BOOZ (Hebrew Bô’az). — 1. — Ancestor of David and of the Messiah. He owned a field in Bethlehem where the widow Ruth (q.v.) went to glean in order to support herself and her mother-in-law Naomi; impressed by the woman’s piety toward her mother-in-law, he showed her particular kindness (Ruth 2). When the relationship between the two families became known, Boaz married Ruth, and from their union was born Obed, grandfather of David (Mt 1:5), though probably not in the direct line. The marriage was arranged according to the law of the levirate (q.v.), though it presents an interesting special case, since Boaz was the gô’êl not of the deceased husband but of Ruth’s father-in-law, from whom perhaps the duty (cf. Gen 38:13) had come to Boaz to marry the widow. The newborn child, however, was legally considered Naomi’s son (Ruth 4:10–17).
2. — Name (in the Vulgate) of the left-hand column of the portico of Solomon’s Temple, Hebrew bô’az, perhaps from bê’ôz “in strength,” referring to the Temple (1 Kgs 7:21; 2 Chr 3:17).