Charles Ellicott Commentary Ruth 4:1

"Now Boaz went up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down." — Ruth 4:1 (ASV)

Went up. This was because the town stood on a hill; similarly, in Ruth 3:3, Ruth is told to go down to the threshing floor.

The kinsman. This refers to the Goel .

Turn aside. The imperative form here has an exhortative sense, meaning, "Please turn aside and sit down."

Such a one. In Hebrew, this is p’loni almoni. This phrase is used like the English "so-and-so" or "such-and-such" for names that are considered either unnecessary or undesirable to mention. Its derivation is likely from palah (to mark out, separate, distinguish) and alam (to hide), conveying the dual idea of someone who is pointed out yet, in a sense, concealed. The phrase is also used for places (1 Samuel 21:2; 2 Kings 6:8).

It is not clear why the name is not recorded here. Possibly, it was not known to the writer, or it may have been considered unworthy of recording, since this person neglected his plain duty in refusing to raise up seed to the dead.

We know nothing of this unnamed individual except that the offer of redemption was set before him and he refused it, an offer that involved the glory of being an ancestor of the Christ who was to be born in ages to come.