Jesus Was the Angel Who Redeemed Jacob

JESUS WAS THE ANGEL WHO REDEEMS
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Genesis 48:15-1615Thenhe blessedJosephand said,
"May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and
Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my
shepherd all my life to this day, 16the Angel who has
deliveredme from all harm -may he bless these boys.
May they be called by my name and the names of my
fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase
greatly on the earth."
BIBLEHUB COMMENTARIES
BensonCommentary
Genesis 48:16. The Angel which redeemed me — Nota createdangelsurely,
but Christ, termed an angel, Exodus 23:20, and the Angel of the covenant,
Malachi3:1, and who was the conductor of Israelin the wilderness, 1
Corinthians 10:4-9. Add to this, that this Angel is called Jacob’s Redeemer, a
title appropriated by God to himself, Isaiah 43:14;Isaiah 47:4; is said to
redeem him from all evil, and therefore from sin, from which certainly no
createdangel, but only Christ candeliver us, Matthew 1:21; and he is
worshipped and prayed to by Jacobhere, for the blessing desired for Joseph’s

sons:all which circumstances show, thathe was Godand not a creature. From
all evil — A greatdeal of trouble and hardship he had had in his time, but
God had graciouslykepthim from the evil of his troubles. It becomes the
servants of God, when they are old and dying, to witness for God that they
have found him gracious.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
48:8-22 The two goodmen own God in their comforts. Josephsays, They are
my sons whom God has given me. Jacobsays, Godhath showedme thy seed.
Comforts are doubly sweetto us when we see them coming from God's hand.
He not only prevents our fears, but exceeds our hopes. Jacobmentions the
care the Divine providence had takenof him all his days. A greatdeal of
hardship he had known in his time, but God kept him from the evil of his
troubles. Now he was dying, he lookedupon himself as redeemedfrom all sin
and sorrow for ever. Christ, the Angel of the covenant, redeems from all evil.
Deliverances frommisery and dangers, by the Divine power, coming through
the ransomof the blood of Christ, in Scripture are often called redemption. In
blessing Joseph's sons, Jacobcrossedhands. Josephwas willing to support his
first-born, and would have removed his father's hands. But Jacobacted
neither by mistake, nor from a partial affectionto one more than the other;
but from a spirit of prophecy, and by the Divine counsel. God, in bestowing
blessings upon his people, gives more to some than to others, more gifts,
graces,and comforts, and more of the good things of this life. He often gives
most to those that are leastlikely. He choosesthe weak things of the world; he
raises the poor out of the dust. Grace observes notthe order of nature, nor
does God prefer those whom we think fittest to be preferred, but as it pleases
him. How poor are they who have no riches but those of this world! How
miserable is a death-bed to those who have no well-grounded hope of good,
but dreadful apprehensions of evil, and nothing but evil for ever!
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
And he blessedJoseph. - In blessing his seedhe blesses himself. In exalting his
two sons into the rank and right of his brothers, he bestows upon them the
double portion of the first-born. In the terms of the blessing Jacobfirst

signalizes the threefold function which the Lord discharges in effecting the
salvationof a sinner. "The God before whom walkedmy fathers," is the
Author of salvation, the Judge who dispenses justice and mercy, the Father,
before whom the adopted and regenerate child walks. Fromhim salvation
comes, to him the savedreturns, to walk before him and be perfect. "The
God, who fed me from my being unto this day," is the Creatorand Upholder
of life, the Quickenerand Sanctifier, the potential Agent, who works both to
will and to do in the soul. "The Angel that redeemedme from all evil," is the
all-sufficient Friend, who wards off evil by himself satisfying the demands of
justice and resisting the devices of malice. There is a beautiful propriety of
feeling in Jacobascribing to his fathers the walking before God, while he
thankfully acknowledges the grace ofthe Quickenerand Justifier to himself.
The Angel is explicitly applied to the Supreme Being in this ministerial
function. The Godis the emphatic description of the true, living God, as
contradistinguishedfrom all false gods. "Blessthe lads." The word bless is in
the singular number. For Jacob's threefoldperiphrasis is intended to describe
the one God who wills, works, and wards. "And let my name be put upon
them." Let them be counted among my immediate sons, and let them be
related to Abraham and Isaac, as my other sons are. This is the only thing that
is specialin the blessing. "Letthem grow into a multitude." The word grow in
the originalrefers to the spawning or extraordinary increase ofthe finny
tribe. The after history of Ephraim and Menassehwill be found to correspond
with this specialprediction.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
13. Josephtook them both—The very act of pronouncing the blessing was
remarkable, showing that Jacob's bosomwas animatedby the spirit of
prophecy.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
The Angel; not surely a createdangel, but Christ Jesus, who is calledan
Angel, Exodus 23:20, and the Angel of the covenant, Malachi3:1, who was the
conductor of the Israelites in the wilderness, as plainly appears by comparing
of Exodus 23:20,21, with1 Corinthians 10:4,9. Add hereunto, that this Angel

is calledJacob’s Redeemer, whichis the title appropriated by God to himself,
Isaiah43:14 47:4, and that from all evil, and therefore from sin, from which
no createdangelcan deliver us, but Christ only, Matthew 1:21; and that
Jacobworshippeth and prayeth to this Angel no less than to God for the
blessing, and that without any note of distinction, the word bless being in the
singular number, and equally relating to God and to the Angel; and that the
Angel to whom he here ascribes his deliverances from all evil, must in all
reasonbe the same to whom he prayed for these very deliverances whichhe
here commemorates, andthat was no other than the very God of Abraham, as
is evident from Genesis 28:15,20,2132:9-11 35:3.
Let my name be named on them, i.e. let them be calledby my name, owned
for my immediate children, and invested with the same privileges with my
other children, be the heads of distinct tribes, and as such receive distinct
inheritances. And hence they are calledthe children of JacoborIsrael, no less
than the children of Joseph. Forthe phrase, see Deu28:10 2 Chronicles 7:14
Isaiah4:1 Jeremiah14:9.
And the name of my fathers;let them be called their children; let them not
only have my blessing, but the blessings of Abraham and Isaac;let all meet
togetherupon their heads; and let that gracious covenantofGod made with
Abraham, and confirmed with Isaac and me, be ratified and made goodunto
them.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Angel which redeemedme from all evil, bless the lads,.... Ephraim and
Manasseh, now abouttwenty years old or upwards: this is not to be
understood of a createdangelhe wishes to be their guardian, but of an eternal
one, the Son of God, the Angel of God's presence, the Angel of the covenant;
the same with the God of his father before mentioned, as appears by the
characterhe gives him, as having "redeemedhim from all evil"; not only
protectedand preserved him from temporal evils and imminent dangers from

Esau, Laban, and others;but had delivered him from the power, guilt, and
punishment of sin, the greatestofevils, and from the dominion and tyranny of
Satanthe evil one, and from everlasting wrath, ruin, and damnation; all
which none but a divine Personcoulddo, as well as he wishes, desires, and
prays, that he would "bless" the lads with blessings temporaland spiritual,
which a createdangelcannot do; and Jacobwould never have askedit of him:
and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham
and Isaac;having adopted them, he foretells they would be callednot only the
sons of Joseph, but the children of Israelor Jacob, andwould have a name
among the tribes of Israel, and be heads of them, as well as would be called
the seedof Abraham and of Isaac, and inherit their blessings:and let them
grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth; where they increasedas fishes,
as the word signifies (s), and more than any other of the tribes; even in the
times of Moses the number of them were 85,200men fit for war, Numbers
26:34;and their situation was in the middle of the land of Canaan.
(s) "et instar piscium sint", Pagninus, Montanus; so Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator, Ainsworth, and the Targum of Onkelos, andJarchi.
Geneva Study Bible
The {e} Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my {f}
name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
(e) This angel must be understood to be Christ, as in Ge 31:13,32:1.
(f) Let them be taken as my children.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
16. the angel]“The angel” is here indistinguishable from the “Godof Jacob.”
As in Genesis 16:7;Genesis 16:10;Genesis 16:13, it was the impersonation of
the Divine Being as an Angel, whom Jacobhad met and acknowledgedas his
God in the crises ofhis life, Genesis 28:12-16, Genesis 31:11;Genesis 31:13;
Genesis 31:24, Genesis32:1;Genesis 32:24-31. The reference here is to the
manifestation at Peniel(Genesis 32:30, where see note).
hath redeemedme] “To redeem” is to play the kinsman’s part, Leviticus
25:48-49;Ruth 3:13; Ruth 4:6. Jacobacknowledgesthat the manifestations of
the Angel had been the fulfilment of a Divine goodnessofpurpose towards
him. The idea of “redemption,” the deliverance by the Goêl, or kinsman-
Redeemer, is a favourite one in the religious teaching of the O.T., e.g. Psalm
103:4. Cf. Isaiah44:22-23;Isaiah49:7; Isaiah 63:9. Here the deliverance is
from calamity, as in 2 Samuel 4:9; 1 Kings 1:29. It is different from the more
common word for “redeem,” pâdah= “deliver,” “ransom,” e.g. in Psalm
25:22.
16. let my name be named on them] This is the formula of adoption according
to E, corresponding to that in Genesis 48:5 according to P. The meaning seems
to be, “let my name be given to them,” in other words, “let them be counted as
the children of Israel.”
grow into a multitude] Forthe fulfilment of the blessing, see the numbers of
the tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh, in Numbers 1:33; Numbers 1:35;
Numbers 26:34; Numbers 26:37. Compare Deuteronomy 33:17, “they are the
ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”
Keil and DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament
The Blessing ofEphraim and Manasseh. -Genesis 48:8. Jacobnow for the
first time caughtsight of Joseph's sons, who had come with him, and inquired

