line of Elimelech. Naomi was passed the age of childbearing, and if Ruth did not marry and have a son, the family name would disappear. It is interesting that if we go only by the law as stated in Deuteronomy 25:5-10 is not clear concerning this case, when there is no living brother but rather a more distant relative. They are going by the spirit and principle of the law, but the letter of the law does not seem to extend to this point. This would be a moral obligation. The right thing to do, but not something that was forced by the letter of the law.

The goel backs down and allows Boaz to redeem the land and marry Ruth and establish the name of Elimelech and his dead son Mahlon.

The goel leaves and disappears from history. He is very different from Boaz. He is concerned about his future, while Boaz is concerned about Ruth, Naomi and Elimelech. Boaz wants to do the right thing, to help provide for this amazing person he has met and to do right by his dead relative Elimelech, and to restore his name. The goel cared more about himself, while Boaz representing the true meaning of hesed cared more about Ruth, Naomi, and Elimelech, then himself.

Boaz then becomes the goel, the kinsman redeemer, and agrees to not only buy the land but also redeem the family name.

Like Naomi mentioned in Ruth 3:18, Boaz settled the matter that day!

Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. I also take Ruth to be my wife. Then the dead man’s property will continue to belong to his family. And he will always be remembered by his family and the people in his hometown. You are all witnesses of what I am doing today.”

So all the elders and the people who were near the city gates said, “We are witnesses to all of this. And may the Lord bless this woman who is coming into your home to be like Rachel and Leah. They are the ones who had many children to make the people of Israel strong. And may you become powerful in the tribe of Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem! May the Lord bless you with many children through Ruth. May your family become great like the family of Perez,the son Tamar bore for Judah.” Ruth 4:9-12 ERV

Now there is much rejoicing and a pronouncement of a blessing for Boaz though the blessing really focuses on Ruth. They pray for Yahweh, the LORD God of Israel to grant this foreign woman a place among the matriarchs of Israel along with Rachel and Leah. These were the daughters of Laban who married Jacob and their children became the children of Israel.

Rachel is mentioned specifically probably because she was barren for a while and only later finally conceived. Ruth appears to have been married to Mahlon for 10 years but never had any children. The mention of God’s blessing could also reflect on Psalm 127:1 which mentions how “unless the LORD builds a house, they labor in vain who build it.”

Tamar is another interesting case where the levirite obligation lead to betrayal involving widow whose husband had died. Tamar eventually bore twins one of which became an ancestor of the clan of Boaz.

If God had worked through all these messy stories and brought great blessing from them, imagine what He could do with Ruth and Boaz who were so faithful and willing to live out hesed. This couple embodied the highest ethical standards of faithful love.

Those who uttered these blessings had little idea of how prophetic their words were. None of them lived long enough to witness how their prayer would be answered and how a name would come from that family that would be far greater than Perez, or even Judah, how the house of King David, a name commemorated to this day in the flag of the state of Israel, would come from that union.

Ultimately the royal line is preserved because two pious human beings and God act in consort for the achievement of God’s will.

How beautiful it is when people come together, in love, in covenant faithfulness and kindness, dedicated to the good of the other and to following the will of God.

This my friends is how a foreigner, who at one point in her life lost everything, and eventually become part of the genealogy of Jesus, the Son of God, our Savior.