When is God an Elder Brother

An introduction to KTOT and its entry on the word גאל
The purpose of this paper is to introduce participants to a tool for Old Testament translation: Key Terms of the Old Testament, or KTOT. We will do this by looking at one entry, גאל.
The presentation will start with a brief introduction to KTOT, followed by a description of the research that went into the entry on גאל involving the disciplines of exegesis, corpus linguistics, cognitive semantics, and cultural anthropology. We will note potential implications for Old Testament translators.
The primary sense of word גאל refers to a social role in early Hebrew society that was necessary to ensure the stability and welfare of the family. Since the Hebrew family was patriarchal and extended far beyond the nuclear family, the role of the גאל can be described as belonging to the eldest, capable male relative. By examining the Old Testament corpus, this social role can be broken down into at least eight major responsibilities and privileges.
By figurative extension, God is compared to a גאל, which is traditionally translated as “Redeemer.” We will note the historical and theological implications of the theology of Redemption and the problems that many translations have trying to find a word or expression that can carry the theological freight of a “Redeemer.” To avoid these problems, the recommendation is to explore the existence of similar social roles within the receptor culture and then the possibility of using them figuratively to refer to God.