who they were;for "the eyes of Israelwere heavy (dim) with age, so that he
could not see well" (Genesis 48:10). The feeble old man, too, may not have
seenthe youths for some years, so that he did not recognise them again. On
Joseph's answering, "Mysons whom God hath given he mere," he replied,
"Bring them to me then (‫,)אנ־םחק‬ that I may bless them;" and he kissedand
embracedthem, when Josephhad brought them near, expressing his joy, that
whereas he never expectedto see Joseph's face again, Godhad permitted him
to see his seed. ‫האר‬ for ‫,האאר‬ like ‫וׂשא‬ (Genesis 31:28). ‫:וּלע‬ to decide;here, to
judge, to think.
STUDYLIGHTRESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
The Angel which redeemedme from all evil - . leoggah calammah‫רמעאך‬ ‫רגאע‬
The Messenger, the Redeemeror Kinsman; for so ‫עאג‬ goelsignifies;for this
term, in the law of Moses, is applied to that personwhose right it is, from his
being nearestakin, to redeem or purchase back a forfeited inheritance. But of
whom does Jacobspeak? We have often seen, in the preceding chapters, an
angelof God appearing to the patriarchs; (see particularly Genesis 16:7;
(note)) and we have full proof that this was no createdangel, but the
Messengerofthe Divine Council, the Lord Jesus Christ. Who then was the
angelthat redeemedJacob, and whom he invoked to bless Ephraim and
Manasseh?Is it not Jesus? He alone can be calledGoel, the redeeming
Kinsman; for he alone took part of our flesh and blood that the right of
redemption might be his; and that the forfeited possessionof the favor and
image of God might be redeemed, brought back, and restoredto all those who
believe in his name. To have invoked any other angelor messengerin such a
business would have been impiety. Angels bless not; to God alone this

prerogative belongs. With what confidence may a truly religious father use
these words in behalf of his children: "Jesus, the Christ, who hath redeemed
me, bless the lads, redeem them also, and save them unto eternal life!"
Let my name be named on them - "Let them be ever accountedas a part of
my ownfamily; let them be true Israelites - persons who shall prevail with
God as I have done; and the name of Abraham - being partakers of his faith;
and the name of Isaac - let them be as remarkable for submissive obedience as
he was. Let the virtues of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacobbe accumulated in them,
and invariably displayed by them!" These are the very words of adoption;
and by the imposition of hands, the invocation of the Redeemer, and the
solemn blessing pronounced, the adoption was completed. From this moment
Ephraim and Manassehhadthe same rights and privileges as Jacob's sons,
which as the sons of Josephthey could never have possessed.
And let them grow into a multitude - meht teL ;boral ugdiyev‫אידגא‬ ‫עהב‬
increase like fishes into a multitude. Fish are the most prolific of all animals;
see the instances produced on Genesis 1:20;(note). This prophetic blessing
was verified in a most remarkable manner; see Numbers 26:34, Numbers
26:37;Deuteronomy 33:17; Joshua 17:17. At one time the tribe of Ephraim
amounted to 40,500effective men, and that of Manassehto 52,700, amounting
in the whole to 93,200.
Copyright Statement
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Bibliography

Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on Genesis 48:16". "The Adam Clarke
Commentary". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/genesis-
48.html. 1832.
Return to Jump List return to 'Jump List'
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
as the word signifiesF19, and more than any other of the tribes; even in the

Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernisedand adapted
for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved,
Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard
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Bibliography
Gill, John. "Commentary on Genesis 48:16". "The New JohnGill Exposition
of the Entire Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/genesis-48.html. 1999.
Geneva Study Bible
The e Angel which redeemedme from all evil, bless the lads; and let my f
name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
(e) This angel must be understood to be Christ, as in (Genesis 31:13), (Genesis
32:1).
(f) Let them be taken as my children.
Copyright Statement
Text Courtesyof BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.

Bibliography
Beza, Theodore. "Commentaryon Genesis 48:16". "The 1599 Geneva Study
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/gsb/genesis-48.html.
1599-1645.
Wesley's ExplanatoryNotes
The Angel which redeemedme from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name
be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;and let
them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
The angelwho redeemedme from all evil — A great dealof hardship he had
known in his time, but God had graciouslykept him from the evil of his
troubles. Christ, the angel of the covenant is he that redeems us from all evil.
It becomes the servants of God, when they are old and dying, to witness for
our God that they have found him gracious. Josephhad placedhis children so,
as that Jacob's right-hand should be put on the head of Manassehthe eldest,
Genesis 48:12,13,but Jacobwould put it on the head of Ephraim the
youngest, Genesis 48:14. This displeasedJoseph, who was willing to support
the reputation of his first-born and would therefore have removed his father's
hands, Genesis 48:17,18, but Jacobgave him to understand that he knew what
he did, and that he did it neither by mistake nor in a humour, nor from a
partial affectionto one more than the other, but from a spirit of prophecy.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that
is available on the Christian ClassicsEtherealLibrary Website.

Bibliography
Wesley, John. "Commentary on Genesis 48:16". "JohnWesley's Explanatory
Notes on the Whole Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/wen/genesis-48.html. 1765.
Calvin's Commentary on the Bible
16.The Angel which redeemedme. He so joins the Angel to Godas to make
him his equal. Truly he offers him divine worship, and asks the same things
from him as from God. If this be understood indifferently of any angelwhat
ever, the sentence is absurd. Nay, rather, as Jacobhimself sustains the name
and characterofGod, in blessing his son, (191)he is superior, in this respect,
to the angels. Wherefore it is necessarythat Christ should be here meant, who
does not bear in vain the title of Angel, because he had become the perpetual
Mediator. And Paul testifies that he was the Leader and Guide of the journey
of his ancient people. (1 Corinthians 10:4.) He had not yet indeed been sent by
the Father, to approachmore nearly to us by taking our flesh, but because he
was always the bond of connectionbetweenGod and man, and because God
formally manifested himself in no other waythan through him, he is properly
calledthe Angel. To which may be added, that the faith of the fathers was
always fixed on his future mission. He was therefore the Angel, because even
then he poured forth his rays, that the saints might approach God, through
him, as Mediator. Forthere was always so wide a distance betweenGod and
men, that, without a mediator; there could be no communication. Nevertheless
though Christ appeared in the form of an angel, we must remember what the
Apostle says to the Hebrews, (Hebrews 2:16,) that “he took not on him the
nature of angels,” so as to become one of them, in the manner in which he
truly became man; for even when angels put on human bodies, they did not,
on that account, become men. Now since we are taught, in these words, that
the peculiar office of Christ is to defend us and to deliver us from all evil, let
us take heed not to bury this grace in impious oblivion: yea, seeing that now it
is more clearly exhibited to us, than formerly to the saints under the law, since

Christ openly declares that the faithful are committed to his care, that not one
of them might perish, (John 17:12,)so much the more ought it to flourish in
our hearts, both that it may be highly celebratedby us with suitable praise,
and that it may stir us up to seek this guardianship of our best Protector. And
this is exceedinglynecessaryfor us; for if we reflect how many dangers
surround us, that we scarcelypass a day without being delivered from a
thousand deaths; whence does this arise, exceptfrom that care which is taken
of us, by the Son of God, who has receivedus under his protection, from the
hand of his Father.
And let my name be named on them. This is a mark of the adoption before
mentioned: for he puts his name upon them, that they may obtain a place
among the patriarchs. Indeed the Hebrew phrase signifies nothing else than to
be reckonedamong the family of Jacob. Thus the name of the husband is said
to be calledupon the wife, (Isaiah 4:1,) because the wife borrows the name
from the head to which she is subject. So much the more ridiculous is the
ignorance of the Papists, who would prove hence that the dead are to be
invoked in prayers. Jacob, saythey, desired after his death to be invoked by
his posterity. What! that being prayed to, he might bring them succor;and
not — according to the plain intention of the speaker — that Ephraim and
Manassehmight be added to the societyofthe patriarchs, to constitute two
tribes of the holy people! Moreoverit is wonderful, that the Papists, leaving
under this pretext framed for themselves innumerable patrons, should have
passedover Abraham, Isaac, andJacob, as unworthy of the office. But the
Lord, by this brutish stupor, has avengedtheir impious profanation of his
name. What Jacobadds in the next clause, namely, that they should grow into
a multitude, (192)refers also to the same promise. The sum amounts to this,
that the Lord would complete in them, what he had promised to the
patriarchs.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Calvin, John. "Commentary on Genesis 48:16". "Calvin's Commentaryon
the Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cal/genesis-
48.html. 1840-57.
Scofield's ReferenceNotes
Angel (See Scofield"Hebrews 1:4")
redeemedHeb. goel, Redemp. (Kinsman type). Isaiah59:20 (See Scofield
"Isaiah59:20").
Copyright Statement
These files are consideredpublic domain and are a derivative of an electronic
edition that is available in the Online Bible Software Library.
Bibliography
Scofield, C. I. "ScofieldReferenceNoteson Genesis 48:16". "Scofield
Reference Notes(1917Edition)".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/srn/genesis-48.html. 1917.
John Trapp Complete Commentary

Genesis 48:16 The Angel which redeemedme from all evil, bless the lads; and
let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and
Isaac;and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
Ver. 16. The Angel which redeemedme.] Christ, the Angel of the Covenant,
the Mediatorof the New Testament, the Redeemer, the Lamb slain from the
beginning of the world. "Forwe were not redeemedwith silver and gold, but
with the blood of Christ, as of a lamb undefiled." [1 Peter1:19] Paul by that
"freedom" [Acts 22:28]escapedwhipping: we, by this, the pain of eternal
torment.
And let my name be named on them.] Lest any should think it to be some
prejudice to them that they were born in Egypt, and of an Egyptian mother,
he adopts them for his own.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Trapp, John. "Commentary on Genesis 48:16". JohnTrapp Complete
Commentary. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/genesis-
48.html. 1865-1868.
Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible

Genesis 48:16. The angelwhich redeemed me from all evil— See Gen16:17
and chap. Genesis 31:11. Itis to me evident, that this angel was Christ; 1st,
Becausethis same name is given to Christ in other places, andparticularly in
Malachi1:2 nd, Becausethe angelwho conducted the Israelites is called
Jehovah, Exodus 19:24 and, according to St. Paul, this angel was Christ, 1
Corinthians 4:9. And, 3rdly, Becausethe manner in which Josephspeaks of
him, which redeemedme from all evil, naturally refers to that title of
Redeemer, which God hath appropriated to himself, Psalms 19:14. Isaiah
43:14;Isaiah 47:4.
Let my name be named on them— i.e.. Let them be mine; I adopt them, and
will have them henceforth calledand esteemedthe children of Jacob. These
are words of adoption.
Grow into a multitude— How far this was verified, see Numbers 34:29. See
also Deuteronomy33:17. Joshua 17:17. It appears from the texts here referred
to, that there were in Moses'stime eighty-five thousand two hundred men of
war by these two sons of Joseph;a greaternumber than proceededfrom any
other son of Jacob.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Coke, Thomas. "Commentaryon Genesis 48:16".Thomas CokeCommentary
on the Holy Bible. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tcc/genesis-
48.html. 1801-1803.

Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
The Angel; not surely a createdangel, but Christ Jesus, who is calledan
Angel, Exodus 23:20, and the Angel of the covenant, Malachi3:1, who was the
conductor of the Israelites in the wilderness, as plainly appears by comparing
of Exodus 23:20,21, with1 Corinthians 10:4,9. Add hereunto, that this Angel
is calledJacob’s Redeemer, whichis the title appropriated by God to himself,
Isaiah43:14 47:4, and that from all evil, and therefore from sin, from which
no createdangelcan deliver us, but Christ only, Matthew 1:21; and that
Jacobworshippeth and prayeth to this Angel no less than to God for the
blessing, and that without any note of distinction, the word bless being in the
singular number, and equally relating to God and to the Angel; and that the
Angel to whom he here ascribes his deliverances from all evil, must in all
reasonbe the same to whom he prayed for these very deliverances whichhe
here commemorates, andthat was no other than the very God of Abraham, as
is evident from Genesis 28:15,20,2132:9-11 35:3.
Let my name be named on them, i.e. let them be calledby my name, owned
for my immediate children, and invested with the same privileges with my
other children, be the heads of distinct tribes, and as such receive distinct
inheritances. And hence they are calledthe children of JacoborIsrael, no less
than the children of Joseph. Forthe phrase, see Deuteronomy28:10 2
Chronicles 7:14 Isaiah4:1 Jeremiah14:9.
And the name of my fathers;let them be called their children; let them not
only have my blessing, but the blessings of Abraham and Isaac;let all meet
togetherupon their heads; and let that gracious covenantofGod made with
Abraham, and confirmed with Isaac and me, be ratified and made goodunto
them.

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Poole, Matthew, "Commentaryon Genesis 48:16". Matthew Poole'sEnglish
Annotations on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/genesis-48.html. 1685.
JosephBenson's Commentaryof the Old and New Testaments
Corinthians 10:4-9. Add to this, that this Angel is calledJacob’s Redeemer, a
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Benson, Joseph. "Commentaryon Genesis 48:16". JosephBenson's
Commentary. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/rbc/genesis-
48.html. 1857.
George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary
The angelguardian, who, by God's ordinance, has ever protectedme,
continue his kind attention towards these my grand-children. It is not
probably that he, who was calledGod before, should now be styled an angel,
as some Protestants would have us believe. (Haydock) --- St. Basil (contra
Eunom. iii.) and St. Chrysostom, with many others, allege this text, to prove
that an angelis given to man for the direction of his life, and to protect him
againstthe assaults ofthe rebel angels, as Calvin himself dares not deny. ---
Let my, &c. Let them partake of the blessings (promisedby name to me, to
Abraham, and to Isaac)among the other tribes; or, may God bless them, in
considerationof his servants. Moses obtainedpardon for the Hebrews, by
reminding God of these his chosenfriends, Exodus xxxii. (Worthington)
Copyright Statement
Bibliography

Haydock, George Leo. "Commentaryon Genesis 48:16". "GeorgeHaydock's
Catholic Bible Commentary".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hcc/genesis-48.html. 1859.
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
Note the three titles in verses:Genesis 48:15, Genesis 48:16.
The Angel = the creature form of the secondpersonas the messengerof
Jehovah(Elohim as consecratedby oath). This form not assumedfor the
occasion, but for permanent communion with His creatures (Genesis 3:8;
Genesis 15:1;Genesis 17:1;Genesis 18:1, Genesis 18:2;Genesis 28:13;Genesis
32:24, Genesis 32:30. Exodus 23:20, Exodus 23:21. Numbers 22:21. Joshua
5:13-15. Proverbs 8:22-31. Malachi3:1. Colossians 1:15. Revelation3:14).
redeemed. Hebrew. g"aal= to redeem (by payment of charge).
See note on Exodus 6:6.
grow = swarm as fishes. earth, or the land.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Bullinger, Ethelbert William. "Commentary on Genesis 48:16". "E.W.
Bullinger's Companion bible Notes".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bul/genesis-48.html. 1909-
1922.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged
The Angel which redeemedme from all evil. Jacobdeclares (Genesis48:3)
that this Angel was God Almighty (cf. Genesis 31:11;Genesis 31:13;Genesis
32:30;Genesis 35:1;Genesis 35:7;Genesis 35:11;Hosea 12:3-5)- the God of
his fathers and the Godof his own personalexperience. The name is thrice
repeatedin Genesis 48:15-16.'The analogyof the three-fold blessing of Aaron
(Numbers 6:24-26)would lead us to expect that the name of God should be
three times mentioned. No createdangelcould in this manner be placedby the
side of God, or be introduced as being independent of, and coordinate with,
Him. Such an angelcan only be meant as is connectedwith God by oneness of
nature, and whose activity is implied in that of God. The singular [ y
Copyright Statement
Bibliography

Jamieson, Robert, D.D.;Fausset,A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on
Genesis 48:16"."CommentaryCritical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -
Unabridged". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfu/genesis-
48.html. 1871-8.
Treasuryof Scripture Knowledge
Angel
16:7-13;28:15;31:11-13;Exodus 3:2-6; 23:20,21;Judges 2:1-4; 6:21-24;
Judges 13:21,22;Psalms 34:7,22;121:7;Isaiah 47:4; 63:9; Hosea 12:4,5;
Malachi3:1; Acts 7:30-35;1 Corinthians 10:4,9
redeemed
Psalms 34:2; Matthew 6:13; John 17:15; Romans 8:23; 2 Timothy 4:18; Titus
2:14
my name
5; 32:28; Deuteronomy28:10; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Jeremiah14:9; Amos 9:12;
Acts 15:17
grow into
Heb. as fishes do increase.
1:21,22;Numbers 1:46; 26:34,37;Fish are the most prolific of all animals: a
tench lays 1,000;eggs, a carp20,000, andLeuwenhoek countedin a middling
sized cod, 9,384,000.
a multitude
49:22;Exodus 1:7; Numbers 26:28-37;Deuteronomy33:17; Joshua 17:17

PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
JOSEPHBENSON
Verse 16
Corinthians 10:4-9. Add to this, that this Angel is calledJacob’s Redeemer, a
ADAM CLARKE
Verse 16
The Angel which redeemedme from all evil - ‫רמעאך‬ ‫רגאע‬ hammalac haggoel.
The Messenger, the Redeemeror Kinsman; for so ‫עאג‬ goelsignifies;for this

term, in the law of Moses, is applied to that personwhose right it is, from his
being nearestakin, to redeem or purchase back a forfeited inheritance. But of
whom does Jacobspeak? We have often seen, in the preceding chapters, an
angelof God appearing to the patriarchs; (see particularly Genesis 16:7;
(note)) and we have full proof that this was no createdangel, but the
Messengerofthe Divine Council, the Lord Jesus Christ. Who then was the
angelthat redeemedJacob, and whom he invoked to bless Ephraim and
Manasseh?Is it not Jesus? He alone can be calledGoel, the redeeming
Kinsman; for he alone took part of our flesh and blood that the right of
redemption might be his; and that the forfeited possessionof the favor and
image of God might be redeemed, brought back, and restoredto all those who
believe in his name. To have invoked any other angelor messengerin such a
business would have been impiety. Angels bless not; to God alone this
prerogative belongs. With what confidence may a truly religious father use
these words in behalf of his children: "Jesus, the Christ, who hath redeemed
me, bless the lads, redeem them also, and save them unto eternal life!"
Let my name be named on them - "Let them be ever accountedas a part of
my ownfamily; let them be true Israelites - persons who shall prevail with
God as I have done; and the name of Abraham - being partakers of his faith;
and the name of Isaac - let them be as remarkable for submissive obedience as
he was. Let the virtues of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacobbe accumulated in them,
and invariably displayed by them!" These are the very words of adoption;
and by the imposition of hands, the invocation of the Redeemer, and the
solemn blessing pronounced, the adoption was completed. From this moment
Ephraim and Manassehhadthe same rights and privileges as Jacob's sons,
which as the sons of Josephthey could never have possessed.
And let them grow into a multitude - meht teL ;boral ugdiyev‫אידגא‬ ‫עהב‬
increase like fishes into a multitude. Fish are the most prolific of all animals;
see the instances produced on Genesis 1:20;(note). This prophetic blessing
was verified in a most remarkable manner; see Numbers 26:34, Numbers

