Redemption (including the right and the object); by implication, relationship
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גְּאֻלָּה (geullah) is the noun derived from גָּאַל (gaal, H1350) — to act as kinsman-redeemer. ' The background is the Israelite property and family law of Leviticus 25: if a person fell into poverty and had to sell their land or themselves into debt-servitude, the nearest kinsman (the goel) had both the right and the obligation to buy the property back or redeem the person.
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Full entry for גְּאֻלָּה (H1353) · Open the biblical lexicon
גְּאֻלָּה (geullah) is the noun derived from גָּאַל (gaal, H1350) — to act as kinsman-redeemer. ' The background is the Israelite property and family law of Leviticus 25: if a person fell into poverty and had to sell their land or themselves into debt-servitude, the nearest kinsman (the goel) had both the right and the obligation to buy the property back or.
The BSB source-word alignment has 14 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include the redemption (2), . . . (1), for his redemption (1), his redemption (1), his right of redemption (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Leviticus 25:24. Its strongest book concentrations include Leviticus (9), Jeremiah (2), Ruth (2), Ezekiel (1).
גְּאֻלָּה (geullah) is the noun derived from גָּאַל (gaal, H1350) — to act as kinsman-redeemer. Where gaal is the verb (the action of redeeming), geullah is either the act itself or the right to redeem: 'the right of redemption,' 'the redemption transaction,' or 'what was redeemed.'
The background is the Israelite property and family law of Leviticus 25: if a person fell into poverty and had to sell their land or themselves into debt-servitude, the nearest kinsman (the goel) had both the right and the obligation to buy the property back or redeem the person. This is not charity — it is a legal right and duty rooted in kinship. The geullah is the transaction by which the kinsman exercises that right.
The Book of Ruth is the fullest narrative exploration of geullah in the OT. Boaz, as a near-kinsman to Naomi's family, exercises the geullah right over Elimelech's land, and the narrative joins that transaction to preserving the family line through marriage to Ruth. The entire book turns on whether someone will step forward to exercise geullah, and Boaz does so at personal cost and as an act of hesed (covenant loyalty).
The broader גָּאַל word family contributes to the Old Testament portrayal of YHWH as Israel's goel. H1353 itself primarily names the legal right or act of redemption in Leviticus, Ruth, and Jeremiah. God acts as the divine kinsman who exercises the right of redemption for his people.
The local Hebrew index currently counts about 14 H1353 uses, making it rarer than its verb gaal, but the few uses are theologically significant: the foundational law (Lev 25), the Ruth narrative pivot (Ruth 4), and Jeremiah's sign-act (Jer 32). The word is the legal/transactional form of kinship love: when a relative is in trouble, geullah is what happens when someone steps up to exercise their right and responsibility.
The theological beauty of the geullah system is that it fuses love (hesed) with legal right: the redeemer is not a stranger performing charity but a family member fulfilling an obligation of kinship. God's redemption of Israel and Christ's redemption of his people both carry this double weight: it is both loving and legally legitimate.
Geullah moves from the legal mechanism of Leviticus 25 (property redemption within the family) through the narrative of Ruth (the hesed-motivated kinsman who redeems at personal cost) to Jeremiah's prophetic geullah act (hope in the midst of siege) to the divine goel who redeems his people. In Christian canonical synthesis, the kinship and costly-redemption themes can illuminate Hebrews 2:14-17, where the Son shares flesh and blood and defeats death.
Hebrews does not use H1353 or present a direct lexical citation, so the connection is thematic rather than a one-to-one fulfillment claim.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Hebrew word. Redemption rooted in kinship obligation: the right and power to recover what belongs to the family through close relationship.
Redemption rooted in kinship obligation: the right and power to recover what belongs to the family through close relationship.
redemption (including the right and the object); by implication, relationship BDB: kin Usage: kindred, redeem, redemption, right.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 1 selected witness from 14 lexical occurrence verses.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Geullah opens the kinship dimension of redemption — the good news is not that a stranger rescued you but that your nearest kin stepped in at personal cost to exercise the redemption right on your behalf. Preaching geullah can use Hebrews 2:14-17 as a thematic bridge: the Son shares flesh and blood and acts for those he calls brothers. Present this as canonical synthesis rather than the lexical meaning of H1353. The Ruth narrative is a rich, accessible entry point.
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