Boaz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search
For other uses, see Boaz (disambiguation).

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld: Ruth in Boaz's Field, 1828

This article contains special characters.Without

proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or
other symbols.

Boaz (/ˈboʊæz/; Hebrew: ‫בֹּעַז‬ Bōʿaz; Hebrew pronunciation: [boˈʕaz]) is a biblical figure

appearing in the Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible and in the genealogies of Jesus in
the New Testament and also the name of a pillar in the portico of the
historic Temple in Jerusalem. The word is found 24 times in the Scriptures, two being in
Greek (in the form "Βοόζ (Booz)").[1][2]
The root ‫בעז‬, just used in the Bible in relation to "Boaz" (see The Temple), perhaps
expresses 'quick(ness)'.[3] The etymology of the name has been suggested by
many [4] as be'oz, "in the strength of", or bo'oz, "in him (is) strength" from the root 'zz, "to be
strong", hence the use of the name "Boaz" for one of the pillars at the portico of the temple
(1 Kings 7:21),[5] although Biblical scholar Martin Noth preferred "of sharp mind".[6]

Contents

 1Bible narrative
o 1.1Hebrew Bible
o 1.2The Temple
o 1.3New Testament
 2Rabbinic Jewish tradition
o 2.1Conduct
o 2.2Boaz and Ruth
  3In Israeli history
 4In popular culture
 5See also
 6References
 7Further reading

Bible narrative[edit]

Top – Ruth Meets Boaz as she gleans

Hebrew Bible[edit]
The son of Salmon[7] and his wife Rahab,[8] Boaz was a wealthy landowner
of Bethlehem in Judea, and relative of Elimelech, Naomi's late husband.[9] He notices Ruth,
the widowed Moabite daughter-in-law of Naomi, a relative of his (see family
tree), gleaning grain in 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, as well as deliberately leaving grain for her to claim while keeping a protective
eye on her.[10]
Ruth approaches Boaz and asks him to exercise his right of kinship and marry her. Boaz
accepts, provided that another with a superior claim declines. Since the first son of Ruth
and a kinsman of her late husband would be deemed the legal offspring of the decedent and
heir to Elimelech, the other kinsman defers to Boaz.
In marrying Ruth, Boaz revives Elimelech's lineage, and the patrimony is secured to
Naomi's family. 
Their son was Obed, father of Jesse, and grandfather of David.
According to Josephus,[11] he lived at the time of Eli.
The Temple[edit]
"Boaz" was the name of the left one of the two frontal columns of Solomon's Temple, the
other being "Jachin".[12][13] Its meaning is a subject of controversy.[14]
New Testament[edit]
Boaz is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew as the son of Salmon and Rahab (seemingly
Rahab of Jericho) and as an ancestor of Jesus.[15]

Rabbinic Jewish tradition[edit]

Conduct[edit]
In the Talmud, some rabbis identify Boaz with the judge Ibzan of Bethlehem.[16]
[17]
 "I.e., Bethlehem in Zebulun"; cf. Joshua 19:15.[18] Let it be taken into consideration,
however, that Boaz "of Ruth" was from Judah,[7] whereas the two chieftains immediately
ulterior to Ibzan were from Zebulun.[19] 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.[17] Since Manoah was at that time without children, Boaz
thought he did not need to consider on such occasions a childless man who could not pay
him back in kind (Bava Batra 91a).[17]
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 Makkot23b; Yerushalmi Talmud Ber. ix. 14c; Midrash Ruth Rabbah to ii. 4).[17]
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.[17] 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).[17]
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
(Deuteronomy 23:3). Boaz, however, replied that the prohibition in the Scripture applied
only to the men of Moab – and not to the women.[17] He furthermore told her that he had
heard from the prophets 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).[17] 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).[17] 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).[17]
Boaz and Ruth[edit]

Boaz meets Ruth, 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld

Although Boaz was the prince of the people, he personally 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).[9] Glad in his heart that the
famine was over in Israel, he sought rest after having thanked God and studied for a while
in the Torah (Tan., l.c.; Targum Ruth iii. 7; and Ruth Rabba ib.).[9] Aroused out of his first
sleep by Ruth, he was greatly frightened, as he thought 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.).[9] When he perceived Ruth's pure and holy intentions he not
only did not reprove her for her unusual behavior, 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. Isaiah 11:2; 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).[9] 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.

In Israeli history[edit]
In the early years of Jewish 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.[citation needed]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 Kibbutz and cooperative Moshav forms of
agricultural settlement.[citation needed]
This use of "Boaz" became obsolete in later stages of Jewish 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.[citation needed]

In popular culture[edit]
In the 1960 film adaptation The Story of Ruth, Boaz is played by Stuart Whitman.

