Bible Character Explorer
Judges • c. 1100 BC (approximate)
Boaz
Kinsman-RedeemerA wealthy landowner in Bethlehem whose faithful redemption of Ruth placed him directly in the lineage of David and Jesus.
"Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?"
Ruth 2:5 (KJV)
Overview
Boaz was a man of wealth and standing in Bethlehem, a kinsman of Naomi's late husband Elimelech. When Ruth, the Moabite widow of Naomi's son, came to glean in his fields, Boaz noticed her and showed her unusual kindness, instructing his workers to leave extra grain for her and to let her glean without harassment, having heard of her loyal care for Naomi. At Naomi's instruction, Ruth approached Boaz at the threshing floor by night and asked him to fulfill the kinsman-redeemer role by marrying her and preserving her late husband's inheritance. Boaz honored the request but first ensured that a closer relative had the opportunity to redeem her; when that man declined, Boaz publicly took on the responsibility, purchasing the family's land and marrying Ruth before the elders of the city. Their union produced Obed, the grandfather of David, making Boaz a direct ancestor in the messianic line that leads to Jesus Christ.
Gospel Connection
As kinsman-redeemer, Boaz pictures Christ, who alone was near enough in kinship (fully human) and able enough in resource (fully divine and sinless) to pay the price for those otherwise unable to redeem themselves. His marriage to Ruth, a Gentile grafted into Israel's covenant story, previews the Gospel's reach to all nations through the greater Redeemer born in his family line.
Discover More
See how this life points to Christ in the Gospel Connection section above.