Judge Ibzan

Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel seven years, then died and was buried in Bethlehem (Judges 12:8–10). The Bible records only his family: he had 30 sons and 30 daughters, sent his daughters to be married outside his clan and brought in 30 wives from outside for his sons, a network of marriages that probably extended his influence across tribal lines. Which Bethlehem is meant is uncertain, Bethlehem of Judah or the Bethlehem in Zebulun's territory in Galilee (Joshua 19:15).

The Talmud (Bava Batra 91a) identifies Ibzan with Boaz of the book of Ruth, the great-grandfather of King David, which would place the story of Ruth in this period. It adds that he held 120 wedding feasts for his children without inviting Manoah, Samson's father, and that all his children died in his lifetime, so that his line continued only through his late marriage to Ruth.