26:37;Deuteronomy 33:17; Joshua 17:17. At one time the tribe of Ephraim
amounted to 40,500effective men, and that of Manassehto 52,700, amounting
in the whole to 93,200.
CALVIN
Verse 16
16.The Angel which redeemedme. He so joins the Angel to Godas to make
him his equal. Truly he offers him divine worship, and asks the same things
from him as from God. If this be understood indifferently of any angelwhat
ever, the sentence is absurd. Nay, rather, as Jacobhimself sustains the name
and characterofGod, in blessing his son, (191)he is superior, in this respect,
to the angels. Wherefore it is necessarythat Christ should be here meant, who
does not bear in vain the title of Angel, because he had become the perpetual
Mediator. And Paul testifies that he was the Leader and Guide of the journey
of his ancient people. (1 Corinthians 10:4.) He had not yet indeed been sent by
the Father, to approachmore nearly to us by taking our flesh, but because he
was always the bond of connectionbetweenGod and man, and because God
formally manifested himself in no other waythan through him, he is properly
calledthe Angel. To which may be added, that the faith of the fathers was
always fixed on his future mission. He was therefore the Angel, because even
then he poured forth his rays, that the saints might approach God, through
him, as Mediator. Forthere was always so wide a distance betweenGod and
men, that, without a mediator; there could be no communication. Nevertheless
though Christ appeared in the form of an angel, we must remember what the
Apostle says to the Hebrews, (Hebrews 2:16,) that “he took not on him the
nature of angels,” so as to become one of them, in the manner in which he
truly became man; for even when angels put on human bodies, they did not,
on that account, become men. Now since we are taught, in these words, that
the peculiar office of Christ is to defend us and to deliver us from all evil, let

us take heed not to bury this grace in impious oblivion: yea, seeing that now it
is more clearly exhibited to us, than formerly to the saints under the law, since
Christ openly declares that the faithful are committed to his care, that not one
of them might perish, (John 17:12,)so much the more ought it to flourish in
our hearts, both that it may be highly celebratedby us with suitable praise,
and that it may stir us up to seek this guardianship of our best Protector. And
this is exceedinglynecessaryfor us; for if we reflect how many dangers
surround us, that we scarcelypass a day without being delivered from a
thousand deaths; whence does this arise, exceptfrom that care which is taken
of us, by the Son of God, who has receivedus under his protection, from the
hand of his Father.
And let my name be named on them. This is a mark of the adoption before
mentioned: for he puts his name upon them, that they may obtain a place
among the patriarchs. Indeed the Hebrew phrase signifies nothing else than to
be reckonedamong the family of Jacob. Thus the name of the husband is said
to be calledupon the wife, (Isaiah 4:1,) because the wife borrows the name
from the head to which she is subject. So much the more ridiculous is the
ignorance of the Papists, who would prove hence that the dead are to be
invoked in prayers. Jacob, saythey, desired after his death to be invoked by
his posterity. What! that being prayed to, he might bring them succor;and
not — according to the plain intention of the speaker — that Ephraim and
Manassehmight be added to the societyofthe patriarchs, to constitute two
tribes of the holy people! Moreoverit is wonderful, that the Papists, leaving
under this pretext framed for themselves innumerable patrons, should have
passedover Abraham, Isaac, andJacob, as unworthy of the office. But the
Lord, by this brutish stupor, has avengedtheir impious profanation of his
name. What Jacobadds in the next clause, namely, that they should grow into
a multitude, (192)refers also to the same promise. The sum amounts to this,
that the Lord would complete in them, what he had promised to the
patriarchs.

THOMAS COKE
Verse 16
Genesis 48:16. The angelwhich redeemed me from all evil— See Gen16:17
and chap. Genesis 31:11. Itis to me evident, that this angel was Christ; 1st,
Becausethis same name is given to Christ in other places, andparticularly in
Malachi1:2 nd, Becausethe angelwho conducted the Israelites is called
Jehovah, Exodus 19:24 and, according to St. Paul, this angel was Christ, 1
Corinthians 4:9. And, 3rdly, Becausethe manner in which Josephspeaks of
him, which redeemedme from all evil, naturally refers to that title of
Redeemer, which God hath appropriated to himself, Psalms 19:14. Isaiah
43:14;Isaiah 47:4.
Let my name be named on them— i.e.. Let them be mine; I adopt them, and
will have them henceforth calledand esteemedthe children of Jacob. These
are words of adoption.
Grow into a multitude— How far this was verified, see Numbers 34:29. See
also Deuteronomy33:17. Joshua 17:17. It appears from the texts here referred
to, that there were in Moses'stime eighty-five thousand two hundred men of
war by these two sons of Joseph;a greaternumber than proceededfrom any
other son of Jacob.
STEVEN COLE
TELL THEM OF GOD’S GREAT SALVATION.

Jacobcalls God, “The angelwho has redeemedme from all evil” (48:16). He
was probably thinking primarily of his experience at Mahanaim, when the
angels campedaround him to protect him from Laban, and then when the
angelwrestledwith him at Peniel just prior to his feared reunion with Esau.
He here equates this angelwith God. I believe the angelof God is the Lord
Jesus Christ. The word “redeemed” is a specialHebrew word that was used of
a near relative who had the means of helping a poor relative out of bondage. If
the poor relative had to sell part of his property or even sell himself into
servitude in order to survive, the redeemercould buy back that relative’s
property or the relative himself, thus restoring his freedom (Lev. 25:25 ff., 47
ff.).
That’s a beautiful picture of what God did for us in Christ. We were enslaved
to sin with no way to free ourselves. The price was more than we could ever
afford. But God sent our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and
paid the price with His own blood. It’s a story that you need to tell your
children and grandchildren over and over. They need to know that you once
were lost in sin, but that Christ has savedyou. They need to know that they
need Christ as their Redeemer.

THE ANGEL WHO REDEEMS
Jacobbefore he dies, in giving a blessing to Joseph, uses the names “God” and
“the Angel” interchangeably. In addition he identifies the "Angel" as the One
Who has redeemedhim from all evil, a transactionthat would not be plausible
for a createdangel.
Genesis 48:15 He blessedJoseph, andsaid, "The God before Whom my
fathers Abraham and Isaac walked. The GodWho has been my shepherd
(Hebrew verb means to care for, protect, graze and to feedflocks)all my life
to this day. 16 (Jacobcontinues describing "God")The Angel Who has
redeemed(Goel [word study] Hebrew = ga'alwhich is a verb meaning to
redeem, the first use in the OT. Ga'al{Goel} means to act as one's kinsman-
redeemer, to be a savior. The LXX translates ga'alwith the Greek verb
rhuomai - see word study; see also use of rhuomai to describe deliverance by
Jesus in study on 1Th 1:10-note); me from all evil. Bless the lads and may my
name live on in them, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac and
may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. (Comment: Ro
11:26-See notes onRo 11:26 for more on rhuomai describing Israel's
Deliverer.)
The Amplified Version renders Genesis 48:16 as follows...

The redeeming** Angel [that is, the Angel the Redeemer—nota createdbeing
but the Lord Himself] Who has redeemed me continually from every evil,
bless the lads! And let my name be perpetuated in them [may they be worthy
of having their names coupled with mine], and the names of my fathers
Abraham and Isaac;and let them become a multitude in the midst of the
earth." (Comment: **Footnotein Amplified = "The “Angel of the Lord” is
here identified as Christ Himself.")
In his commentary Adam Clarke writes that in this verse
we have full proof that this was no createdangel, but the Messengerofthe
Divine Council, the Lord Jesus Christ. Who then was the angelthat redeemed
Jacob, and Whom he invoked to bless Ephraim and Manasseh?Is it not
Jesus? He alone can be called Goel(Hebrew word for "redeemed" is ga'al
=Goel[word study]), the redeeming Kinsman; for He alone took part of our
flesh and blood that the right of redemption might be His; and that the
forfeited possessionofthe favour and image of Godmight be redeemed,
brought back, and restoredto all those who believe in His name. To have
invoked any other angelor messengerin such a business would have been
impiety. Angels bless not; to God Alone this prerogative belongs. With what
confidence may a truly religious father use these words in behalf of his
children: "Jesus, the Christ, Who hath redeemed me, bless the lads, redeem
them also, and save them unto eternal life!" (Clarke, A.. Clarke's
Commentary: Genesis)
John MacArthur echoes Clarke'scomments noting that
This is the first mention of God as Redeemer, Deliverer, orSavior. (The
MacArthur Study Bible. Nashville: Word Pub)

Henry Morris comments on Genesis 48:16 adding that...
the word “redeem” (Hebrew goel)is used here for the first time in the Bible,
and it is significant that it occurs as a description of the work of the great
Angel of Jehovah, none other than the preincarnate Christ. The God of his
fathers had surely provided for Jacoband protectedhim marvelously through
the years, just as He had promised when He first spoke to him (Genesis
28:15); and Jacobknew he could callon Him in faith to bless his sons,
specificallythose two on whose heads his hands rested, in the same ways. He
then prayed especiallythat God would let “my name be named on them” that
is, Jacob’s character, forwhich his name stood and also let them “grow into a
multitude” in the midst of the land. (Henry Morris. Genesis Record)
JOHN GILL
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John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
Genesis 48
Genesis 47

