the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Language Studies
Hebrew Thoughts
gâal - גָּאָל (Strong's #1351)
To pollute, defile
The word גָּאָל gâal (Strong's #1351, x11) in its few uses is translated by "pollute" x7, "defile" x3 and once "stain" in the KJV. It is actually spelled identically to גָּאָל gâal (Strong's #1350, x104) which is rendered by some idea of redemption or ransom or even revenge in 80% of its uses and again, in a debatable use, by "stain" once (Job 3:5). There may be some relationship between the words, a common origin, since they seem to mean the absolute opposite, a feature of some Hebrew words and ideas. The equivalent word in Syriac can mean to "cast away, reject" just as in Ezra 2:62 and Nehemiah 7:64 when a priest is "rejected" from ministry. To "cast away" could be seen as the direct opposite of to "buy back, bring back, redeem".
The idea of pollution comes from the other forms of the Hebrew verb, mainly causative and intensive, suggesting ideas as to "cause to reject" or "provide grounds to be rejected". This is often the case in descriptions to do with pollution or defilement by blood. For instance, Isaiah 59:3 "your hands are defiled with blood" and similarly in Lamentations 4:14.
In Isaiah 63:3, speaking prophetically of the Messiah's future vengeance, the subject's garments are sprinkled in blood and said to be "stained" or "caused to be defiled". Interestingly, blood is often associated with the alternaive use of גָּאָל gâal since blood is often required in ransom, redemption and the avenging of bloodshed of a relative. Indeed the very next verse has the other meaning of גָּאָל gâal present in the phrase "the year of my redeemed has come".
It is interesting that the "defilement" meaning, whether a separate root or derived variant, is only used in later writings and does not occur at all in the Pentateuch or early historical books.
The 19th century German Hebraist Fuerst seems to have regarded the two meanings as from the same root using the common notion of to "loose" or "separate". Thus to "redeem" is seen as setting free and loosing, whilst "polluting, defiling, rejecting" is seen as a letting go of, abandoning.
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