Ibzan

Who is Ibzan?

Ibzan appears in the Bible as one of the Judges of Israel. Very little is said about him, except the following:8910

from Judges 12:8-10

Many scholars believe that the Bethlehem referred to in the story is the Bethlehem in the territory of the Tribe of Zebulun, rather than the more famous Bethlehem in the Tribe of Judah. However the Talmud asserts that Ibzan is to be identified with Boaz from the story of Ruth, who lived in the Bethlehem of Judah, and that he consummated his marriage with Ruth on the last night of his life.