The term "Kinsman Redeemer" (Hebrew: Goel, [H1350] translated: "kinsman"
Num. 5:8; 27:11; Ruth 2:1; 3:9, 12, 13; 4:1, 3, 6, 8, 14; John 18:26; Romans 16:11) is the title for a position of responsibility within an Old Testament Hebrew family which was established by God.
This individual was entrusted with the ability to protect, as well as seeking justice when a family member was wronged; as a way of maintaining righteousness within the tribal society of Israel.
We might refer to this position as the godfather of the Hebrews, yet in a legal and moral function, as compared to one of criminality and abuse.
The idea of the Kinsman Redeemer held two different functions / roles within the same title.
1st, was the function / role of the "Goel" or Redeemer.
The idea was that if a man died without children, normally his brother, or Goel (Next in line of kinship), had an obligation to raise seed to the dead brother so as to keep his posterity going, along with the inheritance of the land.
He redeemed that man's progeny, this is referred to as the "Levirate law."
2nd, was the function / role of the "Avenger of Blood"
When a "wrong" (Crime) was done to a single member of the family; it was considered a crime against the entire tribe, yet the responsibility was left to kinsman-Redeemer.
It should be remembered that at this time there was no social governmental structure within Israel that would carry on this function.
And even after there was a governmental structure installed, the kinsman-Redeemer still had the responsibility to maintain order and leadership within the family, wherein the government might utilize a punishment of those that had violated a tribe member, this did not override the role of the kinsman-Redeemer.
In the case of a murder committed, the kinsman-Redeemer would fulfill Justice by killing the murderer himself.
So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.
About seven and half gallons of barley which was a days work. In providing manna God showed what was a day's work.What Ruth collected was meant for Naomi as well. God commanded the children to Israel to gather manna 'take ye every man for them which are in his tents.' Naomi had served as a messenger from God as it were, in bringing her to the Lord who went visiting his people. The Gospel of God when served as manna the spiritual significance therein still holds good. It meant, 'each gather according to the gifts given from above. Thus the young widow gleaned for her aged mother-in-law as well. Isaiah's expression 'the lame takes the prey' is relevant in this context.
We shall refer the Book of Exodus for a commentary on God's provisions for his people.
"And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which theLordhath given you to eat./This is the thing which theLordhath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.17And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less./And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating(Ex.16:16-18)".
Hi Bob. As Adam as written, the Word of God cannot be changed at will. And it does us well to look at the matter more closely for clarification.
You shared from Ruth 2:2. When we look at the word in the original language, Hebrew, we see the word, 'shibboleth', which generally means 'grain', but is translated as 'corn', which was the generic name given to all types of grain (wheat, barley, rye, etc.), as used in 'ye olde England'.
And as a side note that may be of interest to some, and as a Bible reader, you might be aware of that word, 'shibboleth'. We see it in Judges 12:1-6; the story is given about the escaping Ephraimites (the enemy) who were trying to avoid Jephthah's annihilation of that army. They were trying to sneak past Jephthah (Israel's Judge) but were found. So Jephthah, in trying to ascertain their bloodline, whether they were imposters, asked them to say the word 'shibboleth', but they weren't able to pronounce the word correctly & said 'sibboleth'. So for a rather insignificant 'corny' word, many lives were lost as they failed the test.
And the same meaning is seen in the NT, eg. Mark 2:23, where the word for 'corn' is 'stachus' (= heads of grain) in Greek & for 'cornfields', the word is 'sporimos' (field of grain). So we should appreciate that sometimes when we read a word in the Bible, we need to understand it in terms of, in which period was it written & how was it understood by those readers. To bring every word into today's usage sometimes can present us with problems that can only be overcome by going back to the original languages.
Hello Bob, I don't think people change text of a Bible because one day someone prefers something else. If you look at the original KJV Ruth 2:2 more than 400 years ago it said corn and if you look at the other translations on this site all of them say corn. So, you think the text of all KJV Bibles should be changed to "ears of barley" because you assume no one grew corn in their cornfields?
We send thee all the love we have in our hearts. GOD Bless America and GOD bless all our Jewish brethren wherever they may be!! Luke and Mariana Thompson.
Thank you Lord for showing us the proper attitude we should have in our relationship with others.
The proper work ethics is very much needed in our day and age. From the leadership level down to the workers level. Thank you for reminding us how we are to treat and take care of the elderly folk amongst us.
May we learn to "glean" from your word how we are to praise you in our lives as we await your coming.