Genesis Genesis 49
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Introduction
INTRODUCTIONTO GENESIS 48
Joseph, hearing that his father Jacobwas sick, paid him a visit, Genesis 49:1;
at which time Jacobgave him an accountof the Lord's appearing to him at
Luz, and of the promise he made unto him, Genesis 49:3;then he adopted his
two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, andblessedthem, and Josephalso, Genesis
49:5; and whereas he crossedhis hands when he blessedthe sons of Joseph,
putting his right hand on the youngest, and his left hand on the eldest, which
was displeasing to Joseph, he gave him a reasonfor so doing, Genesis 49:17;
and then assuredhim that God would bring him, and the restof his posterity,
into the land of Canaan, where he assignedhim a particular portion above his
brethren, Genesis 49:21.
Verse 1
And it came to pass after these things,.... Some little time after Jacobhad sent
for Joseph, and conversedwith him about his burial in the land of Canaan,
and took an oath to bury him there, for then the time drew nigh that he must
die:

that one told Joseph, behold, thy father is sick;he was very infirm when he
was lastwith him, and his natural strength decaying apace, by which he knew
his end was near; but now he was seizedwith a sickness whichthreatenedhim
with death speedily, and therefore very probably dispatched a messengerto
acquaint Josephwith it. Jarchifancies that Ephraim, the son of Joseph, lived
with Jacobin the land of Goshen, and when he was sick went and told his
father of it, but this is not likely from what follows:
and he took with him his two sons, Manassehand Ephraim; to see their
grandfather before he died, to hear his dying words, and receive his blessing.
Verse 2
And one told Jacob,....The same that came from Jacobto Josephmight be
sent back by him to, his father, to let him know that he was coming to see him,
or some other messengersenton purpose; for it can hardly be thought that
this was an accidentalthing on either side:
and said, behold, thy son Josephcomethunto thee; to pay him a visit, and
which no doubt gave him a pleasure, he being his beloved son, as well as he
was greatand honourable:
and Israelstrengthened himself, and satupon his bed; his spirits revived, his
strength renewed, he got fresh vigour on hearing his son Josephwas coming;
and he exerted all his strength, and raised himself up by the help of his staff,
and satupon his bed to receive his son's visit; for now it was when he blessed
the sons of Joseph, that he leaned upon the top of his staff and worshipped, as
the apostle says, Hebrews 11:21.
Verse 3

And Jacobsaidunto Joseph,....Being come into his bedchamber, and sitting
by him, or standing before him:
God Almighty appeared unto at Luz in the land of Canaan;the same with
Bethel, where Godappeared, both at his going to Padanaram, and at his
return from thence, Genesis 28:11;which of those times is here referred to is
not certain; very likely he refers to them both, since the same promises were
made to him at both times, as after mentioned:
and blessedme; promised he would bless him, both with temporal and
spiritual blessings, as he did as follows.
Verse 4
And said unto me, behold, I will make thee fruitful,.... In a spiritual sense, in
grace and goodworks;in a literal sense, in an increase ofworldly substance,
and especiallyofchildren:
and multiply thee; make his posterity numerous as the sand of the sea:
and I will make of thee a multitude of people; a large nation, consisting of
many tribes, even a company of nations, as the twelve tribes of Israelwere:
and I will give this land unto thy seedafterthee, for an everlasting possession;
the land of Canaan, they were to possess as long as they were the people of
God, and obedient to his law; by which obedience they held the land, even
unto the coming of the Messiah, whomthey rejected, and then they were cast
out, and a "Loammi" (i.e. not my people, Hosea 1:9) written upon them, and
their civil polity, as well as church state, at an end: and besides, Canaanwas a

type of the eternalinheritance of the saints in heaven, the spiritual Israelof
God, which will be possessedby them to all eternity.
Verse 5
And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh,.... Ephraim was the youngest,
but is mentioned first, as he afterwards was preferred in the blessing of him:
which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt, before I came unto thee into
Egypt; and therefore must be twenty years of age, or upwards: for Jacobhad
been in Egypt seventeenyears, and he came there when there had been two
years of famine, and Joseph's sons were born to him before the years of
famine began, Genesis 41:50;of these Jacobsays, they
are mine: as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine; that is, by adoption;
should be reckonednot as his grandchildren, but as his children, even as his
two eldestsons, Reuben and Simeon; and so should be distinct tribes or heads
of them, as his sons would be, and have a distinct part and portion in the land
of Canaan;and thus the birthright was transferred from Reuben, because of
his incest, to Joseph, who in his posterity had a double portion assignedhim.
Verse 6
And thy issue, which thou begettestafterthem, shall be thine,.... The children
of Joseph, that either were, or would be begottenafter Ephraim and
Manasseh;though whether everany were is not certain; and this is only
mentioned by way of supposition, as Jarchi interprets it, "if thou shouldest
beget", &c. these should be reckonedhis own, and not as Jacob's sons,but be
consideredas other grandchildren of Jacob's were, and not as Ephraim and
Manasseh:

and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance; they
should not have distinct names, or make distinct tribes, or have a distinct
inheritance; but should be calledeither the children of Ephraim, or the
children of Manasseh, andshould be reckonedas belonging either to the one
tribe, or the other, and have their inheritance in them, and with them, and not
separate.
Verse 7
And as for me, when I came from Padan,.... FromSyria, from Laban's house:
Racheldied by me in the land of Canaan; his beloved wife, the mother of
Joseph, on whose accounthe mentions her, and to show a reasonwhy he took
his sons as his own, because his mother dying so soon, he could have no more
children by her; and she being his only lawful wife, Josephwas of right to be
reckonedas the firstborn; and that as such he might have the double portion,
he took his two sons as his own, and put them upon a levelwith them, even
with Reuben and Simeon. By this it appears, as by the preceding account, that
Rachelcame with him into the land of Canaan, and there died:
in the way, when yet there was but a little wayto come unto Ephrath; about a
mile, or two thousand cubits, as Jarchi observes:
and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; where she died, and dying in
childbed, could not be kept so long as to carry her to Machpelah, the burying
place of his ancestors;and especiallyas he had his flocks and herds with him,
which could move but slowly;and what might make it more difficult to keep
her long, and carry her thither, it might be, as Ben Melechconjectures,
summertime; and the Vulgate Latin adds to the text, without any warrant
from the original, "and it was springtime"; however, she was buried in the

land of Canaan, and which is takennotice of, that Josephmight observe it: it
follows:
the same is Bethlehem; that is, Ephrath; and so Bethlehem is calledBethlehem
Ephratah, Micah 5:2; whether these are the words of Jacob, or of Moses,is
not certain, but saidwith a view to the Messiah, the famous seedof Jacobthat
should be born there, and was.
Verse 8
And Israelbeheld Joseph's sons,.... Ephraim and Manasseh, ofwhom he had
been speaking as if they were absent, and he might not know until now that
they were present, for his eyes were dim that he could not see clearly, Genesis
49:10;he saw two young men standing by Joseph, but knew not who they
were, and therefore askedthe following question:
and said, who are these? whose sons are they? the Targum of Jonathan is,"of
whom were these born to thee?'as if he knew them to be his sons, only
inquired who the mother of them was;but the answershows he knew them
not to be his sons, and as for his wife, he could not be ignorant who she was.
Verse 9
And Josephsaidunto his father, they are my sons, whom God hath given me
in this place,.... In the land of Egypt; he accounts his sons as the gifts of God,
as children are, Psalm127:3;and it was not only a sentiment of the Jews, that
children are the gift of God; hence the names of Mattaniah, Nathaniel, &c.
but of Heathens, as the Greeks andRomans, among whom are frequent the
names of men which show it, as Theodorus, Deodatus, Apollodorus,
Artemidorus, &c.

and he said, bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them; not in a
common way, barely wishing them prosperity and happiness, but as a
patriarch and prophet, under the influence and inspiration of the Spirit of
God, declaring what would befall them, and what blessings they should be
partakers of, in time to come.
Verse 10
Now the eyes of Israelwere dim for age,.... Or"heavy"F16, thathe could not
lift them up easilyand see clearly;his eyebrows hung over, his eyes were sunk
in his head, and the humours pressedthem through old age, that it was with
difficulty he could perceive an object, at leastnot distinctly:
so that he could not see;very plainly, otherwise he did see the sons of Joseph,
though he could not discern who they were, Genesis 49:8,
and he brought them near unto him; that he might have a better sight of them
and bless them:
and he kissedthem, and embraced them: as a token of his affectionfor them.
Verse 11
And Israelsaid unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face,.... Some years
ago he never expectedto have seen him any more; he had given him up for
lost, as a dead man, when his sons brought him his coatdipped in blood; and
by reasonof the long course ofyears which passedbefore ever he heard
anything of him:

and, lo, God hath showedme also thy seed;it was an additional favour to see
his offspring; it can hardly be thought, that in a course of seventeenyears he
had been in Egypt, he had not seenthem before, only he takes this
opportunity, which was the lasthe should have of expressing his pleasure on
this occasion.
Verse 12
And Josephbrought them out from betweenhis knees,.... Eitherfrom between
his own, where they were kneeling, as he was sitting, in order that they might
be nearer his father, to receive his blessing by the putting on of his hands; or
rather from betweenhis father's knees, he, as Aben Ezra observes, sitting on
the bed, having kissedand embracedthem, they were still betweenhis knees;
and that they might not be burdensome to his agedfather, leaning on his
breast, and especially, in order to put them in a proper position for his
benediction, he took them from thence, and placed them over againsthim to
his right and left hand:
and he bowed himself with his face to the earth; in a civil way to his father,
and in reverence of him; in a religious way to God, expressing his
thankfulness for all favours to him and his, and as supplicating a blessing for
his sons through his father, under a divine influence and direction.
Verse 13
And Josephtook them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left
hand,.... He took Ephraim his youngestson in his right hand, and led him up
to his father, by which means he would stand in a right position to have his
grandfather's left hand put upon him:

and Manassehin his left hand toward Israel's right hand; Manassehhis eldest
son he took in his left hand, and brought him to his father, and so was in a
proper position to have his right hand laid upon him, as seniority of birth
required, and as he was desirous should be the case:
and brought them near unto him; in the above manner, so near as that he
could lay his hands on them.
Verse 14
And Israelstretched out his right hand,.... Not directly forward, but across, or
otherwise it would have been laid on Manasseh, as Josephdesignedit should
by the position he placed him in:
and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, the right hand being
the strongestand most in use, as it was reckonedmosthonourable to sit at it,
so to have it imposed, as being significative of the greaterblessing:
and his left hand upon Manasseh's head;who was the older:
guiding his hands wittingly; this was not done accidentally, but on purpose: or
made his "hands to understand"F17, they actedas if they understood what he
would have done, as Aben Ezra; as if they were conscious ofwhat should be,
or would be; though he could not see clearlyand distinctly, yet he knew, by
the position of them before him, which was the elder and which was the
younger: he knew that Josephwould setthe firstborn in such a position before
him as naturally to put his right hand on him, and the younger in such a
position as that it would be readiestfor him to put his left hand on him; and
therefore, being under a divine impulse and spirit of prophecy, by which he
discernedthat the younger was to have the greaterblessing, he crossedhis

bands, or changedthem, and put his right hand on Ephraim, and his left hand
on Manasseh:
for Manassehwas the firstborn; or rather, thoughF18 he was the firstborn, as
Aben Ezra.
Verse 15
And he blessedJoseph,....In his sons who were reckonedfor him, and became
the heads of tribes in his room:
and said, God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk; in
whom they believed, whom they professed, and whom they feared, served, and
worshipped, and with whom they had communion:
the Godwhich fed me all my long unto this day; who had upheld him in life,
provided for him all the necessaries oflife, food and raiment, and had
followedhim with his goodness eversince he had a being, and had fed him as
the greatshepherd of the flock, both with temporal and spiritual food, being
the Godof his life, and of his mercies in every sense.
Verse 16

as the word signifiesF19, and more than any other of the tribes; even in the
H. C. LEUPOLD
15, 16. And he blessedJosephand said:
The God before whom my fathers walked—Abrahamand Isaac,
The God who shepherds me from of old to this day,
The Angel that redeems me from all evil—may

