redemp
REDEMPTION
WORD STUDY
by Ray Shelton
NEW TESTAMENT
In the Greek New Testament the words that are translated into English as “redemption” are “apolutrosis” and “lutrosis.” The word “apolutrosis” occurs 10 times in the Greek New Testament (Luke 21:28; Rom. 3:24; 8:23; I Cor. 1:30; Eph. 1:7, 14; 4:30; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:15; 11:35) and is translated in the King James Version (KJV) “redemption” except for Heb. 11:35 where it is translated “deliverance.” Four of these occurrence refer to the Second Coming of Christ (Luke 21:28; Rom. 8:23; Eph. 1:14; 4:30); one of them refers to deliverance from persecution (Heb. 11:35); the other 5 occurrences refer to the death of Christ. This Greek noun is a compound word composed the Greek preposition “apo” [from] and “lutrosis” [loosing or deliverance] and means “loosing from” or “deliverance from.” The other Greek word “lutrosis” occurs three times in the Greek New Testament and is twice also translated “redemption” (Luke 2:38; Heb. 9:12) and once as “redeemed” (Luke 1:68) in the King James Version.
According to the English translations of Eph. 1:7 and Col. 1:14, redemption “apolutrosis.” is equivalent to forgiveness of sins. But the basic meaning of the Greek word aphesis there translated “forgiveness” is “the sending off or away.” Hence to redeem from sins is to send them away, to deliver from sin. Jesus “was manifested in order to take away sins” (I John 3:5 ERS). He is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Salvation is not just forgiveness. It is more than forgiveness of sins; it is also deliverance from death; it is the resurrection of the dead. Forgiveness of sins is not enough; man needs to be made alive to God because he is spiritually dead. And he is dead, not because of his own sins, but the sin of another, Adam (Rom. 5:12; I Cor. 15:21-22). So the forgiveness of a man’s sins does not take away spiritual death because the spiritual death was not caused by that man’s sins. Thus forgiveness of sins does not remove spiritual death. But the removing of spiritual death does removes sins. Salvation as resurrection from the dead is also salvation from sin and thus is also the forgiveness of sins. Thus to be made alive to God means that sins are forgiven.
Both of these Greek nouns, “lutrosis.” and “apolutrosis.”, are derived from the Greek verb “lutroo” which occurs three times in the Greek New Testament (Luke 24:21; Titus 2:14; I Pet. 1:18) where it is translated “should have redeemed” (Luke 24:21), as “were redeemed” (I Pet. 1:18), and as “might redeem” (Titus 2:14). The Revised Standard Version of the New Testament translated it “were ransomed” in I Pet. 1:18:
“1:18You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 1:19but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (I Pet. 1:18-19 RSV).
This verb means “to ransom”, that is, “to deliver or release on receipt of a ransom or by paying a ransom [lutron]” The Greek word “lutron” translated “ransom” occurs twice in the Greek New Testament (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45), where Jesus says,
“The Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for [anti, instead of] many.”
(Mark. 10:45 RSV)
The life of Jesus was given by Jesus Himself as a ransom instead of many, as the price of redemption of many. A ransom (lutron) is given as the means of deliverance in exchange for that which is being redeemed. The death of Jesus, his blood, is the ransom given instead of or in place of those who are to be redeemed or delivered from the bondage of sin. Paul expresses this by the use of the compound word “antilutron” when he writes,
“2:5For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 2:6who gave himself as a ransom [antilutron] for [huper] all, …” (I Tim. 2:5-6).
This ransom (antilutron) was given by Christ Jesus on our behalf (huper), not instead of or in place of (anti), of those who are redeemed or delivered from the bondage of sin as a slavemaster. This is only place in Greek New Testament of the occurrence of this word antilutron. A ransom is given instead or in place of those who are to be redeemed or delivered as the means of redemption; it has nothing to do with a substitute paying the penalty of sin to satisfy the justice of God. The context here is not the law nor the courtroom but slavery and the slavemarket. The redemption of Israel from bondage in Egypt has nothing to do with a substitute paying the penalty of sin; and neither does the redemption in Christ Jesus by his death [his blood] have to do with a substitute paying the penalty of sin, but with delivering us from bondage and freeing us from the slavery of sin by the ransom given our behalf. There are two other verbs in the Greek New Testament that are translated “to redeem.”
