Boaz (bo\'a ¬z), KJV of NT Booz (bo\'o ¬z). [Heb. BoÔaz, meaning uncertain. Gr. Boes. The name occurs in an inscription found in the Hauran.]

1. A wealthy inhabitant of Bethlehem, a relative of the deceased husband of Ruth. He married Ruth and became an ancestor of David (Ruth 2:3, 4, etc.; Mt 1:5).

2. One of the 2 pillars set up at the entrance to Solomon's Temple (1 Ki 7:15-22; 2 Chr 3:17). The name has not yet satisfactorily been explained in spite of many efforts -- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary.