Redemption

Psalm 119:154 (ESV)

154 Plead my cause and redeem me;

give me life according to your promise!

 

Redeemer, Redemption.

 

English words derived from a Latin root meaning “to buy back,” thus meaning the liberation of any possession, object, or person, usually by payment of a ransom. In Greek the root word means “to loose” and so to free. The term is used of freeing from chains, slavery, or prison. In the theological context, the term “redemption” indicates a freeing from the slavery of sin, the ransom or price paid for freedom. This thought is indicated in the Gospels, which speak of Christ who came “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45).

 

Old Testament Words.

 

For a full understanding of the concept of redemption, it is necessary to look at the OT. There are three different words used in Hebrew, depending on the particular situation, which convey the idea of redemption. The meaning of these redemptive terms rests on legal, social, and religious customs which are foreign to modern culture. An understanding of the culture is needed for an understanding of the terminology and its use.

 

The first term used for redemption has a legal context. The verb pādāh is used when an animal substitutes (or redeems) a person or another animal. The noun derived from the root means the ransom or price paid. In the Greek language this term is generally translated by the verb luō, which means “to loose.” The noun derived from this term, lutron, is the price paid for loosing or freeing, hence, the ransom.

When a living being, person or animal, requires redemption, the substitution must be made, or price paid, otherwise the being involved is killed (Ex 13:13; 34:20). However, there is evidence that this rule was not always strictly followed (Ex 21:8; Jb 6:23).

 

The concept of redemption had special significance for the firstborn. The firstborn male, both man and beast, belonged to God. In theory the firstborn was sacrificed to him. This was done in the case of many animals, but the human firstborn and some animals were redeemed (Ex 13:13; 34:20; Nm 18:15, 16). In the redemption of the firstborn son, an animal was substituted, although later a sum of money was paid (Nm 18:16). Unclean animals were redeemed by substitutions of a sacrificial animal or put to death (Ex 13:13; 34:20; Nm 18:15).

A special case was the animal or person promised to the Lord. Such a one was sacrificed without exception. The Lord made no allowance for the redemption of persons or animals so dedicated.

 

However, in the case of King Saul and his son an exception was made (1 Sm 14:24–46). Saul had placed a curse on anyone eating on the day of a particular battle. When he learned that his son, Jonathan, had (unknowingly) violated his edict, he still ordered him put to death. The people intervened and redeemed Jonathan by substituting an animal sacrifice in his place.

 

The second term involved is the Hebrew root gā’al, which is used primarily in relation to family rules and obligations, the laws governing family property rights and duties. For example, should a piece of property be lost to a family member, the next-of-kin had both the right and the obligation to redeem this property. This right of redemption protected the family inheritance. The noun derived from this root is equivalent to the English root redemption, and the person who buys back the property is the goel or redeemer.

 

Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 1827.

Done