Boaz
Encyclopedia
Boaz is a major figure in The Book of Ruth
in the Bible
. The term is found 24 times in the Scriptures, being two in Greek (in the form "Booz").
The root בעז, just used in the Bible in relation to "Boaz" (see The Temple), perhaps expresses 'quick(ness)' (cf. Ar.
بَعْ۬ز, 'swiftness [of horse]').
According to Josephus, he lived at the time of Eli. Son of Rachab and Salma, he was a rich landowner who noticed Ruth
, the widowed Moabite
daughter-in-law of Naomi
, a relative of hers (see family tree), gleaning
grain from his fields. He soon learns of the difficult circumstances her family is in and Ruth's loyalty to Naomi. In response, Boaz invites her to eat with him and his workers regularly as well as deliberately leaving grain for her to claim while keeping a protective eye on her. It should be noted that the tradition of Boaz descending from a Canaanite prostitute stems from confusion regarding the identity of the mother of Boaz, who is not mentioned in the Tanakh but is in the Genealogical record of Matthew; Because they have the same name some people believe she is the same person mentioned in Joshua, but that is not supported by linguistic and textual evidence.
Eventually, Boaz and Ruth strike up a friendship which leads to Ruth asking him to marry her. Boaz accepts, but cautions that there is a family member who has a superior right to her hand in marriage. However, he arranges a meeting with the relative and in the presence of ten townsmen convinces him to buy Naomi's husband's land. Once the relative agrees to redeem the land, Boaz informs him that in redeeming the land he is also required to take Ruth as his wife as was customary under the laws and culture of Israel. This was so Ruth could have children who could carry on her late husband's family name and keep the land in the family. At hearing this stipulation, the relative refused to buy the land for fear it would complicate his own inheritance (estate). At that point, he transferred his right to buy the land to Boaz. He did this by removing his sandal and handing it to Boaz. This was a customary symbol in Israel during the epoch for anyone transferring the right to purchase. This was considered a public validation of the transaction. In this, the path was made clear for Boaz and Ruth to be joined in marriage.
Boaz married Ruth and, consequently, preserved the name of Elimelech, Naomi's deceased husband, a sort of levirate
. Their firstborn was considered a son of Elimelech's lineage (Rt-4.5, 10). Boaz purchased the family lands that Naomi had sold, and restituted them to Elimelech's lineage (vv.
3, 7–10). For those substituting, redeeming factors, Ruth's husband is considered by Christians to be a type
of Jesus of Nazareth
, whom they consider to be the Messiah.
Although Boaz is noted to be much older than Ruth in the traditional account and he marries her for Naomi's sake, most dramatic adaptations have Boaz as a handsome young man so as to enhance the romantic nature of the story.
Their son was Obed, father of Jesse
, and grandfather of David
. Boaz is mentioned in both the Gospel of Matthew
and the Gospel of Luke
as an ancestor of Jesus, "according to the flesh".
of Solomon's Temple
(the other being "Jachin"). Its meaning is under controversy. "MT appar. ref. to" the above Boaz, "cf. 𝔗
2 Ch 317 [Qərê, therefore, is very probably an acronym]; Thes supposes name of architect or donor; Ew perh. sons of Solomon, etc.; rd. possibly בְעֹר in strength, 𝔊 2 Ch 317 ἰσχύς; Th thinks יכין בעז a sentence, one word being engraved on each pilar, he (God) establisheth in strength; against him, however, Ke Be; Öt thinks an exclamation, in strength! expressing satisfaction of architect; Klo prop. for בעז, [the expression] בַּעַל עֹר (cf. B I K 721 Βαλαζ)"
, some rabbis identify Boaz with the judge Ibzan
of Bethlehem
. "I.e., Bethlehem in Zebulun"; cf. . Let it be taken into consideration, however, that Boaz "of Ruth" was from Judah
, whereas the two chiftains
immediately ulterior to Ibzan were from Zebulun
. A legend is given that he lost all his sixty children during his lifetime because he did not invite Manoah
, Samson
's father, to any of the marriage festivities at his house. Since Manoah was at that time without children, Boaz thought that he did not need to consider on such occasions a childless man who could not pay him back in kind (Bava Batra
91a).
