- published: 21 Jul 2014
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Boaz ( /ˈboʊ.æz/; Modern Hebrew: בועז Bốʿaz; Massoretical Hebrew: בֹּ֫עַז Bṓʿaz; Hebrew pronunciation: [ˈboːʕaz]) is a major figure in The Book of Ruth in the Bible. The term is found 24 times in the Scriptures, being two in Greek (in the form "Booz").
The root בעז, just used in the Bible in relation to "Boaz" (see The Temple), perhaps expresses 'quick(ness)' (cf. Ar. بَعْ۬ز, 'swiftness [of horse]').
According to Josephus, he lived at the time of Eli. Son of Rachab and Salma, he was a rich landowner who noticed Ruth, the widowed Moabite daughter-in-law of Naomi, a relative of hers (see family tree), gleaning grain from his fields. He soon learns of the difficult circumstances her family is in and Ruth's loyalty to Naomi. In response, Boaz invites her to eat with him and his workers regularly as well as deliberately leaving grain for her to claim while keeping a protective eye on her. It should be noted that the tradition of Boaz descending from a Canaanite prostitute stems from confusion regarding the identity of the mother of Boaz, who is not mentioned in the Tanakh but is in the Genealogical record of Matthew; Because they have the same name some people believe she is the same person mentioned in Joshua, but that is not supported by linguistic and textual evidence.
Glyn Oliver Myhill (born 9 November 1982), more commonly known as Boaz Myhill (pronounced /ˈboʊ.æz ˈmaɪhɪl/), is a footballer who plays for Birmingham City, on loan from West Bromwich Albion, and the Wales national team as a goalkeeper.Having started his professional career at Aston Villa he later moved to Hull City establishing himself as first choice goalkeeper.
Born in Modesto, California, as the son of an American father and a Welsh mother from Llangollen, Myhill moved to England at the age of one. He attended the Marches School, Oswestry. He played his youth football invariably in midfield for Oswestry Boys Club.
Myhill's parents originally intended to name him Boaz, a Hebrew name which they encountered and liked while travelling in Israel, but were dissuaded from doing so by relatives. Nevertheless, Myhill has been called Boaz, rather than by his official name Glyn, throughout his life.
Myhill joined Aston Villa at the age of 12, working at Villa Park with Mark Bosnich, David James, Peter Schmeichel and Peter Enckelman. He signed his first professional contract with Villa in November 2000.