1. The first verb is “agorazo.” This Greek verb occurs 31 times in the Greek New Testament and is translated only 3 times in the English King James Version of the New Testament as “to redeem” (Rev. 5:9; 14:3, 4) and 28 times as “to buy.” (Matt. 13:44, 46; 14:15; 21:12; 25:9, 10; 27:7; Mark 6:36, 37; 11:15; 15:46; 16:1; Luke 9:13; 14:18, 19; 17:28; 19:45; 22:36; John 4:8; 6:5; 13:29; I Cor. 6:20; 7:23, 30; II Pet. 2:1; Rev. 3:18; 13:17; 18:11). The root meaning of this Greek verb is “to buy at the market or market-place [agora].” Since in those days slaves were also sold at the market, to buy a slave at the slave market could also be called “to redeem.” The context of this verb is not the law court but the slave market and has nothing to do with “paying the penalty.” The purchase price is not paying the penalty for breaking the law but is the means by which the purchase is accomplished.
2. The second verb is “exagorazo.” This Greek verb occurs 4 times in the Greek New Testament and is always translated in English King James Version as “to redeem.” (Gal. 3:13; 4:5; Eph. 5:16; Col. 4:5). This verb is the previous verb “agorazo” with the Greek preposition “ek” [from, out of] prefixed and has the root meaning “to buy out of the market-place [agora].” In Galations Paul uses it of the act of Christ whereby we have been redeemed out from under the law (Gal. 4:5) and from its curse (Gal. 3:13). This is not paying the penalty for breaking the law but removing us from under the domain of the law (compare Rom. 6:14) and from its curse. In Ephesians (5:16) and Colossians (4:5) Paul uses this verb when he exhorts his hearers to redeem the time, to buy back the time that would be wasted, that is, to use their time wisely.
OLD TESTAMENT
The Greek verb “lutroo” occurs 99 times in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, the Septuagint (LXX), where it translates 9 different Hebrew words. It translates the Hebrew root g’l [redeem, act as a kinsman] 45 times (Ex. 6:6; 15:13; Lev. 25:25, 30, 33, 48, 49 [3 times], 54; 27:13 [twice], 15, 19, 20 [twice], 27, 28, 31, 32; Psa. 69:18; 72:14; 77:4; 77:15; 103:4; 106:10; 107:2 [twice]; 119:154; Prov. 23:11; Hosea 13:14; Micah 4:10; Zech. 3:1; Isa. 35:9; 41:14; 43:1, 14; 44:22, 23, 24; 52:3; 62:12; 63:9; Jer. 50:34; Lam. 3:58),
the root pdh [ransom by the payment of a price] 42 times (Ex. 13:13, 15; 34:20 [3 times]; Lev. 19:20; 27:29; Num. 18:15 [twice], 17; Deut. 7:8; 9:26; 13:6; 15:15; 21:8; 24:18; II Sam. 4:9; 7:23 [twice]; I Kings 1:29; I Chron. 17:21 [twice]; Neh. 1:10; Psa. 25:22; 26:11; 31:5; 34:22; 44:26; 49:7 [twice], 15; 55:18; 71:23; 78:42; 119:134; 130:8; Hosea 7:13; Micah 6:4; Zaph. 10:8; Isa. 51:11; Jer. 15:21; 31:11), and the other 7 roots do not occur more than four or five times in the remaining 12 occurrences.
