Proponents of the view that marriage by purchase existed in ancient Israel point, in affirmation of their thesis, to Ruth 4:10, “And also Ruth the Moabitess, wife of Mahlon, קניתי to be my wife.” Specifically, they point to the use of the verb קנה. In the Bible, when not in connection with God or wisdom (the latter exclusively in Proverbs), it implies purchase. Basing themselves on the passage in Ruth, such lexicographers as Gesenius — Buhl and Koehler — Baumgartner list “eine Frau kaufen” or ”purchase to be one's wife” as one of the meanings of the verb קנה.