Could Boaz have had a first wife and family?

Question

From Boaz statement to Ruth that she could have gone after young men...I believe it is reasonable to suppose that Boaz was quite a bit older than Ruth. Is it reasonable to suppose that for some reason or another, Boaz didn't seem to have another wife and children for if he had, would not have taking Ruth as wife, jeopardise his estate for the same reason that the other kinsman refused to redeem the land since Ruth came along with it?

Answer 1

Yes, Boaz could have had a first wife and family, although the text does not say so. He could have been a widower, or he could have redeemed Ruth -herself a widow - as a second wife. The story takes place during the period of the Judges, and monogamy was not yet expected.

Because he was already a landowner with apparently large holdings, it is logical to presume that he was not a young man. Mature men were expected to marry and have children, so it is more likely than not than he had done so. The absence of another wife in the story may be explained by the possibility that he was a widow, or that his first wife is simply unimportant to the story, which focuses on the lineage of King David. (For those who believe that Jesus' father Joseph was previously married, the same principle applies.)

Jewish tradition indeed holds that Boaz has a large family before meeting Ruth. In one rabbinical opinion he is identified with the Judge Ibzan (Judges 12) who had 60 children - obviously with more than one wife. Another opinion says that Boaz was 80 years old when he married Ruth.

The story of Ruth indicates that Boaz was a well established figure in Bethlehem and there is nothing to indicate that he was a young man. It is likely, therefore, that he had already been married.