He bless the lads;
And may my name be named upon them and
the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac;
And may they multiply exceedinglyin the midst of the land.
2.1153This arrangementshows that Jacob’s blessing is really poeticalin form
according to the Hebrew law of poetic parallelism. Quite properly it is said
that "he blessedJoseph,"for in blessing the sons he blessedand purposed to
bless the father. The Greek Septuagint, as usual, removes the difficulty by a
textual change and says "them" for "Joseph." The noun ’Elohîm with the
article means "the true God." The blessing begins rather majesticallywith a
threefold address to God, which we may well regardas designed by the Spirit
of inspiration, whether Jacobatthe time fully realized this import or not. For
Jacobhere spoke as a prophet, and not always was the fullest meaning of the
prophetic word entirely apparent to the mouthpiece Godemployed (though
by this we in no wise imply mechanicalinspiration). The first reference is to
the Father;the last is to the Son, the Redeemer;the seconddoes not
specificallyrefer to the Holy Spirit, though in a sense He may be saidto
shepherd God’s children.
When Jacobdescribes the true Godas the one before whom his "father
walked," he suggests the necessityofknowing the true God according to the
true tradition that the fathers, Abraham and Isaac, possessedconcerning
Him. He knows God as one whom his fathers knew intimately and whose
religion was a vital, living issue with them. This word testifies to a type of

godly life that was deeply sincere. In thinking of the fathers he recalls how the
preceding generations hadalready stoodunder God’s gracious blessing.
Then he describes Godas ro’eh, "the one shepherding," the participle
expressing continuity: Godstill shepherds. Himself a shepherd, Jacobwell
understood what a measure of tender care the figure involved. In this case
Jacobcould welltestify that this care had extended "from of old to this day."
This 2.1154is the first of those frequent references to the Divine Shepherd (Ps.
23:1; 80:1; Isa. 40:11; John 10:11;Heb. 13:20;1 Pet. 2:25, etc.). The A.V.
blurs this thought by rendering "fed." Without a doubt, the third reference is
also to God, for it is in strict parallelism with the preceding two and ascribes a
truly divine work to the Angel, namely the work of redeeming from all evil.
Consequently this is a reference to the divine Angel of the Lord or Angel of
Yahweh, whom we alreadymet with 22:11, and who was there already
discoveredto be more than a createdangel. See the remarks on that passage.
Cf. also 16:11. Forthe Son is God’s messengerorAngel, sent to deliver man.
Here againthe participle is used, go’el, "the Redeeming One," i. e., one who
still redeems or continually redeems. After an experience of a lifetime marked
by many a deliverance Jacobwellknew how often He had been delivered.
In this case there is no need of specifying wherein the blessing upon "the lads"
(ne’arîm —"young men") is to consist. "MayHe bless the lads" covers the
case, forit involves that He is to continue to manifest the same care, first
suffering them to walk before Him; secondly, shepherding them
uninterruptedly; thirdly, redeeming them also from all evil. Yet the three
mentioned are one, as the singular verb "may He bless" (yebharekh)
indicates. In the statement"may my name be named upon them" the term
"name" (shem) signifies "character";i. e., may my and my father’s character
find expressionin them, or: may they express the true patriarchal character
and be conscious ofwhat deeperresponsibilities are involved. The blessing
concludes with a thought that was vital in those days of small beginnings:
"may they multiply exceedingly(Hebrew: larobh ＝ "to a multitude") in the

midst of the land" —beqérebh ha’árets involves 2.1155holding secure
possessionofthe land and not only holding the fringes of it.
In this blessing not only did the Spirit of God speak through the venerable old
patriarch, but he himself on his part gave proof of a strong and cheerful faith:
Such words were an effective benediction and much more than a pious wish.
THE BASIC PURPOSE OF THE BIBLE
Dr. W. A. Criswell
Genesis 48:15, 16
9-11-74 7:30 p.m.
The title of the course of study is "The Bible, God’s Book ofRedemption." It
is a theme that I preached on one time, beginning at 7:30 o’clock in the
evening and preaching until past midnight. And the title of that sermon was
The ScarletThreadThrough the Bible. As you know, all through the

Scriptures there is a theme that ties it together, and that is the title of the first
lecture, The Basic Purpose of the Bible. It is briefly, summarily, succinctly
this; the purpose of the Bible is to unfold God’s plan for our deliverance, our
salvation, our redemption.
I hold in my hand this Holy Book. Itis not a book of history, though you will
find page after page after page of history in the Bible. But it is not a book of
history as such, nor does it purport to tell the story of the human race as such.
The Bible will pass over millions of years with a verse, with a reference, and
spend chapters and chapters discussing one man.
The Bible has no interest as such in cosmogony, oranthropology, or
astronomy, or physics, or chemistry, or sociology, orpsychology, or any other
scientific study. The only referencesthat are evermade to any of the subjects
of our learning and scientific inquiry are incidental and only are mentioned
then in subservience to some greatmoral revelation.
So, when I hold the Book in my hand I may read references to astronomy,
references to cosmogony, referencesto anthropology, once in a while a
reference to a scientific discoverythat’s known to us just now, but God spoke
of it thousands of years ago, but all of that is incidental.
I hold in my hand a Book telling us how we can be saved, how we canbe
delivered from our sins, how we can face Godsomedayand live. That is the
greatbasic purpose of the Bible. Now, the purport and the summation of this
lecture is to present that to us tonight.
The idea of redemption is inwoven into all of the Scripture, all of it, just like
you’d find a pattern wovenin the background of a damascene cloth.

Whateverthe thread on top of it or whatever the cut or the use of it, that
configuration is woveninto the cloth itself. That is exactly what it is in the
Bible. Inwoven in it, throughout the Bible, is the idea and the very word of
redemption. Whatever the turn of history, whether it be tragedy, whether it
be judgment, whether there’s sorrow or gladness, whetherthey’re singing or
weeping, whether they’re crying or rejoicing, no matter what, that idea of
redemption is found throughout the Word of the Lord.
Now I have takentime to write out some of these passages, andthe reasonI
wrote them out is for us to have time to present the messagetonight. I have
gone through the Bible and have pickedout from the beginning of it to the end
of it this redemptive message, andthese are just typical, to show how from the
beginning to the ending that idea and that word of redemption is presentedin
the Holy Scriptures.
In the first book, the forty-eighth chapter, the fifteenth and sixteenth verses,
"And Israel blessedJoseph, andsaid, God, before whom my fathers Abraham
and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the
Angel which redeemedme from all evil, bless thee and thy children" [Genesis
48:15-16].
In Exodus 6:5-7, the Lord says to Moses onthe backside of the desert,
I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel,.
Wherefore sayunto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you
out from under the bondage of the Egyptians, and I will redeem you with a
stretchedout arm. . .

And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you the Lord your
God.
Going on, in Leviticus, the next book, Leviticus 27:30-31, "The tithe of the
land. . . is holy unto the Lord, and if a man will at all redeem aught of his
tithes," he’s going to buy some of it back. Here is a tithe of a flock, and he
wants to keepit, say, for breeding purposes. "If he will redeemit, if he will
buy it to himself, if he will redeemaught of his tithes, he shall add thereunto
the fifth part thereof" [Leviticus 27:30-31]. If what he wanted for breeding
stock costs,say, one hundred dollars, he was to add a fifth part to it, be one
hundred twenty dollars that he’d bring to the Lord, if he would redeem the
tithe.
In Deuteronomy 7:8, "Becausethe Lord," this is one of the greatorations of
Moses to his people, "Becausethe Lord loved you, and because He would keep
the oath which He had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you
out with a mighty hand, and redeemedyou out of the house of bondage,Thou
shalt remember that thou wasta bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord
thy God redeemedthee," said Moses inDeuteronomy 15:15.
In Ruth 4:6 the whole turn of the story is how Boazredeemedthe lost
inheritance of Elimelech. In Ruth 4:6, "And the kinsman said, I cannot
redeem it for myself, lestI mar mine inheritance: redeem thou my right to
thyself; for I cannot redeem it.’"
Now, in 2 Samuel 7:20-23,

And what can David say more unto Thee. . .
Thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like Thee. . .
And what one nation in the earth is like Thy people, even like Israel, whom
God went to redeem for a people to Himself. . .which Thou redeemestto Thee
from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?
In Nehemiah 5:8, "And I said unto them," said Nehemiah, "’We after our
ability have redeemedour brethren the Jews, which were soldunto the
heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren?’" In Job19:25-26, "ForI know
that my Redeemerliveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the
earth: And though worms through my skin destroy my body, yet in my flesh
shall I see God."
Psalm19:14, now, we are just going through the Bible, Psalm 19:14, "Let the
words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart; be acceptable in Thy
sight, O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer." Psalm25:22, "Redeem
Israel, O God, out of all of its troubles." Psalm44:26, "Arise for our help,
and redeem us for Thy mercies’sake." Psalm:6, 7, 9, 15:
They that trust in their wealth;
None of them canby any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom
for him:

That he should still live forever, and not see corruption.
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for He shall receive
me.
Psalm74:2, "RememberThy congregation, which Thou hast purchasedof
old; The rod of Thine inheritance, which Thou hast redeemed." Psalm103:1-
4:
Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. . .
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction.
Psalm107:1-2, "O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good, for His mercy
endureth forever. Let the redeemedof the Lord say so, whom he hath
redeemedfrom the hand of the enemy."