The Talmud tells that Boaz was a just, pious, and learned judge. The custom of using the Divine Name
in greeting one's fellow-man (Rt-2.4) formulated by him and his bet din ("court [of] law") received the approval of even the heavenly bet din (Babylonian Talmud Makkot
23b; Yerushalmi Talmud Ber. ix. 14c; Midrash
Ruth Rabbah
to ii. 4).
The midrash Ruth Rabbah states that being a pious man, Boaz on his first meeting with Ruth perceived her conscientiousness in picking up the grain, as she strictly observed the rules prescribed by the Law
. This, as well as her grace and her chaste conduct during work, induced Boaz to inquire about the stranger, although he was not in the habit of inquiring after women (Ruth Rabba to ii. 5; Talmudic tractate Shabbat 113b).
In the conversation that followed between Boaz and Ruth, the pious proselyte said that, being a Moabite
, she was excluded from association with the community of God . Boaz, however, replied that the prohibition in the Scripture applied only to the men of Moab — and not to the women
. He furthermore told her that he had heard from the prophet
s that she was destined to become the ancestress of kings and prophets; and he blessed her with the words: "May God, who rewards the pious, also reward you" (Targum
Ruth ii. 10, 11; Pesiḳ, ed. Buber, xvi. 124a). Boaz was especially friendly toward the poor stranger during the meal, when he indicated to her by various symbolic courtesies that she would become the ancestress of the Davidic royal house
, including the Messiah
(Ruth R. to ii. 14; Shab. 113b). As toward Ruth, Boaz had also been kind toward his kinsmen, Naomi's sons, on hearing of their death, taking care that they had an honorable burial (Ruth Rabba to 2.20).
for a while in the Torah (Tan., l.c.; Targum Ruth iii. 7; and Ruth Rabba ib.). Aroused out of his first sleep by Ruth, he was greatly frightened, as he thought that she was a devil; and he was convinced of the contrary only after touching the hair of her head, since devils were believed to be bald (Tan., l.c.). When he perceived the pure and holy intentions of Ruth he not only did not reprove her for her unusual behavior, but he blessed her, and gave her six measures of barley, indicating thereby that six pious men should spring from her, who would be gifted by God with six excellences (cf. ; Sanhedrin 93b; Numbers Rabba xiii. 11; Ruth Rabba and Targum to Ruth iii. 15; the names of the six men differ in these passages, but David and the Messiah are always among them). Boaz fulfilled the promises he had given to Ruth, and when his kinsman (the sources differ as to the precise relationship existing between them) would not marry her because he did not know the halakah which decreed that Moabite women were not excluded from the Israelitic community, Boaz himself married her (Ruth Rabba to iv. 1). Boaz was eighty and Ruth forty years old (idem to iii. 10), but their marriage did not remain childless, though Boaz died the day after his wedding (Midrash Zutta, ed. Buber, 55, below).
and cooperative Moshav
forms of agricultural settlement.
This use of "Boaz" became obsolete in later stages of Zionist and Israeli history, and is hardly remembered today. In contemporary Israel
, "Boaz" is commonly used as a male first name and carries no special political or social connotations.
Book of Ruth
The Book of Ruth is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh, or Old Testament. In the Jewish canon the Book of Ruth is included in the third division, or the Writings . In the Christian canon the Book of Ruth is placed between Judges and 1 Samuel...
in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. The term is found 24 times in the Scriptures, being two in Greek (in the form "Booz").
The root בעז, just used in the Bible in relation to "Boaz" (see The Temple), perhaps expresses 'quick(ness)' (cf. Ar.
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
بَعْ۬ز, 'swiftness [of horse]').