A kinsman is a relative, whether by blood or marriage. In the story of Ruth & her marriage to Boaz, Boaz was related to Naomi (Ruth's mother-in-law's) husband, Elimelech. Even though Ruth was a Moabitess, her first marriage to Mahlon (Elimelech's son) made her a relative to Boaz. And indeed, Boaz was not only a kinsman, but also a redeemer, in that he married Ruth so as to keep the blood-line intact. So, Boaz is seen as a Kinsman-Redeemer & is a picture of Christ as our Kinsman-Redeemer, having kept the Law of God perfectly & also paying the full price for our (Jew & Gentile's) sins giving us redemption because of his Humanity - His relationship to all mankind.
When people today are conditioned to believe that an unborn foetus is not human & can be disposed of as one would do to an annoying pest, the result is that we can do however we please if only to satisfy ourselves or help in a difficult situation. When human life loses its value, the cumulative result is what we're seeing as 'normal' behaviour all around us. Even when a detestable crime is committed, we are quick to find the 'solution' in a person's mental instability or an unhappy upbringing. When sin is not treated as sin, "man is entitled to do whatever is right in his own eyes".
And it's my considered & firm belief that the populace are not altogether in error for their thinking. That is why the concept of government has been introduced & approved by God. They are expected to lay down the rules according to divine standards for the people to follow without exception. In the case of abortion, what should have been enforced as murder, is watered down to meet societal wants & pressures, thereby appeasing their consciences that they're doing the Will of the people & no doubt, ensuring their continuance in power. Even in the failure to administer the correct punishment for wilful, fully proven murder, what does the criminal receive? Usually a jail sentence, so that he can one day be released to possibly murder again. I ask, who then is the greater criminal? Many in positions of power will have to give full account to God for their contribution to the many crimes being committed & their apathy & abuse of a God-given right & privilege to govern their people well. What my perceptions of governments in general, whether under Judeo-Christian influence & principles, or totally without them, is that they appear to serve, & so they do well in many respects, but rather used as tools of Satan to bring down society through increasing & rampant sin. They care not for men's souls (maybe they think that's the Church's responsibility), rather for their own survival & comfort.
Naomi and Ruth desired children, and God visited them in a sense to achieve that goal through Boaz. Today, many seem to want to get rid of the fruit of their womb through abortion. God help us and them to rid the world of this scourge.
The story of Boaz and Ruth is a type of Christ and His Bride. What a perfect Love Story. I can’t leave-out Naomi either. God is so good and wonderful. A moabitis woman became the grandmother of God’s beloved, King,David. Only God could make it possible. God does not reject anyone. Once you repent of your sins: come to Him, in Faith believing, He will give you a New Beginning. How awesome.
Verse 15~Boaz showed concerned towards Ruth. She was a foreigner and a woman and Boaz was concerned for her. We should show compassion and concern for all including foreigners.
Ruth showed the quality of humility that we can imitate here. She did not just presume to glean even though she had the right to. She asked in a kind way and she received a kind response.
CORN, cont.; From Bible Study Tools - corn is a general term applied in the Bible to all edible seeds, grain. In the middle east In Jesus day and before, they did not know of the 'corn' of the W, hemisphere as we know it.
Biblical 'corn' was not just - wheat. From David W. Daniels (Bible Versions); "The KJV translators made no mistake 102 times in their proper translation 'corn'. It is the New World citizens who have mistakenly applied our word 'maiz' to the biblical 'corn'.
I often wonder if some of the places in the Bible exist still,and called the same name or if it has been changed do people teach their children these things? and tell them stories about Father GOD and of all the wonderful and amazing things that has happened or do they read them in a book like we do?,wouldn't it be fascinating to see these places with your own eyes,I think it would be AWESOME!!!!.
"Corn" was not corn as we know it today. "Corns of Wheat" was ... you guessed it... wheat.
and "ears" were the "heads" of the stalk of wheat, with all of the individual kernels of wheat. The same terms are used with barely.
Part 1.
The term "Kinsman Redeemer" (Hebrew: Goel, [H1350] translated: "kinsman"
Num. 5:8; 27:11; Ruth 2:1; 3:9, 12, 13; 4:1, 3, 6, 8, 14; John 18:26; Romans 16:11) is the title for a position of responsibility within an Old Testament Hebrew family which was established by God.
This individual was entrusted with the ability to protect, as well as seeking justice when a family member was wronged; as a way of maintaining righteousness within the tribal society of Israel.
We might refer to this position as the godfather of the Hebrews, yet in a legal and moral function, as compared to one of criminality and abuse.
