Tag: Boaz

Boaz ( /ˈboʊ.æz/; Modern Hebrew: בועז Bốʿaz; Massoretical Hebrew: בֹּ֫עַז Bṓʿaz; Hebrew pronunciation: [ˈboːʕaz]) 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 Rahab 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…