Boaz was a wealthy and respected landowner from Bethlehem in the tribe of Judah. His name means “in him is strength” or “swiftness.” A relative of Elimelech (Naomi’s husband), he served as kinsman-redeemer for Ruth the Moabitess. Boaz is remembered for his kindness, integrity, and obedience to the law of redemption; he became the great-grandfather of King David and an ancestor of Jesus Christ.
Boaz stands as a model of godly character and a vivid illustration of the kinsman-redeemer. In a time when the judges ruled and moral confusion was common, he treated a vulnerable foreign widow with honor, protection, and generosity. By redeeming the family property and marrying Ruth, he preserved both the name and the inheritance of the deceased. His actions not only provided immediate security for Ruth and Naomi but also placed him in the direct line of the Messiah. Boaz’s life shows how ordinary faithfulness and kindness can play a significant part in God’s larger redemptive plan.
- Boaz is described as “a worthy man” (or “man of standing”) of the clan of Elimelech.
- He noticed Ruth’s hard work and loyalty to Naomi and responded with unusual kindness and protection.
- He deliberately instructed his workers to leave extra grain for her, going beyond the minimum requirements of the law.
- When Ruth approached him at the threshing floor, he responded with integrity and praise for her character rather than taking advantage of the situation.
- He carefully followed the legal process at the city gate, giving the nearer kinsman the first right of redemption before taking the responsibility himself.
- His marriage to Ruth brought a Moabite woman fully into the covenant community and into the ancestry of David and of Jesus.
- Boaz is a type of Christ, the ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer who pays the price to redeem His people and bring them into His family.
- First Meeting with Ruth (Ruth 2) – Notices Ruth gleaning in his field; inquires about her; offers her protection, water, and food; instructs his men to leave extra sheaves for her.
- The Threshing Floor (Ruth 3) – Awakes to find Ruth at his feet; praises her virtue; promises to act as redeemer if the nearer kinsman will not; sends her home with a generous gift of barley.
- Redemption at the Gate (Ruth 4) – Gathers the nearer kinsman and the elders; formally offers the right of redemption; when the other man declines, Boaz publicly redeems the property and takes Ruth as his wife.
- Marriage and Fatherhood (Ruth 4) – Marries Ruth; she bears a son, Obed, who becomes the grandfather of David.
- Ruth 2:1 – “Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.”
- Ruth 2:11-12 – Boaz blesses Ruth for her loyalty and for seeking refuge under the wings of the Lord.
- Ruth 3:10-11 – “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter… all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.”
- Ruth 4:9-10 – Boaz declares before the elders that he has bought all that belonged to Elimelech and is taking Ruth as his wife “to perpetuate the name of the dead.”
- Ruth 4:13-17 – Boaz and Ruth marry; Obed is born; the women of Bethlehem bless Naomi.
- Ruth 4:21-22 – Boaz becomes the father of Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David.
- Matthew 1:5 – “and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth…”
- Ruth (wife)
- Naomi (relative by marriage)
- Obed (son)
- Jesse (grandson)
- David (great-grandson)
- Salmon and Rahab (his parents, according to Matthew’s genealogy)
- The nearer kinsman who declined to redeem
- Jesus (descendant through the line of David)
Boaz’s life is a quiet but powerful picture of strength expressed in kindness and integrity. He used his position and resources to protect and provide for the vulnerable, and he carefully honored both the letter and the spirit of God’s law. Through his faithful action a foreign widow was brought into the covenant family, and the line that would lead to David and to the Messiah was preserved. In Boaz we see a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, the true Kinsman-Redeemer, who with strength and compassion redeems His people and brings them into His own family forever.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.