See also[edit]
 Goel

References[edit]
1. ^ Brazilian Midnight Call's Bible search. Retrieved on 2008-
12-1.
2. ^ Booz. Retrieved on 2008-12-1.
3. ^ bdb, p. 126.
4. ^ [The Anchor Bible Dictionary Vol I.(A-C) Doubleday.
1992
5. ^ Barnes, A., Barnes' Notes on Ruth 2, accessed 9 March
2017
6. ^ [Die israelitischen Personennamen im Rahmen der
gemeinsemitischen Namengebung p228. 1966. print]
7. ^ Jump up to:     1 Chronicles 2:11–2:12,Luke 3:32
a b

8. ^ Matthew 1:5
9. ^ Jump up to:           "Boaz",  Jewish Encyclopedia
a b c d e

10. ^ "Gustave Doré, Joshua Spares Rahab". Archived from the

original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2011-05-23.
11. ^ "Ant." v. 9, § 1.
12. ^ ‫יכין‬.
13. ^ 1 Kings 7:21 = 2 Chronicles 3:17
14. ^ "MT appar. ref. to" the above Boaz, "cf. 𝔗 2 Ch 3  [Qərê,
17

therefore, is very probably an acronym]; Thes supposes name

of architect or donor; Ew perh. sons of Solomon,
etc.; rd. possibly ‫בְע ֹר‬ in strength, 𝔊 2 Ch 317 ἰσχύς; Th thinks
‫ יכין בעז‬a sentence, one word being engraved on each
pillar, 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] ‫ ַּבעַל ע ֹר‬ (cf. B I K 721 Βαλαζ)"; bdb, p. 127.
15. ^ Matthew 1:5
16. ^ Judges 12:8.
17. ^ Jump up to:                     je, In Rabbinical Literature.
a b c d e f g h i j
 18. ^ Hebrew-English Tanakh. First pocket edition. Philadelphia,
PA, USA: Jewish Publication Society, 2003. ISBN 978-0-
8276-0766-8. p. 547.
19. ^ Judges 12:11–12:12.
 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer,
Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Boaz". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk &
Wagnalls.

Further reading[edit]
 F. Brown, S. Driver, C. Briggs. The Brown–Driver–
Briggs Hebrew and English lexicon. Tenth printing. Peabody,
MA, USA: Hendrickson, October 2006. ISBN 978-156-563-206-
6. (Each of the authors was dLitt and dd |p. iii|.)
 Barnes, W. Emery (1904). "Jachin and Boaz". Journal of
Theological Studies. V (19): 447–451. doi:10.1093/jts/os-
V.19.447. Retrieved 2011-06-09.

Boaz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
For other uses, see Boaz (disambiguation).

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld: Ruth in Boaz's Field, 1828

This article contains special characters.Without

proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or
other symbols.

Boaz (/ˈboʊæz/; Hebrew: ‫בֹּעַז‬ Bōʿaz; Hebrew pronunciation: [boˈʕaz]) is a biblical figure

appearing in the Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible and in the genealogies of Jesus in
the New Testament and also the name of a pillar in the portico of the
historic Temple in Jerusalem. The word is found 24 times in the Scriptures, two being in
Greek (in the form "Βοόζ (Booz)").[1][2]
The root ‫בעז‬, just used in the Bible in relation to "Boaz" (see The Temple), perhaps
expresses 'quick(ness)'.[3] The etymology of the name has been suggested by
many [4] as be'oz, "in the strength of", or bo'oz, "in him (is) strength" from the root 'zz, "to be
strong", hence the use of the name "Boaz" for one of the pillars at the portico of the temple
(1 Kings 7:21),[5] although Biblical scholar Martin Noth preferred "of sharp mind".[6]

Contents

 1Bible narrative
o 1.1Hebrew Bible
o 1.2The Temple
o 1.3New Testament
 2Rabbinic Jewish tradition
o 2.1Conduct
o 2.2Boaz and Ruth
 3In Israeli history
 4In popular culture
 5See also
 6References
 7Further reading

Bible narrative[edit]
Top – Ruth Meets Boaz as she gleans

Hebrew Bible[edit]
The son of Salmon[7] and his wife Rahab,[8] Boaz was a wealthy landowner
of Bethlehem in Judea, and relative of Elimelech, Naomi's late husband.[9] He notices Ruth,
the widowed Moabite daughter-in-law of Naomi, a relative of his (see family
tree), gleaning grain in 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, as well as deliberately leaving grain for her to claim while keeping a protective
eye on her.[10]
Ruth approaches Boaz and asks him to exercise his right of kinship and marry her. Boaz
accepts, provided that another with a superior claim declines. Since the first son of Ruth
and a kinsman of her late husband would be deemed the legal offspring of the decedent and
heir to Elimelech, the other kinsman defers to Boaz.
In marrying Ruth, Boaz revives Elimelech's lineage, and the patrimony is secured to
Naomi's family. 
Their son was Obed, father of Jesse, and grandfather of David.
According to Josephus,[11] he lived at the time of Eli.
The Temple[edit]
"Boaz" was the name of the left one of the two frontal columns of Solomon's Temple, the
other being "Jachin".[12][13] Its meaning is a subject of controversy.[14]
New Testament[edit]
Boaz is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew as the son of Salmon and Rahab (seemingly
Rahab of Jericho) and as an ancestor of Jesus.[15]

