Introduction
This paper is a study the Hebrew word, גאל, in the book of Ruth. The purpose is to understand its meaning to properly interpret the message of the book.
Occurrences in the OT
In the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartentia, גָּאַל appears 103 times in 83 verses. 23 times of those in Isaiah, 22 times in Leviticus, and 21 times in Ruth. 64% of the occurrences of גָּאַל in OT are in these three books. The rest of the words occur in Gen, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, Jeremiah, Hosea, Micah, Psalm, Job, and Prov. The first occurrence of גאל is in Gen 48:16. Yahweh’s representative, angel is said to גאל Jacob from all evil (Gen 48:16).
גָּאַל occurred 22 times in 15 verses in Leviticus, all in chapter 25 and 27 (25:25, 26, 30, 33, 48, 49, 54; 27:13, 15, 19, 20, 27, 28, 31, 33). When it is a verb, it described the act of buying a property sold by a relative. When it is a noun, it described the man who perform the act of buying a property sold by a relative, the property could be a house, a field, an animal, or a person (Lev 25:47-54). All are Qal stem, except for eight occurrences of Niphal stem (seven times in Leviticus, one time in Isaiah).
In Isaiah, it occurs in chapters 35, 41, 43, 44, 47, 48, 49, 51,52, 54, 59, 60, 62 and 63. גֹאֵ֖ל is most frequently used to describe Yahweh in Isaiah. It is frequently used in conjunction with other descriptions of God. For example, “Thus says Yahweh, your גֹאֵ֖ל” (Isa 43:14; 44:24; 54:8); “גֹאֵ֖ל, the Yahweh of host” (Isa 44:6, 47:4); “גֹאֵ֖ל of Israel, his Holy One” (Isa 43:14; 49:7). As a verb, it is used to describe God redeemed Jacob, Israel, or Jerusalem (Isa 44:13; 48:20; 52:9). Once, גְּאוּלִֽים is also used to described the people who are rescued by Yahweh, “the גְּאוּלִֽים shall walk here” (Isa 35:9).
In Ruth, גאל appears only one time in chapter 2 (2:20), seven times in chapter 3 (3:9, 12, 13), and thirteen times in chapter 4 (4:1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 14). As a noun, גאל refers to a man, who is a relative of Naomi’s husband, that has the responsibility to purchase the land of Elimelech. As a verb, גאל refers to the act to buy the land. Another word, קנה is used to describe the act of buying the land, as well as Ruth as the wife of the גֹאֵ֖ל.
Translations
Various English words are used to translate גֹאֵ֖ל in Ruth. KJV uses kinsmen, NAS uses closest relatives, NIV uses guardian-redeemer, ESV uses redeemer, LSB uses kinsman redeemer. For the verb, גָּאַל, all KJV, NAS, NIV, ESV, and LSB use the word “redeem”. The NET translation noted גֹאֵ֖ל in the context of Ruth 2:20 functions as a guardian to the family interests who has responsibility for caring for the widows of his deceased kinsman.[1]
Lexicon (HALOT, BDB)
There are two root entries of גאל in HALOT. The גאל in Ruth is the first root entry. The second root entry has the meaning of “to pollute”. HALOT listed four meanings the first root entry of גאל. There are “the buy back”, “duty of the male relative of a deceased, who leaves a childless widow behind, to redeem her from childlessness through marriage”, “avenger of blood”, and “to reclaim as one’s own”.[2]
There are also two root entries of גאל in BDB. The גאל in Ruth is the first root entry. The second root entry, “defile”, does not fit the context in Ruth. BDB listed three meanings in Qal and two meanings in Niphal. The meanings in Qal are “act as kinsman”, “redeem, by payment of value assessed, of consecrated things, by the original owner”, and “redeem, with God as subject, implying personal relationship, chiefly in poetry.” In Niphal, the meanings are “redeem oneself”, and “be redeemed”.[3]
Theological Dictionary (TDOT)
Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (TDOT) mentioned that גאל is used in two realms, in connection with social life, and with God’s redeeming act. In social life, TDOT mentions five uses. First, גאל is the man that has the responsibility to buy back a property for his relative (Lev 25:25-34). Second, גאל is the man that has the responsibility to buy back his relative if he was sold as a slave (Lev 25:47-54). Third, גאל is the man that has the responsibility to avenge the killer of his relative (Num 35:12). Fourth, גאל is the act of a person who buy back the offerings he had offered to Yahweh (Lev 27:13, 15, 19,31). Finally, גאל is the head of the family who is the recipient of money when someone commitment sins against his family (Num 5:8).
TDOT mentioned that גאל is frequently used with Yahweh. Yahweh is the גאל of the fatherless and widow (Prov 23:11); Yahweh גאל his people (Lam 3:58; Ps 74:2; Jer 31:11); worshiper asked Yahweh to גאל him (Ps 119:154). The Israelites would be גאל without money (Isa 52:3). There are words that are similar to גאל in OT, there are פדה pādhāh (to ransom), ישׁע yāsha (to save, deliver), נצל nātsal (to save, rescue), עזר ʿāzar, “to help”, קנה qānāh (to buy).
TDOT mentioned that the author of Isaiah understands the return of the Israelites from Babylonian captivity is a new exodus and thus uses גאל to describe it. Contrary to popular understanding, TDOT’s author believed Job 19:25 refers to someone other than Yahweh who would be Job’s vindicator with his dispute with God.[4]
Commentaries
Younger observed that גאל in Leviticus 25 is a followed up of Yahweh’s rescue of the Israelites out of Egypt. The activity of גאל perpetuates the redemption from Egypt. The human גאל thus points to Yahweh, who the great גאל. He pointed that that is why the NT could interpret Jesus’s death in terms of the גאל.[5]
Block argued that although Deut 25 only specific the brother-in-law of a widow to marry the widow, and Boaz is not the brother of Mahlon; Boaz’s action to גאל Ruth is in the spirit of Deut 25.[6]
Conclusion
This word study shows that גאל in the book of Ruth is used as a noun to describe the male who is responsible to redeem the land and the widow of his relative. The redemption of the land allowed the land to continue in the family line of original owner, and redemption of the widow allowed the deceased male to have descendent under his name. The human גאל points to Yahweh, the great גאל, who גאל the Israelites out of Egypt and ultimately גאל sinners through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Bibliography
Block, Daniel Isaac. Judges, Ruth. The New American Commentary. Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999.
Botterweck, G. Johannes, Helmer Ringgren, Holger Gzella, and Mark E. Biddle. Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. Eerdmans, 1974.
Brown, Francis, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs. Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. In Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Clarendon Press, 1977.
Koehler, Ludwig, Walter Baumgartner, M. E. J. Richardson, and Johann Jakob Stamm. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. In The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, electronic ed. E.J. Brill, 1994.
The NET Bible First Edition Notes. Biblical Studies Press, 2006.
Younger, Jr., K. Lawson. Judges, Ruth. Revised Edition. Edited by Terry Muck. The NIV Application Commentary. Zondervan Academic, 2020.
The NET Bible First Edition Notes, bk. Ruth 2:20 note. ↑
Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 169. ↑
Brown et al., Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, 145. ↑
Botterweck et al., Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, vols. 2, p351-355. ↑
Younger, Judges, Ruth, 499–501. ↑
Block, Judges, Ruth, 676. ↑