ga'al

[Gary K]

Nost people here will wonder what this has to do with the Sabbath but if you will continue to read my posts on this subject it may become clear to you as I'm going at the subject obliquely.

ga'al is an OT Hebrew word that is used to define/describe the law given through Moses to the Israelites so that if an Israelite ran into financial trouble and had to sell their children, wife, themselves or their land their closest relative could buy them back out of slavery and/or get the land out of hock for them.


[*StrongsHebrew*]
1350 ga'al gaw-al' a primitive root, to redeem (according to the Oriental law of kinship), i.e. to be the next of kin (and as such to buy back a relative's property, marry his widow, etc.):--X in any wise, X at all, avenger, deliver, (do, perform the part of near, next) kinsfolk(-man), purchase, ransom, redeem(-er), revenger.

23 ¶The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.*n4 24 And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land. 25 ¶If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold. 26 And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it;*n5 27 Then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it; that he may return unto his possession. 28 But if he be not able to restore it to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubile: and in the jubile it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession.

I did a study on this about a decade ago and this concept is found in both the OT and the NT. Jesus taught it, and so did John, Paul and Mark. Wherever the word redeemer is found, 18 times, in the OT it has been translated from ga'al and is a reference to the Jesus. At that time I had a total of 220+ texts if I remember correctly, so this is a well documented concept in scripture. In fact, it is the legal basis for the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as God never does anything for which there is no legal basis.

This is a long study as it is tied conceptually to subjects like firstborn, dominion and the cities of refuge so I will be using a lot of scripture to tie all this together from the OT and the NT

 

[Gary K]

I am copying and posting this from another forum where I post,

Here a Greek word translated as redeemed.

[*StrongsGreek*]
3085 lutrosis loo'-tro-sis from 3084; a ransoming (figuratively):--+ redeemed, redemption. see GREEK for 3084

Luke 24: 21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

Revelation 14: 4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

Here is more usage from this concept using a different Greek word.

[*StrongsGreek*]
59 agorazo ag-or-ad'-zo from 58; properly, to go to market, i.e. (by implication) to purchase; specially, to redeem:--buy, redeem. see GREEK for 58

1Corinthians 7: 23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

2Peter 2: 1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

There is another concept too. It's that we have been sold under sin found in both OT and NT.

20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord.

Galatians 7: 14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

 

[Gary K]

Now comes some on dominion.

[*StrongsHebrew*]
7287 radah raw-daw' a primitive root; to tread down, i.e. subjugate; specifically, to crumble off:--(come to, make to) have dominion, prevail against, reign, (bear, make to) rule,(-r, over), take.

How did we come to have rulership over the earth and who now has it?

Genesis 1: 26 ¶And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

John 14: 30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.

We lost the dominion of this world when Adam sinned. And we lost it to the devil. He claimed the dominion of this world after Adam fell to him. It's why Jesus said the following.

John 8: 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

 

[Gary K]

Now let's move on to a word study of redemption.
In the OT it is translated from gullah.


[*StrongsHebrew*]
1353 gullah gheh-ool-law' feminine passive participle of 1350; redemption (including the right and the object); by implication, relationship:--kindred, redeem, redemption, right. see HEBREW for 01350
]box] 9 He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.

In the NT it is translated from apolutrosis.

[*StrongsGreek*]
629 apolutrosis ap-ol-oo'-tro-sis from a compound of 575 and 3083; (the act) ransom in full, i.e. (figuratively) riddance, or (specially) Christian salvation:--deliverance, redemption. see GREEK for 575 see GREEK for 3083

1Corinthians 1: 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

Interestingly enough the word righteousness is translated from the following.


[*StrongsGreek*]
1343 dikaiosune dik-ah-yos-oo'-nay from 1342; equity (of character or act); specially (Christian) justification:--righteousness. see GREEK for 1342


The word sanctification comes from the following.


[*StrongsGreek*]
38 hagiasmos hag-ee-as-mos' from 37; properly, purification, i.e. (the state) purity; concretely (by Hebraism) a purifier:--holiness, sanctification. see GREEK for 37

 

[Gary K]

Now we will step into the concept of inheritance.

