Boaz

Boaz, whose name means in strength or fleetness, was a wealthy Bethlehemite landowner and a kinsman of Elimelech, the husband of Naomi. His story unfolds in the book of Ruth, where he fulfills the role of kinsman-redeemer (go'el) by marrying the widowed Moabite Ruth and redeeming the property of Naomi's deceased husband. His first act of kindness was permitting Ruth to glean in his fields and instructing his workers to leave extra grain for her, motivated by his knowledge of her loyalty to Naomi and his reverence for Yahweh's care for the vulnerable.

Boaz appears in the genealogy of David (Ruth 4:21–22) and subsequently in the messianic lineage of Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:5). His role as kinsman-redeemer has made him a prominent type of Christ in Christian interpretation: as Boaz redeemed Ruth by paying the required price and taking the foreign widow as his bride, so Christ redeems his people at cost to himself and unites them to himself. One of the two bronze pillars of Solomon's temple was also called Boaz (1 Kings 7:21; 2 Chr. 3:17).