In the Bible
Ruth (biblical figure)
Ruth , is the main character in the Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible.-Biblical narrative:Ruth was a Moabitess, who married Mahlon, the son of Elimelech and Naomi, but Elimelech and his two sons died...
, the widowed Moabite
Moabite
Moabite may refer to:*a person from Moab, the former country of the Moabite people, currently located in the area of Jordan east of the Dead Sea*the Moabite language, an extinct Canaanite dialect once spoken in Moab...
daughter-in-law of Naomi
Naomi (Bible)
Naomi is Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth...
, a relative of hers (see family tree), gleaning
Gleaning
Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest...
grain from his fields. He soon learns of the difficult circumstances her family is in and Ruth's loyalty to Naomi. In response, Boaz invites her to eat with him and his workers regularly as well as deliberately leaving grain for her to claim while keeping a protective eye on her. It should be noted that the tradition of Boaz descending from a Canaanite prostitute stems from confusion regarding the identity of the mother of Boaz, who is not mentioned in the Tanakh but is in the Genealogical record of Matthew; Because they have the same name some people believe she is the same person mentioned in Joshua, but that is not supported by linguistic and textual evidence.
Eventually, Boaz and Ruth strike up a friendship which leads to Ruth asking him to marry her. Boaz accepts, but cautions that there is a family member who has a superior right to her hand in marriage. However, he arranges a meeting with the relative and in the presence of ten townsmen convinces him to buy Naomi's husband's land. Once the relative agrees to redeem the land, Boaz informs him that in redeeming the land he is also required to take Ruth as his wife as was customary under the laws and culture of Israel. This was so Ruth could have children who could carry on her late husband's family name and keep the land in the family. At hearing this stipulation, the relative refused to buy the land for fear it would complicate his own inheritance (estate). At that point, he transferred his right to buy the land to Boaz. He did this by removing his sandal and handing it to Boaz. This was a customary symbol in Israel during the epoch for anyone transferring the right to purchase. This was considered a public validation of the transaction. In this, the path was made clear for Boaz and Ruth to be joined in marriage.
Boaz married Ruth and, consequently, preserved the name of Elimelech, Naomi's deceased husband, a sort of levirate
Yibbum
Yibbum , or levirate marriage, in Judaism, is one of the most complex types of marriages mandated by Torah law by which, according to the law, the brother of a man who died without children has an obligation to marry the widow...
. Their firstborn was considered a son of Elimelech's lineage (Rt-4.5, 10). Boaz purchased the family lands that Naomi had sold, and restituted them to Elimelech's lineage (vv.
Chapters and verses of the Bible
The Bible is a compilation of many shorter books written at different times and later assembled into the Biblical canon. All but the shortest of these books have been divided into chapters, generally a page or so in length, since the early 13th century. Since the mid-16th century, each chapter has...
3, 7–10). For those substituting, redeeming factors, Ruth's husband is considered by Christians to be a type
Typology (theology)
Typology in Christian theology and Biblical exegesis is a doctrine or theory concerning the relationship between the Old and New Testaments...
of Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, whom they consider to be the Messiah.
Although Boaz is noted to be much older than Ruth in the traditional account and he marries her for Naomi's sake, most dramatic adaptations have Boaz as a handsome young man so as to enhance the romantic nature of the story.
Their son was Obed, father of Jesse
Jesse
Jesse, Eshai or Yishai, is the father of the David, who became the king of the Israelites. His son David is sometimes called simply "Son of Jesse" ....
, and grandfather of David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
. Boaz is mentioned in both the Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
and the Gospel of Luke
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...
as an ancestor of Jesus, "according to the flesh".
The Temple
"Boaz" was the name of the left one of The Two frontal ColumnsBoaz and Jachin
Boaz and Jachin were two copper, brass or bronze pillars which stood in the porch of Solomon's Temple, the first Temple in Jerusalem.-Description:...
of Solomon's Temple
Solomon's Temple
Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple, was the main temple in ancient Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount , before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE....