The idea of the Kinsman Redeemer held two different functions / roles within the same title.
1st, was the function / role of the "Goel" or Redeemer.
The idea was that if a man died without children, normally his brother, or Goel (Next in line of kinship), had an obligation to raise seed to the dead brother so as to keep his posterity going, along with the inheritance of the land.
He redeemed that man's progeny, this is referred to as the "Levirate law."
2nd, was the function / role of the "Avenger of Blood"
When a "wrong" (Crime) was done to a single member of the family; it was considered a crime against the entire tribe, yet the responsibility was left to kinsman-Redeemer.
It should be remembered that at this time there was no social governmental structure within Israel that would carry on this function.
And even after there was a governmental structure installed, the kinsman-Redeemer still had the responsibility to maintain order and leadership within the family, wherein the government might utilize a punishment of those that had violated a tribe member, this did not override the role of the kinsman-Redeemer.
In the case of a murder committed, the kinsman-Redeemer would fulfill Justice by killing the murderer himself.
This was not looked at as revenge, but justice.
See Part 2.
So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.
About seven and half gallons of barley which was a days work. In providing manna God showed what was a day's work.What Ruth collected was meant for Naomi as well. God commanded the children to Israel to gather manna 'take ye every man for them which are in his tents.' Naomi had served as a messenger from God as it were, in bringing her to the Lord who went visiting his people. The Gospel of God when served as manna the spiritual significance therein still holds good. It meant, 'each gather according to the gifts given from above. Thus the young widow gleaned for her aged mother-in-law as well. Isaiah's expression 'the lame takes the prey' is relevant in this context.
We shall refer the Book of Exodus for a commentary on God's provisions for his people.
"And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which theLordhath given you to eat./This is the thing which theLordhath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.17And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less./And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating(Ex.16:16-18)".
You shared from Ruth 2:2. When we look at the word in the original language, Hebrew, we see the word, 'shibboleth', which generally means 'grain', but is translated as 'corn', which was the generic name given to all types of grain (wheat, barley, rye, etc.), as used in 'ye olde England'.
And as a side note that may be of interest to some, and as a Bible reader, you might be aware of that word, 'shibboleth'. We see it in Judges 12:1-6; the story is given about the escaping Ephraimites (the enemy) who were trying to avoid Jephthah's annihilation of that army. They were trying to sneak past Jephthah (Israel's Judge) but were found. So Jephthah, in trying to ascertain their bloodline, whether they were imposters, asked them to say the word 'shibboleth', but they weren't able to pronounce the word correctly & said 'sibboleth'. So for a rather insignificant 'corny' word, many lives were lost as they failed the test.
And the same meaning is seen in the NT, eg. Mark 2:23, where the word for 'corn' is 'stachus' (= heads of grain) in Greek & for 'cornfields', the word is 'sporimos' (field of grain). So we should appreciate that sometimes when we read a word in the Bible, we need to understand it in terms of, in which period was it written & how was it understood by those readers. To bring every word into today's usage sometimes can present us with problems that can only be overcome by going back to the original languages.
Mark 2:23 (corn)
Please change to Barley
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God bless.
Bless you exceedingly
The proper work ethics is very much needed in our day and age. From the leadership level down to the workers level. Thank you for reminding us how we are to treat and take care of the elderly folk amongst us.
May we learn to "glean" from your word how we are to praise you in our lives as we await your coming.
June 2021
And it's my considered & firm belief that the populace are not altogether in error for their thinking. That is why the concept of government has been introduced & approved by God. They are expected to lay down the rules according to divine standards for the people to follow without exception. In the case of abortion, what should have been enforced as murder, is watered down to meet societal wants & pressures, thereby appeasing their consciences that they're doing the Will of the people & no doubt, ensuring their continuance in power. Even in the failure to administer the correct punishment for wilful, fully proven murder, what does the criminal receive? Usually a jail sentence, so that he can one day be released to possibly murder again. I ask, who then is the greater criminal? Many in positions of power will have to give full account to God for their contribution to the many crimes being committed & their apathy & abuse of a God-given right & privilege to govern their people well. What my perceptions of governments in general, whether under Judeo-Christian influence & principles, or totally without them, is that they appear to serve, & so they do well in many respects, but rather used as tools of Satan to bring down society through increasing & rampant sin. They care not for men's souls (maybe they think that's the Church's responsibility), rather for their own survival & comfort.
and "ears" were the "heads" of the stalk of wheat, with all of the individual kernels of wheat. The same terms are used with barely.