Who was Boaz in the Bible?
Here's the answer:
Boaz was a man who served God well and became the husband of Ruth.
In the book of Ruth, we find Boaz to be a wealthy man who owns fields of grain. Ruth was a woman who came to work in the field as a gleaner after her husband and sons passed away. She lives with her mother-in-law Naomi (Ruth 1:16). Boaz is kind to Ruth and asks his other workers to leave behind some extra grain so Ruth can have some extra food (Ruth 2:16).
When Naomi finds out that Ruth is working in Boaz’s field, Naomi tells Ruth that he is a guardian-redeemer or a kinsman-redeemer. This means that Boaz had the responsibility to act on behalf of a relative in need of help. Ruth tells Boaz that she needs a kinsman-redeemer and he accepts. Within this contract, Boaz would also marry Ruth. There was a man who was closer in lineage to Ruth who could fulfill this role to Ruth, but he declined (Ruth 4:1-10).
Boaz and Ruth got married and they had a son. They named their son Obed. Boaz was compassionate, caring, and loving of Ruth. He loved her and provided well for her. Boaz could have declined his role as the kinsman-redeemer, but he didn’t. He chose to be Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer. Through Ruth and Boaz’s line comes King David and later, Jesus Christ.
Bible Truth
"So Ruth went out to a field and began to pick up grain. She worked behind those cutting and gathering the grain. As it turned out, she was working in a field that belonged to Boaz. He was from the family of Elimelek" (Ruth 2:3). "Then Boaz said, 'When you buy the property from Naomi, you must also marry Ruth. She is from Moab and is the dead man’s widow. So you must marry her. That’s because his property must continue to belong to his family'" (Ruth 4:5). "Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, 'Today you are witnesses. You have seen that I have bought land from Naomi. I have bought all the property that had belonged to Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. I’ve also taken Ruth, who is from Moab, to become my wife. She is Mahlon’s widow. I’ve decided to marry her so the dead man’s name will stay with his property. Now his name won’t disappear from his family line or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!'" (Ruth 4:9-10).
