Read Exodus 6:2-9 at Bible Gateway.
Hebrew paragraph divisions
Exo 6:2-9 {p} YHVH reveals the meaning of His name by redemption
Original Hebrew
Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am Yehovah; and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.’ Exo 6:6
Deliver is Strong’s H5337 נצל natsal, a primitive root meaning, “to draw out, to pull out.” The pictographs are nun + tsadey + lamed.
nun נ, ן = the seed, thus continue, heir, son
tsadey צ, ץ = the trail, thus a man concealed, journey, chase, hunt
lamed ל = the shepherd’s staff, thus teach, yoke, to, bind
When one finds his child, family member, bosom friend, or livelihood which sustains the next generation (nun) at risk or lost, he searches for him or it (tsadey), to draw them out or away from danger as a shepherd draws the sheep from the thorns with his staff (lamed).
Redeem is Strong’s H1350 גאל ga’al, a primitive root meaning, “to redeem.” The pictographs are gimel + aleph + lamed.
gimel ג = the foot, thus foot, walk, gather
aleph א = the ox head, thus strength, power, leader
lamed ל = the shepherd’s staff, thus teach, yoke, to, bind
The cognate words will help us find the story. The most common and foundational cognate means, “to roll, round,” with others signifying round objects, a circle, and so on; because to walk (gimel) as our authority (aleph) has taught us (lamed) to walk, is to observe the holy days through the circle of the year, year after year. So inherent in the root is the concept of something coming around again for a second time. To redeem, then, is to let someone or something see another day, to return to their life again, to receive a second chance.
Exo 6:2-9 {p} chiastic structure
We can see the entire structure is concerned with God communicating who He is to both Israel and Egypt. We saw yesterday that His names and titles from vs. 2-3 reveal Him as 1) the Sovereign coupled with the Shepherd; 2) the Almighty, whose power is great enough to lay waste any and every thing needing laying waste; and 3) the Self-Existent and Eternal, the Creator, the Living One who is responsible for bringing other living ones into existence.
Today we see the central axis of the structure and its D pair surrounding elements, proclaiming YHVH as Deliverer and Redeemer, the Giver of the Second Chance. In fact, you might say that He is Almighty so that He can Deliver and Give the Second Chance, being strong enough to bring out of any bondage, trap, or plan of the enemy. Isn’t He good? ♥
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