Deuteronomy 33: 4 Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.

God identifies with His people as He calls their land His inheritance.

18 And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.

This draws in the statement on Israel being His firstborn son.

Exodus 4: 22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

It is called primogeniture when the firstborn son inherits the largest share of the father's wealth.

Exodus 12: 29 ¶And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.*n8

Notice that God's angel killed not only the firstborn of all the Egyptians but the firstborn of all their livestock too. This will become an important point later on in this study.

 

[Gary K]

So now let's dig into the relationshio between ga'al and Jesus.

Job 19: 25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

Psalm 19: 14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.*n8

Psalm 78: 35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.

Isaiah 43: 14 ¶Thus saith the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.*n4

Isaiah 49: 7 Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.*n5

Isaiah 54: 5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.*n1

There are a lot more prophetic verses but this is enough to demonstrate the truth.

 

[Gary K]

Let;s look at more usage of ga'al from the OT and see how the patriarchs and prophets viewed salvation.

Genesis 48: 16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.*n2

6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:

14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.*n10

22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

 

[Gary K]

So how did Paul view salvation?

Galatians 3: 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

The word translated here as redeemed from Greek means:

[*StrongsGreek*]
1805 exagorazo ex-ag-or-ad'-zo from 1537 and 59; to buy up, i.e. ransom; figuratively, to rescue from loss (improve opportunity):--redeem. see GREEK for 1537 see GREEK for 59

Galatiand 4: 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

 

[Gary K]

Now notice that Paul brings in the concept of inheritance which we see in the OT,

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

The word inherit in the above passage comes from a Greek word meaning the following.

[*StrongsGreek*]
2816 kleronomeo klay-ron-om-eh'-o from 2818; to be an heir to (literally or figuratively):--be heir, (obtain by) inherit(-ance). see GREEK for 2818

So Paul agrees with the OT on both the concepts of inheritance and and the concepts of being redeemed as well as the concept of being sold to do sin.

 

[Gary K]

The idea behind to redeem is to ransom as they are synonyms. The scriptures use them interchangeably. Here are a bunch of times scripture uses the word ransom.

Exodus 30: 12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.*n7 13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord.

The above comes from the Hebrew word kopher.

[*StrongsHebrew*]
3724
כּפר
kôpher ko'-fer
From H3722; properly a {cover} that {is} (literally) a village (as covered in); (specifically) bitumen (as used for {coating}) and the henna plant (as used for dyeing); figuratively a redemption price: - {bribe} {camphire} {pitch} {ransom} {satisfaction} sum of {money} village.

Psalm 49: 6 They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; 7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: 8 (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever

The word redeem is translated fro the Hebrew padah
6299
פּדה
pâdâh paw-daw'
A primitive root; to {sever} that {is} ransom; generally to {release} preserve: - X at {all} {deliver} X by any {means} {ransom} (that are to {be} let be) redeem ({-ed}) {rescue} X surely.

The word ransom comes once again from the Hebrew word kopher.

Isaiah 35: 10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Ransomed above comes once again from the Hebrew word padah.

Matthew 20: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

The word ransom above comes from the Greek word lytron.

[*StrongsGreek*]
03083
λύτρον lýtron, loo'-tron
from 3089;
something to loosen with, i.e. a redemption price (figuratively, atonement):--ransom.

5 1Timothy 2: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due t

Ransom above comes from the Greek word antilytron.

[*StrongsGreek*]
00487
ἀντίλυτρον antílytron, an-til'-oo-tron
from 473 and 3083;
a redemption-price:--ransom.

 

[Gary K]

Does anyone see any legal basis for a difference in salvation between OT and NT times in this study?

I see none. Therefore the Sabbath is still in effect.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Hi Gary!
Paul said: "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind"

Christians should treat each other, respectfully, when they have different convictions about non-essential matters. A Christian should be free to make up their own mind about these based on their conscience. He warns against judging or condemning other Christians who have different convictions.
Blessings.

