I do not understand the connection between Ruth 4 and the falling sandal in Coptic iconography.

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

To understand the connection between the falling sandal in iconography and Ruth 4, we must look at the ancient legal custom of the "Kinsman-Redeemer" (Go’el) and how Coptic and Patristic theology applies this to Christ.

1. The Custom of the Sandal

In Ruth 4:7-8, the Holy Scriptures describe a specific tradition in Israel:

"Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel."

When Boaz wanted to redeem the land of Elimelech and marry Ruth, there was another relative who had a prior legal right to do so. However, that relative could not fulfill the obligation. To legally transfer his right of redemption to Boaz, he removed his sandal and handed it over. The removal of the sandal was a public, legal sign that one was relinquishing a right or transferring the role of Redeemer to another.

2. Christ as the Ultimate Redeemer

In the perspective of the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Old Testament is full of "types" or "shadows" of Christ.

• The "First Kinsman" in the story of Ruth represents the Old Law or the earthly lineage that could not save humanity from the debt of sin.
• Christ is the True Boaz. He is our "Kinsman" because He took our flesh and became one of us through the Theotokos.

When you see the sandal falling or loosened in the icon, it symbolizes that Christ is stepping into the role of the Redeemer. He is the one who accepts the "sandal"—the legal right and responsibility—to buy back humanity from the bondage of death and the devil.

3. The "Untying" of the Sandal

There is also a connection to the words of St. John the Baptist, who said, "After me comes He who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and untie" (Mark 1:7).

In Coptic commentary, the "sandal" represents the Incarnation—the Word of God being "clothed" in human flesh (the "leather" of the sandal). The loosened sandal in the icon signifies:

1. The Revelation of His Divinity: The "flesh" (sandal) cannot fully contain or hide His Glory.
2. The Preparation for Sacrifice: Just as one removes sandals to enter holy ground or to prepare for a specific task, Christ's loosened sandal points to His preparation to go to the Cross to fulfill the work of redemption that the Law of the Jews could not accomplish.

While the primary emotional meaning of the falling sandal is His reaction to the instruments of the Passion, the legal/theological meaning is that He is the only one qualified to act as our Kinsman-Redeemer, fulfilling the type established in the Book of Ruth.