Isaiah35:8-10:
And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be calledthe Way of
Holiness. . .
The redeemedof the Lord shall walk there:
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and
everlasting joy upon their heads:and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Isaiah44:22-23, "I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions,and,
as a cloud, thy sins: return unto Me; for I have redeemedthee, sing, O ye
heavens;for the Lord hath done it; for the Lord hath redeemedJacoband
glorified Himself in Israel." Isaiah50:2, "Is My hand shortenedat all, that it
cannot redeem? Or have I no powerto deliver? Behold, at My rebuke I dry
up the sea." Jeremiah31:11, "Forthe Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and
ransomed him from the hand of him that was strongerthan he." Hosea 13:14,
"I will ransom them from the powerof the grave;I will redeem them from
death; O Death, where is thy sting? O Grave, where is thy victory?" [1
Corinthians 15:55]. Micah4:10, "And thou shalt go even to Babylon; there
thou shalt be delivered; there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of
thine enemies."
Luke 1, now we’re coming into the New Testament, Luke 1:67, 68, and 69,
"And Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,
‘Behold, blessedbe the Lord God of Israel;for He hath visited and redeemed

His people, and hath raisedup an horn of salvationfor us in the house of
David.’" Luke 2:36-38, "And there was one Anna, a prophetess. . .and she
gave thanks unto the Lord, and spake ofHim to all that lookedfor
redemption in Israel." Luke 21:28, "And when these things begin to come to
pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth
nigh." One of those glorious songs our choir sings is that refrain.
Romans 3:23-24, "Forall have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
but being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that we have in
Christ Jesus." Romans 8:23, "Evenwe ourselves groanwithin ourselves,
waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." First
Corinthians 1:30, "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made
unto us wisdom, and righteousness,and sanctification, and redemption."
Galatians 3:13-14, "Christhath redeemedus from the curse of the law, being
made a curse for us,Thatthe blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles
through Jesus Christ." Galatians 4:4-5, "But when the fullness of the time
was come, Godsent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To
redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of
sons."
Ephesians 1:3 and 7, "Blessedbe our Lord Jesus Christ,in whom we have
redemption through His blood, the forgiveness ofsins, according to the riches
of His grace." Ephesians 1:13-14,"Ye were sealedwith the Holy Spirit of
promise, Which is the earnestof our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory." It is the purpose of God
to redeem everything in us and about us. When I am saved, I am redeemed in
my spirit and in my soul, but my body is still carnal facing death and
corruption and decayand disintegration. But it is the purpose of God to
redeem the whole purchasedpossession. It is the purpose of God to redeem
my body as well as my spirit. And the earnestof that future redemption of my
body, which is the greatconsummation of the age, whichis the resurrectionof
the dead, is the Holy Spirit He has given us in our hearts.

Colossians 1:14, "We have redemption through His blood, even the
forgiveness ofsins." Titus 2:13-14, "Looking forthat blessedhope, and the
glorious appearing of our greatGod and Savior, Jesus Christ: Who gave
Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all our iniquity, and purify unto
Himself a peculiar people." Hebrews 9:12, "Notby the blood of goats and
calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the Holy Place, having
obtained eternal redemption for us." FirstPeter 1:18-19, "Forasmuchas you
know that ye were not redeemedwith corruptible things, as silver and gold. .
.but by the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot."
Revelation5:9-10, "And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to
take the book, and to open the seals thereof:for Thou wastslain, and hast
redeemedus to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and
people, and nation: And hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we
shall reign upon the earth.’" Revelation14:3-4, "And they sang as it were a
new song before the throne, and before the four cherubim, and the twenty-
four elders: and no one could learn the song but them which had been
redeemedfrom the earth. . .These follow the Lamb whithersoeverHe goeth.
These are the redeemedfrom among men, being the firstfruits unto God and
unto the Lamb."
Now, I did all of that, just taking your time, because you can read it in the
Bible for yourself, but I did all of that just to put before us this thing that the
lecture concerns tonight, that redemption is inwoven into the very heart, and
pattern, and substance, and language, and nomenclature, and semantics of the
Holy Word of God. It is a Book of redemption.
Now, that leads me to make an avowal, an observation, concerning the miracle
of the redemptive unity of the Bible. Now I recognize that for all of us,

practically, these documentary hypotheses that you study in higher criticism
have no pertinency at all. And the only reasonthat I mention it here is this,
that the entire liberal theologicalworldlooks upon the documentary
hypothesis as being the very basis of an understanding of the Word of God.
The documentary hypothesis is this: concerning the Pentateuch, Mosesnever
wrote it, but a man with scissors satdownand he pasted it together. He took
a little hunk of this and a little piece of that and a little pericope over here and
little quotation yonder and stuck it togetherin the Bible.
The greatpieces of the part they call J, E, D, and P; there’s a piece that used
"Jehovah" forGod, that used "Elohim" for God, that used the Deuteronomic
legislationto tell the story, and the priestly code. J, E, D, and P: the part that
refers to Godas Jehovah, the part that refers to God as Elohim, the part that
tells the story in Deuteronomy, and the priestly code, all of those things
concerning the ritual of the temple. So, they say that those are the greatbasic
things that this man with scissorstook outand put into the Bible and glued it
together. And then as they keepon studying it, why, they have redactors and
editors. So there’ll be a J-1, and then somebody else will be a J-2, and
somebody else will be a J-3, and then another redactoris J-4, and another one
is a J-5, J-6, J-7, 18, 19. Then you’ve gotso many redactors and J’s.
Then you go with Elohim, Elohim 1, Elohim 2, a redactor3, a redactor4, an
editor 5, an editor 6. And then you go to the Deuteronomistand the priestly
code, and there will be a redactorthere, and a redactorthere, and an editor
there, and an editor there, until you’ve got, Lord only knows how many hands
cutting up and pasting it togetherin the Bible. Now that is the greatbasic
assumption of all of the liberal theologians ofthe world, and practically all of
the theologians ofthe world are liberal. You go to a seminary professor, and
he’ll take that for granted. It will be an exceptionalseminary professorthat
doesn’t take that for granted.

Now, I have a little question to ask. If the Bible was put togetherby a fellow
using scissors, and anotherone using scissors,and another one using scissors,
and another one using scissors,redacting and redacting and editing and
editing, what I’d like to know is, how did the redemptive story get in it? Who
put it there? For from the beginning to the end, it never varies in the
revelation of that redemptive purpose of God. And if all the Bible is just a
collectionof what editors and redactors and re-redactors and all of those
people who are supposedto have glued the thing together, how is it that that
thing of redemption unswervingly, unerringly, unfailingly gotinto it?
You see that also in the Bible as a whole. It was written over a thousand five
hundred years. And it was written by forty authors. And this author had no
idea that this one is yet to come, and this one had no idea that one is yet to
come. They were separatedby centuries and some of them by one thousand
five hundred years. And yet, they tell the same story.
In the progressive purpose of God, it never varies. It never wavers. It never
hesitates. It never halts. The Bible has in it, inwoven in it like a pattern; the
Bible has in it that divine redemptive purpose of God. How did the story of
redemption get into it from the beginning and to the end? God put it there.
God did it. No man in the earth could have done it. The whole is a story of
God’s redemptive grace, despite and through the colossalweaknessesofmen.
When you go through the Bible, look at the weaknessesofJacob, called"the
deceiver, the supplanter." Look at the weaknessesofDavid. Look at the
weaknessesofSaul. Look at the weaknesses ofSolomon. Look at the
tragedies of the kings of Israel. Look at the course of the history of the chosen
people themselves;it finally ended, inevitably in tragedy, and sorrow, and
captivity, and judgment, and death, but the purpose of God never failed.
Howeverthe turn of the life, howeverthe tragedy of the chosen family,
howeverthe sorrow and judgment from heaven, the grace and the redemptive

purpose of God never faltered, it never varied; it went on! That is God, the
greatsovereignhand of the Lord overruling the weaknessesofmen and the
tragedies of human history.
Now, I have come here to a discussionof the word "redeemed," whatit
means. First, I wanted us to see that the Bible is a Book ofredemption,
inwoven into the very heart of it. Now, let us look at the word redeemed and
see what God means by it. Our word redeem is not from one of the languages
of the Bible. Our word redeem is from a Latin word, redimere, which means
to buy back. A redeemer, then, is one who buys back. He’s a savior.
Redemption is a recoveryof something mortgagedand sold. Redemption is
the deliverance upon payment of a ransom. It is a rescue, as you would
redeem a slave. You’d pay for his ransom. Or someone was capturedand
you paid for their delivery, you rescuedthem. Now that’s the word redeem.
I want us to look at it in the Hebrew and the Greek. Let’s look at the word as
it is used in the Bible. The words translatedredeem in the Hebrew and in the
Greek, both of them, are marketplace words. Theyare words used out there
where men buy and sell. And they mean, they refer, they delineate a recovery
of ownership by paying a specifiedsum to set free, to rescue, to ransom by
paying somebodyfor it.
The Hebrew word translatedredeem with all of its cognates is go’el, go’el,
which means to free by repaying. You see a goodillustration of that in Ruth,
when Boazwanted to redeem the inheritance of Elimelech, and he paid a price
to buy it back, to redeem it, because whenElimelechand Naomi went over
there into Moabto live, they left their inheritance behind, and somebody
possessedit. So to redeem it, to buy it back, they did thus and so, which is the
story in Ruth [Ruth 4:7-10].