(the other being "Jachin"). Its meaning is under controversy. "MT appar. ref. to" the above Boaz, "cf. 𝔗
Targum
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
2 Ch 317 [Qərê, therefore, is very probably an acronym]; Thes supposes name of architect or donor; Ew perh. sons of Solomon, etc.; rd. possibly בְעֹר in strength, 𝔊 2 Ch 317 ἰσχύς; Th thinks יכין בעז a sentence, one word being engraved on each pilar, he (God) establisheth in strength; against him, however, Ke Be; Öt thinks an exclamation, in strength! expressing satisfaction of architect; Klo prop. for בעז, [the expression] בַּעַל עֹר (cf. B I K 721 Βαλαζ)"
Conduct
In the TalmudTalmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
, some rabbis identify Boaz with the judge Ibzan
Ibzan
Ibzan appears in the Bible as one of the Judges of Israel. Very little is said about him, except the following:Many scholars believe that the Bethlehem referred to in the story is the Bethlehem in the territory of the Tribe of Zebulun, rather than the more famous Bethlehem in the Tribe of Judah...
of Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
. "I.e., Bethlehem in Zebulun"; cf. . Let it be taken into consideration, however, that Boaz "of Ruth" was from Judah
Tribe of Judah
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Judah was one of the Tribes of Israel.Following the completion of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes after about 1200 BCE, Joshua allocated the land among the twelve tribes....
, whereas the two chiftains
Biblical judges
A biblical judge is "a ruler or a military leader, as well as someone who presided over legal hearings."...
immediately ulterior to Ibzan were from Zebulun
Tribe of Zebulun
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Zebulun was one of the Tribes of Israel....
. A legend is given that he lost all his sixty children during his lifetime because he did not invite Manoah
Manoah
Manoah is the father of Samson. Manoah means rest or quiet in Judges 13:1-23 and 14:2-4 of the Hebrew Bible.Manoah was of the tribe of Dan, and lived in the city of Zorah. He and his wife were childless, but an angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah's wife and told her that she would give birth to a...
, Samson
Samson
Samson, Shimshon ; Shamshoun or Sampson is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh ....
's father, to any of the marriage festivities at his house. Since Manoah was at that time without children, Boaz thought that he did not need to consider on such occasions a childless man who could not pay him back in kind (Bava Batra
Bava Batra
Bava Batra is the third of the three tractates in the Talmud in the order Nezikin; it deals with a person's responsibilities and rights as the owner of property. It is part of Judaism's oral law...
91a).
The Talmud tells that Boaz was a just, pious, and learned judge. The custom of using the Divine Name
Names of God in Judaism
In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title; it represents the Jewish conception of the divine nature, and of the relationship of God to the Jewish people and to the world. To demonstrate the sacredness of the names of God, and as a means of showing respect and reverence for...
in greeting one's fellow-man (Rt-2.4) formulated by him and his bet din ("court [of] law") received the approval of even the heavenly bet din (Babylonian Talmud Makkot
Makkot
Makkot is a book of the Mishnah and Talmud. It is the fifth volume of the book of Nezikin. Makkot deals primarily with laws of Jewish courts and the punishments which they may administer, and may be regarded as a continuation of tractate Sanhedrin, of which it originally formed part.Included in...
23b; Yerushalmi Talmud Ber. ix. 14c; Midrash
Midrash
The Hebrew term Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....
Ruth Rabbah
Ruth Rabbah
Ruth Rabbah is an haggadic and homiletic interpretation of the Book of Ruth, which, like that of the four other scrolls , is included in the Midrash Rabbot. This midrash, divided into eight chapters or sections , covers the whole text of the Biblical book, interpreting it verse by verse, now in...
to ii. 4).
The midrash Ruth Rabbah states that being a pious man, Boaz on his first meeting with Ruth perceived her conscientiousness in picking up the grain, as she strictly observed the rules prescribed by the Law
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
. This, as well as her grace and her chaste conduct during work, induced Boaz to inquire about the stranger, although he was not in the habit of inquiring after women (Ruth Rabba to ii. 5; Talmudic tractate Shabbat 113b).
