Ruth 4:2

He took ten men. Presumably the number required to make up a citizen jury for civil cases. It seems that Boaz himself made the selection; however, he had first hailed the near kinsman (v. 1), and probably consulted with him in making the selection. The procedure followed was most democratic. The case was clear, a decision was reached on the basis of Mosaic law without delay, and the decision was confirmed and witnessed by a representative group of the recognized leading men of Bethlehem. Legal business was thus settled without lawyers and without extended legal arguments.

The elders. The elders of a town were probably the heads of the various major family groups. They were responsible for the civil and religious interests of the people who lived there. The “elders” were not necessarily aged men, but men of maturity and experience.