Now when you come to the Greek, you will be amazed at how that word
translated "redeem" is built. There’s nobody who’s ever lookedaround and
studied around but is familiar with the word agora, the agora. Whenyou
stand on Mars’Hill in Athens, right down there below you is the agora. And
that’s where Paul mingled with the people and talkedto them about the Lord,
and then they brought him up to the Areopagus on top of Mars’Hill, the
Areopagus, where he addressedthe Areopagus, the great Athenian tribunal,
their Supreme Court [Acts 17:16-34].
Now the agora was the marketplace. Everytown had an agora. Everytown
had a marketplace. Whenyou go to Africa, you won’t visit a town, I don’t
care how big or how little it is, but that it has an agora. It has a marketplace.
Our stores here in Dallas have pretty much preempted the idea of an agora.
But we have a farmers’ market here, and you can go down there and buy
vegetables andwatermelons and things like that as the farmers bring them in.
Now the whole world is familiar with an agora, agora, the marketplace where
they have commodities for sale. Onthat word agora is built the word that is
translated "redeemed." Agorazō means to buy in the marketplace. Godhas
bought us!
The word, for example, agorazō, agora, agorazō,is used in Revelation5:9, and
I quoted it:
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to
open it and to loose the seals thereof, for Thou hast agorazō us by Thy blood
out of every nation and tribe and kingdom, and family under the sun:
And made us kings and priests to God; and we shall reign forever and ever.

[Revelation5:9-10]
Agorazō, it’s a marketplace word. God bought us in the marketplace.
Another Greek word is exagorazō,ex, "out of," agorazō, to buy out of the
marketplace, to recoverfrom the powerof another as the purchase of a slave
for freedom, to buy him out of the marketplace. Exagorazō is the word used,
for example, in Galatians 3:13, "Christhath redeemed us from the curse of
the law." He bought us! We were there sold under sin. Or Galatians 4:5,
exagorazō, "Inthe fullness of time Godsent forth His Son, made of a woman,
made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, to exagorazō"
[Galatians 4:4-5]. It’s a common marketplace merchandising word.
Another word in the Greek is lutroō, which means "to loose, to release on
receipt of ransom, to liberate by the payment of a ransom." This is the word
used in Titus 2:14, "Looking for that blessedhope, and the appearing of our
greatGod and Savior, Jesus Christ; who gave Himself for us, that He might
lutroō, redeem us from our sins and from all iniquity" [Titus 2:13-14]. Now
lutrōsis, a substantive form built upon that verbal form, lutrōsis is a
ransoming, a redemption, a deliverance, a loosening. So this is the word used
in Luke 1:68, "Blessedbe the Lord God: for He hath lookedupon His people
and has brought redemption to Jerusalem." OrHebrews 9:12, "Notby the
blood of goats andof calves, but by His own blood hath He brought for us
eternal lutrōsis, redemption."
Now, apolutrōsis, apo of preceding, what do you callthe thing, a preceding
word, a prefix, it’s a prefix. Apolutrōsis is a loosing, as a person from
bondage, a releasing affectedby the payment of a ransom. This is the word
used in Romans 3:24, "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

but we are justified freely by His grace, through the redemption, apolutrōsis,
through the redemption that we have in Christ Jesus" [Romans 3:23-24]. And
it’s the word used in Ephesians 1:7, "In whom we have redemption through
His blood."
Now, let’s sum that up. Those words translated "redeem, redemption,"
whether in Greek or in Hebrew, the words are from the marketplace, and
they refer, all of them, to buying back something that has been sold or that
has been lost. To redeem something is to buy it back. I suppose it would not
be amiss to saytoday that if a man neededmoney and he had a goldenwatch
and he pawned it, the watch-man would give you a ticket. And if you would
take a certain sum of money, maybe what he loans you with interest, you
could buy it back. You could redeemit.
Now that is the word that is used in the Bible, the marketplace wordmeaning
to buy back, to ransom, to free something that has fallen into the possessionof
somebody else. Now the idea in the word is twofold. It refers to a deliverance,
and it refers to the price paid for that deliverance, or the ransom. The word
"redeem" means our deliverance or it refers to the price paid, the ransom
paid for our deliverance.
The meaning of the word is dual then. It’s a redemption from, and it is a
redemption to. Now, let me apply it as the Bible will use it. Redemption from
the penalty of sin, and the capture of Satan, and the slaveryof evil, a
redemption from that and a redemption to a new freedom from sin, a new
relationship to God and a new life in Christ Jesus. Thatis the meaning of the
word "redemption."
Now, we’re going to look at the fundamental, basic assumption of the Bible,
namely, which is that we are lost, all of us, that we are slaves to sin, under the

judgment of death, and that we must be saved, we must be redeemed, we must
be delivered, or else we are forever lost, forever enslaved, forever in bondage,
forever undone.
I listened to a man, he was talking on the radio, he lived in New York City, a
greatman. And he was talking about the difference betweenhis religion and
the Christian faith. And he said, "The greatbasic difference betweenus and
you who are Christians is this: we do not believe that we are lost and need to
be saved. We are the children of thus-and-so, and therefore, by nature and by
inheritance and by race we are saved. We belong to the family of God. And
the idea of our being lostand needing to be savedis alien to our faith and alien
to our religion."
Now what that learned man was saying in New York City over a national
radio is exactly the truth. The greatbasic assumption of the Christian faith,
and I think of the Holy Scriptures, is this, that we are lost, that we are slaves
to sin, that we are under the judgment of death, and somebodymust save us,
redeem us, deliver us, ransom us or we are lost forever! We are a fallen race.
We are under the judgment and penalty of death. We are slaves.
Now, I want you to look just for a minute, whether you believe in the seven
dispensations or not makes no difference at all. The sevendispensations is
just a way of understanding the Bible. But I want you to look at the seven
dispensations if you do have any inclination to follow dispensationaltruth.
Now I want you to look at how all of them end. Look at how all of them end.
Now I’m talking about the greatfundamental basic assumption of the Bible is
this, that we are lost, that we are fallen, and that we’re under the judgment of
our sins. All right, now, let’s look at all sevenof those dispensations.

The first dispensationis that of innocence, and it ends in Genesis 3 in the Fall.
The seconddispensationis conscience, andit ends in Genesis 6 in the
destruction of the world by the Flood. The third dispensationis that of
human government; and in the eleventh chapter of Genesis it ends in the
tragedy of the dispersionof the people of the earth at the tower of Babel. The
fourth dispensationis patriarchal, or the one of promise. It ends in Exodus 1
in the Egyptian bondage. They sold Josephdown into Egypt, and the
patriarchal age ends with God’s people slaves in Egypt.
The next dispensation, number five, is the law. And that dispensation ends in
captivity and judgment: in 722 the Assyrian captivity of Israel, in 587 the
Babylonian captivity of Judah, and in 30 AD the tragedy of all tragedies when
Israeldelivered her own Son unto death, and He cried in [John 19:30], "It is
finished." What is finished? The greatransom paid to the penalty of our sins
under the law! What the law demanded, Christ fulfilled. Because the law
demanded death [Hebrews 10:28], and Israel died, and Judah died, and God’s
Son died.
The sixth dispensationis grace. This is the one in which we live. This is the
church age. How does the church age end? It ends in the greattribulation,
the mightiest judgment of Godin the history of human story [Revelation20:7-
10]. And the seventh dispensation is the messianic age. How does the
millennium end? How does the messianic age end? It ends in the rebellion of
the earth’s people againstGod, and the war of Gog and Magog [Revelation
20:7-10], and the judgment at the greatwhite throne [Revelation20:11-15].
No matter how the story is, no matter how it is put together, whether it is in
the gardenof Eden, it ends in a fall. Whether it’s a great proliferation of the
human race with its science andachievement, it ends in a Flood[Genesis 7:17-
24]. Whether it is the chosenpeople, it ends in slavery and bondage and

captivity [Exodus 12:40-41]. Whetherit is the church, it ends in the
tribulation [2 Thessalonians 2:3]. And whether it is the millennium, it ends in
a rebellion againstGod [Revelation20:7-9]. We are sold under sin. The
penalty of death is universal. We are slaves, judged to die. John 8:34,
"Whosoevercommiteth sin is the servant," or the Greek is, "the slave of sin."
And Romans 6:23, "Forthe wages ofsin is death."
Now, I want to parenthesize here. I want to parenthesize here to say, and this
is a judgment of your pastor. Somebodyelse can believe some other thing,
and I don’t want you to think that because your pastor is persuadedof a
certain thing that therefore I must believe it, no. I have talked to some of the
finest, most brilliant, intellectual, scientific Christians that teachin our
universities, and they don’t believe a word of what I’m about to say. But I do,
and I want to tell you why.
I want to show you from my point of view why evolution is so offensive to the
truth, the revealedtruth of the Bible. Just incidentally, evolution is a denial of
all scientific fact. "If that’s true, pastor, then why do many of these scientists
believe in evolution?" Becausethe alternative is to believe in creation, divine
creation, and they refuse to acceptit. So they’ll do anything in the world to
escape the alternative of believing in fiat, divine creation[Genesis 1:1-31];so
they believe in evolution.
Now I’m saying to you parenthetically that evolution is the denial of all
scientific fact. The universe is running down, not up. The whole story we
know of, life has a tendency to go down, never up. If any of you men breed
fine cattle, leave them alone; they’ll go down to scrubs. If any of you breed
horses, leave them alone, and they’ll go down to broom tails. If any of you
breed rosebushes, leave them alone, and they’ll go down to thistles. And if
any of you breed orange trees, leave them alone, and they will grow down to
shrubs.

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