Cheryl:The Kinsman Redeemer is probably my favorite concept in the entire Bible and I could talk about it all day long. Redemption is used 118 times in the Old Testament. Important Hebrew words relating to this include:
- gaal=to redeem, acts as kinsman
- go'el-the redeemer, the person who redeems
- padah=ransom, release, buy back
"Gaal" is often translated avenge, rescue, ever redeem, buy back, and closest relative. The Kinsman Redeemer was an important role in the Old Testament. The gaal or kinsman was the nearest of kin-like a brother, uncle. They had 4 important roles:
- Buy relative out of slavery/debt
- Buy land back and keep it in the family
- Blood avenger-the policemen of the day
- Continue the family name and descendants-marry the widow
I will be talking about each of these roles and their significance in future posts. In the meantime, one of the best places to read about the Kinsman Redeemer is the book of Ruth. Ruth is one of the most amazing books because the entire story of Redemption is presented.
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