In the conversation that followed between Boaz and Ruth, the pious proselyte said that, being a Moabite
Moabite
Moabite may refer to:*a person from Moab, the former country of the Moabite people, currently located in the area of Jordan east of the Dead Sea*the Moabite language, an extinct Canaanite dialect once spoken in Moab...
, she was excluded from association with the community of God . Boaz, however, replied that the prohibition in the Scripture applied only to the men of Moab — and not to the women
Women in the Hebrew Bible
The views of women presented in the Hebrew Bible are complex and often ambivalent....
. He furthermore told her that he had heard from the prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
s that she was destined to become the ancestress of kings and prophets; and he blessed her with the words: "May God, who rewards the pious, also reward you" (Targum
Targum
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
Ruth ii. 10, 11; Pesiḳ, ed. Buber, xvi. 124a). Boaz was especially friendly toward the poor stranger during the meal, when he indicated to her by various symbolic courtesies that she would become the ancestress of the Davidic royal house
Davidic line
The Davidic line refers to the tracing of lineage to the King David referred to in the Hebrew Bible, as well as the New Testament...
, including the Messiah
Jewish Messiah
Messiah, ; mashiah, moshiah, mashiach, or moshiach, is a term used in the Hebrew Bible to describe priests and kings, who were traditionally anointed with holy anointing oil as described in Exodus 30:22-25...
(Ruth R. to ii. 14; Shab. 113b). As toward Ruth, Boaz had also been kind toward his kinsmen, Naomi's sons, on hearing of their death, taking care that they had an honorable burial (Ruth Rabba to 2.20).
Boaz and Ruth
Although Boaz was the prince of the people, he himself supervised the threshing of the grain in his barn, in order to circumvent any immorality or theft, both of which were rife in his days (Tan., Behar, ed. Buber, viii.; Ruth Rabba to iii. 7). Glad in his heart that the famine was over in Israel, he sought rest after having thanked God and studiedTorah study
Torah study is the study by Jewish people of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts...
for a while in the Torah (Tan., l.c.; Targum Ruth iii. 7; and Ruth Rabba ib.). Aroused out of his first sleep by Ruth, he was greatly frightened, as he thought that she was a devil; and he was convinced of the contrary only after touching the hair of her head, since devils were believed to be bald (Tan., l.c.). When he perceived the pure and holy intentions of Ruth he not only did not reprove her for her unusual behavior, but he blessed her, and gave her six measures of barley, indicating thereby that six pious men should spring from her, who would be gifted by God with six excellences (cf. ; Sanhedrin 93b; Numbers Rabba xiii. 11; Ruth Rabba and Targum to Ruth iii. 15; the names of the six men differ in these passages, but David and the Messiah are always among them). Boaz fulfilled the promises he had given to Ruth, and when his kinsman (the sources differ as to the precise relationship existing between them) would not marry her because he did not know the halakah which decreed that Moabite women were not excluded from the Israelitic community, Boaz himself married her (Ruth Rabba to iv. 1). Boaz was eighty and Ruth forty years old (idem to iii. 10), but their marriage did not remain childless, though Boaz died the day after his wedding (Midrash Zutta, ed. Buber, 55, below).
In Zionist History
In the early years of Zionist settlement, the term "a boaz" (plural "boazim"), derived from the Biblical character, was used to refer to a rich private farmer or landowner, such as the ones who flourished during the First Aliya. The term was often used with a pejorative connotation by adherents of Socialist Zionism, who were strongly opposed to "the boazim" and counterposed to them the collective KibbutzKibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
and cooperative Moshav
Moshav
Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...
forms of agricultural settlement.
This use of "Boaz" became obsolete in later stages of Zionist and Israeli history, and is hardly remembered today. In contemporary Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, "Boaz" is commonly used as a male first name and carries no special political or social connotations.