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גְּאֻלָּה

𐤂𐤀𐤋𐤄

gᵉʼullâh

H1353 noun

SILEX Entry

Root גאל to redeem, reclaim, act as kinsman-redeemer

Definition

A legal act of reclaiming, specifically the exercise of the right to recover property, land, or persons that have been lost, sold, or obligated, typically by a family member or designated person (a go'el). The word denotes the process, right, or condition of redemption, restoration, or release from obligation, often with a focus on family or land recovery according to ancient Israelite law. The term can refer to the act itself, the right to exercise the act, or the state or condition resulting from the act. In some contexts, it may refer to deliverance, either literally (e.g., from slavery or loss of inheritance) or metaphorically.

Semantic Range

redemption (specifically the reclaiming of land, people, or property by right of kinship); the right of redemption; the act of redeeming; what is redeemed or reclaimed; kin-based deliverance; liberation from obligation; legal process of restoration

Root / Etymology

From the root גָּאַל (ga'al), meaning 'to redeem, reclaim as kin, act as kinsman-redeemer.' גְּאֻלָּה is the feminine passive participle form, literally 'that which is redeemed' or 'redemption.' The word develops from the sense of legally and relationally restoring what has been lost, especially within familial or tribal contexts.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In ancient Israelite society, גְּאֻלָּה referred specifically to the legal process by which land, property, or family members (such as those sold into slavery) were recovered by their nearest kin, ensuring familial and tribal continuity (see Leviticus 25, Numbers 35, Ruth 4). This process was central to the maintenance of social structure and inheritance. Over time, the scope of the word broadened slightly to include more abstract senses of deliverance or liberation, particularly in exilic and post-exilic texts, though the concrete legal nuance remains primary in most biblical usage. The English word 'redemption' can capture the general sense, but often misses the specific legal, familial, and social context embedded in the original. The term is distinct from other words like פְּדוּת (pedut), which emphasizes ransom or release without the specific kinship or property-recovery aspects of גְּאֻלָּה. The use and understanding of this term evolved post-exile, especially as Israelite land laws adapted under foreign rule, but its foundational meaning is tied to the earlier land and kinship laws of the Torah.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

xlit gᵉullâh corrected to gᵉʼullâh; feminine passive participle of גָּאַל; redemption (including the right and the object); by implication, relationship; kindred, redeem, redemption, right.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

גאל (g-ʾ-l) — redeem, reclaim, act as kinsman-redeemer

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1350 גָּאַל I will act as kinsman-redeemer
H1351 גָּאַל I have defiled
H1352 גֹּאֶל kinsman-redeemers of
H3008 יִגְאָל and May-He-Redeem

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1353-05 גְאֻלָּתֽ/וֹ geulato HNcfsc/Sp3ms his redemption his reclamation-right 5
H1353-06 הַ/גְּאֻלָּ֖ה hageulah HTd/Ncfsa the redemption the kinsman-reclamation 3
H1353-01 גְּאֻלָּ֖ה geulah HNcfsa redemption kin-based redemption 3
H1353-04 גְּאֻלָּתִ֔/י geulati HNcfsc/Sp1cs my right of redemption my redemption-right 1
H1353-03 גְאֻלָּתֶ֔/ךָ geulatekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms of your redemption your kin-reclamation 1
H1353-02 גְּאֻלַּ֥ת geulat HNcfsc redemption kinsman-redemption of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

14 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1353-01 Leviticus 25:24 גְּאֻלָּ֖ה geulah HNcfsa redemption kin-based redemption
H1353-05 Leviticus 25:26 גְאֻלָּתֽ/וֹ geulato HNcfsc/Sp3ms for his redemption his reclamation-right
H1353-05 Leviticus 25:29 גְּאֻלָּת֔/וֹ geulato HNcfsc/Sp3ms his redemption his reclamation-right
H1353-05 Leviticus 25:29 גְאֻלָּתֽ/וֹ geulato-2 HNcfsc/Sp3ms his redemption his reclamation-right
H1353-01 Leviticus 25:31 גְּאֻלָּה֙ geulah HNcfsa redemption kin-based redemption
H1353-02 Leviticus 25:32 גְּאֻלַּ֥ת geulat HNcfsc redemption kinsman-redemption of
H1353-01 Leviticus 25:48 גְּאֻלָּ֖ה geulah HNcfsa redemption kin-based redemption
H1353-05 Leviticus 25:51 גְּאֻלָּת֔/וֹ geulato HNcfsc/Sp3ms the price of his redemption his reclamation-right
H1353-05 Leviticus 25:52 גְּאֻלָּתֽ/וֹ geulato HNcfsc/Sp3ms his redemption his reclamation-right
H1353-06 Jeremiah 32:7 הַ/גְּאֻלָּ֖ה hageulah HTd/Ncfsa of redemption the kinsman-reclamation
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