Journal: Bulletin for Biblical Research
Volume: BBR 01:1 (NA 1991)
Article: The Go’el In Ancient Israel: Theological Reflections On An Israelite Institution
Author: Robert L. Hubbard, Jr.

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BBR 1:1 (1991) p. 3

The Go’el In Ancient Israel: Theological Reflections On An Israelite Institution1

Robert L. Hubbard, Jr.

Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary

In his delightful book Hunting the Divine Fox, theologian Robert Farrar Capon warned of a special danger—overfamiliarity with the Bible:

Mere familiarity does not necessarily produce understanding. It is perfectly possible to know something (or someone!) all your life and still never really comprehend what you’re dealing with. Like the Irishman in the old joke who received a brand-new toilet from his American cousins: He used the bowl for a foot washer, the lid for a breadboard, and the seat for a frame around the Pope’s picture.2

Among Bible scholars, there is nothing more familiar than the concept of gō’ēl or “kinsman-redeemer.” Proper interpretation of the book of Ruth requires its treatment,3 and Leggett has devoted a major book to it.4 As Capon warned, however, familiarity does not automatically mean understanding. Indeed, recent scholarly discussion reveals that, though understood in broad outline, some details of the gō’ēl institution still elude precise definition.5

BBR 1:1 (1991) p. 4

Preoccupation with its legal and sociological background, however, has shunted aside reflection on its theology. In my view, discussions in Old Testament theologies and theological dictionaries are distressingly brief and untheological.6 Thus, in this paper I aim to explore the theology of that Israelite institution. First, I will define and describe Israel’s idea of gō’ēl in general terms. Second, I will explore the theological insights of two key texts—applicable sections of Leviticus 25 and the book of Ruth. Time constraints, however, require that the examination of others be left for another occasion. Finally, I will attempt to summarize the results gained from the exegesis of those texts. Hopefully, a deeper appreciation and theological understanding of the gō’ēl practice will replace that dangerous overfamiliarity of which Capon warned.

I

The term gō’ēl derives from the realm of Israelite family law.7 It describes a close rela...

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