Redemption, a word study

[joeb]

What do you think of, in Biblical terms, when you read or hear the word redemption?  I think of Jesus and what He has done, and is doing, for us in the plan of salvation.  So, for me redemption is very closely tied to the plan of salvation.  In fact, I don't think I can separate word redemption from the plan of salvation.  So, let's do a little word study on redemption and see how the Bible writers looked at this. 

The word is found in the English Bible 20 times.  Nine of those times are found in the OT and eleven in the NT.   Let's look at the OT usage first.  Five of the times redemption is found there it is tied directly to the law of inheritance.  Those instances are in Leviticus 25: 24,51,52 and Jeremiah 32:7,8.   We find the word redemption 3 times in the Psalms:  Psalms 49:8, 111:9, and 130:7.  Each time the word is found in David's writings the term is tied directly to the plan of salvation.  Then comes the usage that I find to be a really interesting story, Numbers 3:49. 

When God took the tribe of Levi for the priesthood He made a change in the priesthood.  Before that time it was the firstborn son who was to be the priest of the family, and through whom the Messiah would come.  When God made this change He told Moses to count the firstborn sons of the tribe of Levi and then the firstborn sons of the rest of the Israelites, because the firstborn sons of the tribe of Levi were to be a ransom the firstborn sons of the rest of the Israelites.  When all the firstborn sons had been counted there were 273 more firstborn sons in the 11 tribes than there were in the tribe of Levi.  God then told Moses that the firstborn sons of the 11 tribes were to pay a ransom of 5 shekels each for the 273 more firstborn sons found in the 11 tribes.  After Moses had collected the 1365 shekels he gave the "redemption money" to Aaron and his sons as God had instructed him.  So, we see that redemption is used once again in relation to the plan of salvation, for anything to do with the Hebrew priesthood is directly tied the plan of salvation.  (This entire story is found in Numbers chapter 3 if you want to read it in its entirety.

What Hebrew word, or words, was redemption translated from?  The five times redemption is tied directly to the law of inheritance it is translated from gullah.  It should be no surprise to anyone that this Hebrew word is tied to the law of inheritance. 

• 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 
• 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.

As you can see gullah is the feminine passive participle of Strong's #1350.  So in these 5 instances redemption comes from a word meaning, literally, redemption(including the right and the object) within the context of the law of inheritance.  Within that context it means the price paid to buy back someone or their land after they have sold either themselves and/or their family members into servanthood, or their land which was to be their in perpetuity. 

Now what about the times we find redemption in David's writings?  Twice David used the Hebrew word pduwth(Psalms 111:9, 130:7), and once he used the word pidyowm(Psalms 49:8).  So what do they mean? 

• pduwth ---- 6304 pduwth ped-ooth' or pduth {ped-ooth'}; from 6929; distinction; also deliverance:--division, redeem, redemption. see HEBREW for 06929
• pidyowm ---- 6306 pidyowm pid-yome' or pidyom {pid-yome'}; also pidyown {pid-yone'}; or pidyon {pid-yone'}; from 6299; a ransom; --ransom, that were redeemed, redemption. see HEBREW for 06299

We see from the above that David talking about deliverance(as that makes the most sense in the context of verse) in Psalms 111:9 and Psalms 130:7.  In Psalms 49:8 he uses the word meaning, literally, "a ransom". 

In the story found in Numbers 3 Moses uses the Hebrew word paduwy.  Its meaning?  6302 paduwy paw-doo'ee passive participle of 6299. ransomed (and so occurring under 6299); as abstractly (in plural masculine) a ransom:--(that are) to be (that were) redeemed. see HEBREW for 06299 see HEBREW for 06299.  From that we see that Moses is talking about ransom money. 

So what about the eleven times the word redemption is found in the NT?  We find the word twice in Luke, and nine times in Paul's writings.  What Greek words did Paul an Luke use, and what did those Greek words mean?

Luke's 2 usages, Luke 2:38 and Luke 21:28 both come from different Greek words.  In Luke 2:38 he uses lutrosis, and Luke 21:28 he uses apolutrosis.  As you can see from the English spelling of these words they are related.  So what do they mean and how are they related? 

• lutrosis ---- 3085 lutrosis loo'-tro-sis from 3084; a ransoming (figuratively):--+ redeemed, redemption. see GREEK for 3084
• 3084 ---- 3084 lutroo loo-tro'-o from 3083; to ransom (literally or figuratively):--redeem. see GREEK for 3083
• 3083 ---- 3083 lutron loo'-tron from 3089; something to loosen with, i.e. a redemption price (figuratively, atonement):--ransom. see GREEK for 3089
• apolutrosis ---- 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

We see from the above that both words have to do with ransom.  One is an act of ransom --a ransoming-- and the other is the act of ransom in full.  We can also see the common tie between both words in a Greek word meaning a redemption price.  So how about when we find the word redemption in Paul's writings?  He uses apolutrosis in eight of the nine verses we find the word redemption, and the other time he uses lutrosis.  So he uses the same exact words Luke used.  Where did he uses apolutrosis?

• Romans 3:24
• Romans 8:23
• I Corinthians 1:30
• Ephesians 1:7
• Ephesians 1:14
• Ephesians 4:30
• Colossians 1:14
• Hebrews 9:15

In the lone time Paul uses lutrosis we find it in Hebrews 9:12.  Do you see the same pattern I do?  Both OT and NT Bible writers saw our redemption in terms of a ransom being paid.  This should be no surprise as both Paul and Luke had only the Hebrew scriptures to study.  As they both saw the link to a ransom being paid is it any stretch to think they also understood the tie to the law of inheritance?  I don't think so.  It would have been crystal clear to them as they read the OT in Hebrew.  How often have you thought of your redemption coming from Jesus paying a ransom for you?  I have to say that before I started this study I had not.  Neither had a seen a direct link to the law of inheritance in the OT in the plan of salvation.  I knew of a connection through the story of Ruth, but it was pretty fuzzy.