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H3008 · Hebrew · Old Testament
יִגְאָל
Yigal
Proper noun (person)
Igal — 'He redeems / God redeems'

Definition

Yigal (יִגְאָל) is a theophoric Hebrew name meaning "He will redeem\” or "God redeems\”, derived from the crucial root gaal (to redeem as kinsman-redeemer). It appears as the name of several men in the Hebrew Bible, most notably one of the twelve spies sent by Moses (Numbers 13:7) and one of David's mighty warriors (2 Samuel 23:36).

Usage & Theological Significance

Names carrying the root gaal are declarations of theological confidence — the bearer's very name proclaims that Yahweh is a Redeemer who acts on behalf of His people. The kinsman-redeemer (goel) concept is one of the richest in the OT: a near relative with both the right and responsibility to redeem a family member from slavery, poverty, or death.

That Moses sent a man named "God Redeems" (Yigal) as a spy into the land of promise is a quiet irony of Numbers 13 — even the man sent to scout the land bore a name that declared the conclusion before the mission began. The redeemed shall inherit the land. The NT fulfillment is explicit: Christ as the ultimate goel, redeeming humanity from the slavery of sin at the cost of His own blood (Galatians 3:13; Ruth 4 as type).

Key Bible Verses

Numbers 13:7 From the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph.
2 Samuel 23:36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah, the son of Hagri...
Ruth 4:14 The women said to Naomi: 'Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer.'
Isaiah 43:1 But now, this is what the LORD says — he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.'
Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.

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