Rabbinic Jewish tradition[edit]

Conduct[edit]
In the Talmud, some rabbis identify Boaz with the judge Ibzan of Bethlehem.[16]
[17]
 "I.e., Bethlehem in Zebulun"; cf. Joshua 19:15.[18] Let it be taken into consideration,
however, that Boaz "of Ruth" was from Judah,[7] whereas the two chieftains immediately
ulterior to Ibzan were from Zebulun.[19] 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.[17] Since Manoah was at that time without children, Boaz
thought he did not need to consider on such occasions a childless man who could not pay
him back in kind (Bava Batra 91a).[17]
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 Makkot23b; Yerushalmi Talmud Ber. ix. 14c; Midrash Ruth Rabbah to ii. 4).[17]
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.[17] 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).[17]
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
(Deuteronomy 23:3). Boaz, however, replied that the prohibition in the Scripture applied
only to the men of Moab – and not to the women.[17] He furthermore told her that he had
heard from the prophets 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).[17] 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).[17] 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).[17]
Boaz and Ruth[edit]
Boaz meets Ruth, 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld

Although Boaz was the prince of the people, he personally 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).[9] Glad in his heart that the
famine was over in Israel, he sought rest after having thanked God and studied for a while
in the Torah (Tan., l.c.; Targum Ruth iii. 7; and Ruth Rabba ib.).[9] Aroused out of his first
sleep by Ruth, he was greatly frightened, as he thought 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.).[9] When he perceived Ruth's pure and holy intentions he not
only did not reprove her for her unusual behavior, 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. Isaiah 11:2; 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).[9] 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.

In Israeli history[edit]
In the early years of Jewish 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.[citation needed]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 Kibbutz and cooperative Moshav forms of
agricultural settlement.[citation needed]
This use of "Boaz" became obsolete in later stages of Jewish 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.[citation needed]

In popular culture[edit]
In the 1960 film adaptation The Story of Ruth, Boaz is played by Stuart Whitman.

See also[edit]
 Goel

References[edit]
1. ^ Brazilian Midnight Call's Bible search. Retrieved on 2008-
12-1.
2. ^ Booz. Retrieved on 2008-12-1.
3. ^ bdb, p. 126.
4. ^ [The Anchor Bible Dictionary Vol I.(A-C) Doubleday.
1992
5. ^ Barnes, A., Barnes' Notes on Ruth 2, accessed 9 March
2017
6. ^ [Die israelitischen Personennamen im Rahmen der
gemeinsemitischen Namengebung p228. 1966. print]
7. ^ Jump up to:     1 Chronicles 2:11–2:12,Luke 3:32
a b

8. ^ Matthew 1:5
9. ^ Jump up to:           "Boaz",  Jewish Encyclopedia
a b c d e

10. ^ "Gustave Doré, Joshua Spares Rahab". Archived from the

original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2011-05-23.
11. ^ "Ant." v. 9, § 1.
12. ^ ‫יכין‬.
13. ^ 1 Kings 7:21 = 2 Chronicles 3:17
14. ^ "MT appar. ref. to" the above Boaz, "cf. 𝔗 2 Ch 3 17
 [Qərê,
therefore, is very probably an acronym]; Thes supposes name
of architect or donor; Ew perh. sons of Solomon,
etc.; rd. possibly ‫בְע ֹר‬ in strength, 𝔊 2 Ch 317 ἰσχύς; Th thinks
‫ יכין בעז‬a sentence, one word being engraved on each
pillar, 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] ‫ ַּבעַל ע ֹר‬ (cf. B I K 721 Βαλαζ)"; bdb, p. 127.
15. ^ Matthew 1:5
16. ^ Judges 12:8.
17. ^ Jump up to:                     je, In Rabbinical Literature.
a b c d e f g h i j

18. ^ Hebrew-English Tanakh. First pocket edition. Philadelphia,

PA, USA: Jewish Publication Society, 2003. ISBN 978-0-
8276-0766-8. p. 547.
19. ^ Judges 12:11–12:12.
 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer,
Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Boaz". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk &
Wagnalls.
Further reading[edit]
 F. Brown, S. Driver, C. Briggs. The Brown–Driver–
Briggs Hebrew and English lexicon. Tenth printing. Peabody,
MA, USA: Hendrickson, October 2006. ISBN 978-156-563-206-
6. (Each of the authors was dLitt and dd |p. iii|.)
 Barnes, W. Emery (1904). "Jachin and Boaz". Journal of
Theological Studies. V (19): 447–451. doi:10.1093/jts/os-
V.19.447. Retrieved 2011-06-09.

show

Linear genealogy of Jesus from the first couple, according to Matthew 1