גָּאַל

From the study of Isaiah 43:1

Range of meaning

A family-law word. The gōʾēl was the nearest male relative, who had both the right and the duty to: buy back family land sold under debt (Lev 25:25; Ruth 4); buy a kinsman out of slavery (Lev 25:47–49); avenge a murdered relative (the 'avenger of blood', Num 35:19); and keep the family line going (Ruth). The core idea is restoring to the family what belongs to it, at the relative's own cost or effort.

Against the English

English 'redeem' (from Latin redimere, 'buy back') keeps the buying-back idea but has lost the family one. In church English it usually means being saved from sin through Christ. 'Ransom' (NLT) brings out the price paid but also hides the kinship.

How it drifted

Latin redimere and the Christian use of 'redemption' for atonement made the word mainly about sin and a transaction. The Hebrew picture of a relative stepping in to rescue his own family dropped from view.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used in the Exodus story for God bringing Israel out of Egypt (Exod 6:6; 15:13). In Isaiah 40–55 'your Redeemer' (gōʾălēk) becomes one of God's main titles (41:14; 43:14; 44:6, 24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7, 26; 54:5, 8), always for bringing the exiles home. The Greek Septuagint translates it with lytroō, 'to set free by a payment', the word the New Testament later uses.

From the study of Isaiah 48:17

Range of meaning

The verb gaʾal means to act as next-of-kin: to buy back family land sold under debt (Lev 25:25), to buy a relative out of debt-slavery (Lev 25:48–49), to marry and keep a dead kinsman's line and land in the family (Ruth 3–4), and to avenge a murdered relative as 'the avenger of blood' (goʾel haddam, Num 35:19). The participle goʾel is the person who carries out that duty. Applied to God, it names him as Israel's kinsman who rescues them from bondage: Exodus language (Exod 6:6; 15:13).

Against the English

'Redeemer' in English, especially in church use, mostly means the one who saves from sin, usually by Christ's death. The Hebrew picture is a family obligation: the closest relative stepping in, at his own cost, to restore a family member's freedom, land and name.

How it drifted

Latin redemptor (from redimere, 'buy back') was right in its commercial sense, but centuries of Christian use tied 'redeem/redeemer' almost entirely to atonement for sin, and the kinship sense dropped out of ordinary English.

Used elsewhere in the period

Legal texts: Lev 25; Num 35; Ruth 2:20; 3:9–13; 4:1–14. Job 19:25 ('I know that my goʾel lives'). In Isaiah 40–66 it is a favourite title for God (41:14; 43:14; 44:6, 24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7, 26; 54:5, 8; 59:20; 60:16; 63:16), often paired with 'Holy One of Israel', as here. Isa 54:5 pairs it with God as Israel's husband: family language.

From the study of Isaiah 44:6

Range of meaning

The verb gaʾal means to act as a close kinsman: to buy back family land that had been sold (Lev 25:25), to buy back a relative who had sold himself into debt-slavery (Lev 25:47–49), to avenge a murdered relative as the 'avenger of blood' (goʾel haddam, Num 35:19), and to keep a dead man's family line and name alive (Ruth 3–4). The goʾel is always someone with a claim of family on the person he redeems. Paying a price may be part of it, but the core idea is restoring a relative to his rightful place.

Against the English

English 'Redeemer' is accurate as far as it goes, but most readers now hear only a religious word for being saved from sin. The Hebrew carries a family duty: Yahweh acts because Israel is his own kin, and he is bound to get them back.

How it drifted

The Latin 'redemptor' and later Christian vocabulary made 'redeem' a word about personal salvation from sin. Its everyday Israelite setting of family law about land, debt-slavery and blood vengeance faded from view.

Used elsewhere in the period

Lev 25; Num 35; Ruth 2:20; 3:9–13; 4:1–14; Job 19:25; Ps 19:14; Prov 23:10–11 (Yahweh as goʾel of orphans). Isaiah 40–66 calls Yahweh goʾel about 13 times (41:14; 43:14; 44:24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7, 26; 54:5, 8; 59:20; 60:16; 63:16). The Septuagint here uses ὁ ῥυσάμενος, 'the one who rescued'.