The primary meaning of the Hebrew root g’l is to redeem, act as a kinsman. A kinsman is responsible for playing his part in maintaining family honor and preserving the family possessions, and from this there arises various obligations. This is especially so when one of the family has been killed by an outsider. Then it is the responsibility of the kinsman to avenge the family honor, and so we get the kinsman par excellance, the “avenger of blood.” See Num. 25:19, 21, 24, 25, 27; Deut. 19:6, 12; Joshua 20:3, 5, 9; II Sam. 14:11. In all these places we find the strong sense of family relations and it cannot be doubted that “acting as a kinsman” is the basic meaning of this root. In following his family obligation the kinsman might have to perform other duties, such as marrying the widow of a deceased relative (Ruth 3:13), or buying one of the family out of slavery into which he has fallen (Lev. 25:48f.), or reclaiming the field of such a one (Lev. 25:26, 33; Ruth 4:4, 6). It is in connection with the usage for redeeming slaves and fields that other applications of the term arise. Thus, when the original owner wanted to get back something that he had sanctified to the Lord, he was said to redeem it (Lev. 27:13, 15, 19, 20, 27, 28, 31, 33; for things which could not be redeemed in this way see Lev. 27:33). There are two distinct ideas in the Old Testament use of the g’l word. The basic idea is the general one of family obligation of the kinsman, and arising out of this is the narrower idea of redemption. It is this narrower idea that the Septuagint translators seek to express by using the Greek word “lutroo” to translate the Hebrew word g’l.
There are several important passages where Yahweh is the subject of the verb g’l. In these passages, the underlying thought is that God is the great Kinsman of His people, to whom they could look for help in times of distress, and in particular, upon occasions when their freedom was lost or in jeopardy. Supremely is this so in the deliverance of the people from their bondage in Egypt. God said to Moses:
“6:6Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. and I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 6:7 Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you from under the burdens of the Egyptians.'” (Ex. 6:6-7 NAS; see also Ex. 15:13; Psa. 74:2; 77:15; 78:35; 106:10).
Similarly, the later deliverance from Babylon is considered as a redemption (Isa. 48:20; Micah 4:10). In general, the LORD is He Who redeems His people from their enemies and foes (Psa. 107:2; Isa. 43:1; 44:22, 23; 52:3, 9; 63:9; Jer. 31:11; Hosea 13:14). In a similar way, Yahweh is spoken of as Redeemer (go’el) 13 times in Isa. 40-66, and the people referred to as “the redeemed” in Psa. 107:2; Isa. 35:9; etc. The redemptive activity of God is not just limited to great national deliverances, but also to personal and individual experience of deliverance. Jacob, when he blessed Joseph, invokes
“the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel which hath redeemed me from all evil” (Gen. 48:15, 16 KJV)
and the psalmist blesses God
“Who redeemeth thy life from destruction” (Psa. 103:4 KJV; see also Psa. 69:18; 72:14; 119:154)
Thus God is the great Kinsman of His people individually and personally as well as a nation. The basic meaning of other Hebrew root pdh is that of “redeem by the payment of a price”, referring to something that has the nature of commercial transaction without any family obligation arising from kinship or the like that is implied by the g’l root. This can be seen in the passage describing the procedure that was to be used with regard to firstborn:
“13:12you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstlings of your cattle that are male shall be the Lord’s. 13:13Every firstlings of an ass you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every first-born of man among your sons, you shall redeem.” (Ex. 13:12-13 RSV; see also Num. 18:15-17)
The first-born belongs to the Lord; they should be sacrificed to Him upon the altar. But human sacrifice was forbidden. Thus there was no alternative to redemption. Thus the passage concludes, “Redeem every firstborn among your sons.” (Ex. 13:13 NIV) Then there follows the explanation to be given of this act to one’s son:
“13:14And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By the strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13:15For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of cattle, of man and the first-born of cattle. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem.'” (Ex. 13:14-15 RSV)
Here there is no family obligation arising from kinship requiring redemption, but only from an obligation arising from God’s command: “Redeem every firstborn among your sons.” This concept of redemption may be seen in the procedure for taking the census of the people of Israel. When the LORD commanded Moses to “number the first-born males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking their number by name,” Moses was told to take the Levites for the LORD “instead of all the first-born among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of the firstlings among the cattle of the people of Israel” (Num. 3:40-41; see verse 44). When Moses took the count, there were 22,273 first-born Israelites (Num. 13:43) and since there were 22,000 male Levites (Num. 13:39), there were more first-born Israelites than male Levites; for the excess of 273 Moses was commanded to redeem them.
“3:46 And for the redemption [peduyim] of the two hundred and seventy three of the first-born of the people of Israel, who are above the number of the male Levites, 3:47 you shall take five shekels apiece; reckoning by the shekel of the sanctuary, the shekel of twenty gerahs, you shall take them, 3:48 and give the money by which the excess number of them is redeemed [peduyim] to Aaron and his sons.” (Num. 3:46-48 RSV)
The redemption money was only for the excess of 273, not for all the people of Israel.
