Kinsman-Redeemer

Biblical Occurrences

• Leviticus 25: If a man became poor and sold his land, a near kinsman was to come and buy it back: "if any of his kin come to redeem it" (25:25). A person who had sold himself into servitude could likewise be released by a close relative, such as a brother, uncle, or cousin, who paid the price of redemption (25:47–55).
• Numbers 35: The close relative of a person who had been killed bore responsibility, as "the revenger of blood," for putting the murderer to death. One who had killed someone unintentionally could flee to a city of refuge. In this context the goel is rendered "revenger of blood."
• Ruth 2–4: Naomi introduces Boaz as "one of our next kinsmen" (2:20). When a nearer kinsman gave up his right, saying, "lest I mar mine own inheritance" (4:6), Boaz bought the land belonging to Elimelech's family and took Ruth as his wife.
• Jeremiah 32: While Jerusalem was under siege, Jeremiah bought a field in Anathoth from his cousin Hanameel, because "the right of redemption" was his (32:7). The transaction is recorded as a sign that the day would come when land would again be bought and sold.

Background and Terminology

The "inheritance" in view is not a business enterprise but a portion passed down through the generations, especially the land allotted to tribes and families. To "redeem" means to recover something that has been sold by paying its price. The Old Testament held that the land ultimately belongs to God (Leviticus 25:23). It therefore provided mechanisms to keep land from passing permanently out of a family's possession; the redemption of the inheritance and the return of land in the Year of Jubilee were such mechanisms (Leviticus 25:8–12). Serving as goel was both a right and an obligation of close relatives, and priority went to the nearest of kin.

Significance Across Scripture

The Old Testament also calls God the goel of Israel, rendered "redeemer" in passages such as Isaiah 41:14, Psalm 19:14, and Job 19:25 ("I know that my redeemer liveth"). The Exodus and the return from exile are portrayed as God reclaiming His enslaved people. The term goel does not appear directly in the New Testament. However, on the basis of the statements that Christ came to give His life "a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28) and that He took part of flesh and blood just as the children do (Hebrews 2:14–17), Christian tradition has understood Jesus Christ as the true kinsman-redeemer. David descended from Boaz and Ruth, and the genealogy in Matthew continues this line.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• Ruth and levirate marriage: The custom by which a man married the widow of his brother who had died childless in order to continue the brother's line (Deuteronomy 25:5–10) was originally distinct from the redemption of the inheritance. The Book of Ruth shows the two combined, and scholars differ on whether this reflects a broad application of the customs of the time. The custom of removing a shoe also appears with different meanings in Ruth 4:7 and Deuteronomy 25:9.
• Typology: Reformed and evangelical preaching frequently reads Boaz as a type of Christ. Others caution against excessive spiritualizing, arguing that the historical meaning of the text should be respected first.
• Added formulas: Lists of qualifications such as "the kinsman-redeemer must be a relative, must be able, and must be willing" are frameworks developed in preaching. Scripture does not present them as stipulations.

In the Korean Church

In Korean Protestant churches, the expression used for the kinsman-redeemer in the Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version (gieop mureul ja, "one who redeems the inheritance") is widely familiar. It often serves as a theme in expository preaching on Ruth that connects Boaz with Christ's work of redemption (Ruth 4:4–10).