 

[Gary K]

Hi Gary!
Paul said: "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind"

Christians should treat each other, respectfully, when they have different convictions about non-essential matters. A Christian should be free to make up their own mind about these based on their conscience. He warns against judging or condemning other Christians who have different convictions.
Blessings.

I don't disagree with the concept you expressed, but how do you get to that conclusion without tossing out a lot of scripture that the Sabbath is still in force due to the concept of salvation being exactly the same in both OT and NT and therefore under both covenants? I, personally, cannot go to that point. Truth is just too important to me.

 

[Gary K]

Here is more from scripture on the concept of redemption.

Luke 2: 36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

The Greek word translated as redemption is the following.

[*StrongsGreek*]
03085
λύτρωσις lýtrōsis, loo'-tro-sis
from 3084;
a ransoming (figuratively):--+ redeemed, redemption.

Luke21: 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Greek word translated as redemption is the following.

[*StrongsGreek*]
00629
ἀπολύτρωσις apolýtrōsis, ap-ol-oo'-tro-sis
from a compound of 575 and 3083;
(the act) ransom in full, i.e. (figuratively) riddance, or (specially) Christian salvation:--deliverance, redemption.

Romans 8: 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Once again the Greek word translated a redemption is:

[*StrongsGreek*]
00629
ἀπολύτρωσις apolýtrōsis, ap-ol-oo'-tro-sis
from a compound of 575 and 3083;
(the act) ransom in full, i.e. (figuratively) riddance, or (specially) Christian salvation:--deliverance, redemption.

Ephesians 4: 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Once again:

[*StrongsGreek*]
00629
ἀπολύτρωσις apolýtrōsis, ap-ol-oo'-tro-sis
from a compound of 575 and 3083;
(the act) ransom in full, i.e. (figuratively) riddance, or (specially) Christian salvation:--deliverance, redemption.

There is just so much scriptural evidence along these lines it just becomes repetitive.

 

[Gary K]

Now I'll go back and look at more usage of redeem from the OT.

Leviticus 35: 47 ¶And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger’s family:*n13
48 After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him:
49 Either his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself.
50 And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he was sold to him unto the year of jubile: and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years, according to the time of an hired servant shall it be with him.
51 If there be yet many years behind, according unto them he shall give again the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for.

Redeem here is translated from:

[*StrongsHebrew*]
1350
גּאל
gâ'al gaw-al'
A primitive {root} to redeem (according to the Oriental law of {kinship}) that {is} to be the next of kin (and as such to buy back a relative´ s {property} marry his {widow} etc.): - X in any {wise} X at {all} {avenger} {deliver} ({do} perform the part of {near} next) kinsfolk ({-man}) {purchase} {ransom} redeem ({-er}) revenger.

Redemption is translated from:

[*StrongsHebrew*]
1353
גּאלּה
ge'ûllâh gheh-ool-law'
Feminine passive participle of H1350; redemption (including the right and the object); by implication relationship: - {kindred} {redeem} {redemption} right.

 

[Leaf473]

Why don't you come over to the ga'al thread and tell me how much the plan of salvation changed between the OT and NT?

Thanks for the invitation

I don't know that it has changed. It looks like people were saved by faith during the Old Testament, and then also faith now in the New Testament.

Definitely the words are different,

Bible Gateway passage: 1 Corinthians 15:1-3 - New American Standard Bible

The Fact of Christ’s Resurrection - Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, by which you also are saved, if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I handed...

www.biblegateway.com

 

[Gary K]

Thanks for the invitation

I don't know that it has changed. It looks like people were saved by faith during the Old Testament, and then also faith now in the New Testament.

Definitely the words are different,

Bible Gateway passage: 1 Corinthians 15:1-3 - New American Standard Bible

The Fact of Christ’s Resurrection - Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, by which you also are saved, if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I handed...

www.biblegateway.com

You're welcome.

The method of salvation never changed and neither did the underlying Greek and Hebrew wording. We are all ransomed/redeemed in both OT and NT. Just so are we carnal and sold under sin.