“3:49 So Moses took the redemption money [pidyon] from those who were over and above those redeemed [peduyim] by the Levites; 3:50 from the first-born of the people of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels,
reckoned by the shekel of the sanctuary; 3:51 and Moses gave the redemption money [pidyon] to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Num. 3:49-51 RSV).
Clearly the redemption-money or ransom was given instead of the male Levites; it was given in the place of the 273 missing Levites, not instead of all of the people of Israel. This ransom was paid in an amount of money equal to 5 shekels per persons times the excess of 273 persons or 1365 shekels. This amount was paid to Aaron and his sons, presumbly to be used in some way in the service of God.
Some have argued that redemption is nothing more than deliverance and that redemption has nothing to do with paying a price. But this clearly does not fit the facts of Scripture, as we have just seen in the passage above. Whenever the verb ga’al is used with a human subject of the verb the deliverance is always by the payment of a ransom. In other words the word does not mean just “to deliver” but “to deliver by paying a price.” This idea that redemption is merely deliverance arises from those passages of Scripture where Yahweh is the subject of the verb, and many of those passages make no mention of a price paid or ransom given to accomplish the redemption. Thus they appear to indicate that redemption is merely deliverance. But this misses the meaning of the ransom; it is the means of accomplishing the deliverance. Thus in the following scriptures God is portrayed as putting forth a strong effort as the means of the deliverance.
“…I will redeem [ga’al] you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:” (Ex. 6:6 KJV);
“77:14 Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people. 77:15 Thou hast with thine arm redeemed [ga’al] thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah” (Psa. 77:14-15 KJV);
“23:10 Do not move the ncient boundary, or go into the fields of the fatherless: 23:11For their Redeemer [ga’al] is strong; He will plead their case against you.” (Prov. 23:10-11 NAS);
“Their Redeemer [ga’al] is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.” (Jer. 50:34 KJV)
The stress on the LORD’s exertion of a mighty force is clearly the reason for using the redemption terminology of His acts of deliverance, for it is regarded as the “price” or “ransom” which brings about the deliverance and gives point to the use of this metaphor. Not because it is at cost to Himself, but it is required to bring about the deliverance. Because of His love for His people, He “hath made bare his holy arm in the eys of all nations” (Isa. 52:10). The exertion of His power demonstrates to the nations His love for His people at same time delivers them. Nehemiah prays,
“Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed [padah] by thy great power, and by thy strong hand” (Neh. 1:10 KJV);
and David says,
“And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem [padah] for a people unto himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?” (II Sam. 7:23 KJV).
The exertion of His power is needed as the means by which God bring about His deliverance of His people. The Greek word “lutron” occurs 20 times in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, where it translates the Hebrew roots g’l 5 times (Lev. 25:24, 26, 51, 52; 27:31); the root pdh 8 times (Ex. 21:30; Lev. 19:20; Num. 3:46, 48, 49, 51 [twice]; 18:15), and the word kopher [ransom price] 6 times (Ex. 21:30; 30:12; Num. 35:31, 32; Prov. 6:35; 13:8), and the word mecher [price] once (Isa. 45:13).
CONCLUSION
Since in those days of the Old and New Testament, slaves were also sold at the market, to buy a slave at the slave market could also be called “to redeem.” The context of the verbs translate “to redeem” is not the law court but the slave market and has nothing to do with “paying the penalty.” The purchase price or ransom is not the penalty for breaking the law but is the means by which the purchase is accomplished. A ransom is given instead or in place of those who are to be redeemed or delivered; it has nothing to do with a substitute paying the penalty of sin to satisfy the justice of God. The context of the words translated “to redeem” or “redemption” is not the law or the courtroom but slavery and the slavemarket. The redemption of Israel from bondage in Egypt has nothing to do with a substitute paying the penalty of sin; and neither does the redemption in Christ Jesus by His death [His blood] have to do with a substitute paying the penalty of sin, but with delivering us from bondage and freeing us from the slavery of sin.