Salvation Synonyms

Do not abandon me, Lord;  My God, do not be far from me!  Hurry to help me,
Lord, my salvation!  Psalm 38:21-22  NASB

Salvation – What does tĕšûʿâ mean?  It’s commonly translated “salvation,” but the ancient Hebrew idea isn’t loaded with theological content in the way we use the English word today.  In our world, salvation tows in its wake a whole host of doctrines.  Ideas about the afterlife, death, redemption, forgiveness, justification, sin, atonement, payment, substitution, and more are tied to this word.  “Being saved” has become the summum bonum of evangelical Christianity.

But it was not so in ancient Israel.  The verbal root of tĕšûʿâ is yāšaʿ.

yāšaʿ and its derivatives are used 353 times. The root meaning in Arabic is “make wide” or “make sufficient”; this root is in contrast to ṣārar “narrow,” which means “be restricted” or “cause distress.” That which is wide connotes freedom from distress and the ability to pursue one’s own objectives. To move from distress to safety requires deliverance. Generally the deliverance must come from somewhere outside the party oppressed. In the ot the kinds of distress, both national and individual, include enemies, natural catastrophies, such as plague or famine, and sickness. The one who brings deliverance is known as the “savior.” The word may be used, however, in everyday life free of theological overtones.^[1]

Hartley’s last statement is important.  Because Hebrew is primarily a language of ordinary living, we should look at the word in that context before adding theological substance.  In poetic parallelism, these two verses provide us with three Hebrew synonyms for tĕšûʿâ.  They are ʿāzab, rāḥaq, and ḥûš.  Let’s see what they mean.

ʿāzab (to abandon)

“The basic meaning of ʿāzab is clearly seen in its literal use where it has three distinct emphases: to depart, to abandon, and to loose.”^[2]  Each of these three meanings has immediate experiential application.  “Go away,” “leave alone,” or “remove restraints” are all everyday life experiences.  Notice that even divine intervention is viewed in this physical way:

God can also be the subject of this verb with man as the object. The promise is that God will never forsake the righteous by allowing him to fall into the hands of the wicked (Ps 37:25, 33). The poor and the oppressed, in spite of their plight, have not been forsaken by the Lord (Ps 9:10 [H 11]^[3]

Next is rāḥaq (to be far off).

Isaiah gives the root rāḥaq its most profound meaning in the five occurrences which appear. In the first usage (46:13), God’s righteousness will not “be far,” in the second (49:19) the enemies which had troubled Judah during her affliction shall be “far away” so as not to trouble her anymore. In the third usage (54:14) oppression itself shall be removed “far off.” In the last two occurrences (59:9, 11), God’s judgment is again in view and the root refers to the separation which sin causes to come between God and his people. In these five uses in Isaiah, the verb receives its ultimate meaning for the theology of the ot.^[4]

Finally, we come to ḥûš (to make haste).  Once again, Isaiah’s use helps us see the application.  “I am the Lord; in its time I will hasten it” (Isa 60:22).   The word is often found in the Psalms: (Ps 22:19 [H 20]; 38:22 [H 23]; 40:13 [H 14]; 70:1, 5 [H 2, 6]; 71:12; 141:1).^[5]  Perhaps it’s useful to note that there is a second root with the same consonants that means “to be agitated, to worry about.”  We can imagine the two connected if we focus on the frenzied feelings of each.

All of these situations, including the theological ones, are about ordinary life experiences.  Enemies are real people.  Oppression is a real political reality.  Separation, even if due to sin, means exclusion from rites and rituals, ostracization from the community.  Hurrying is a hopeful response to pleas for rescue.  The Hebrew ideas are tangible, practical, and concrete.

What, then, is salvation?  It is offering immediate relief from pressing circumstances.  It doesn’t have to mean escape.  It can be as simple as reinforcements, alternatives, or a band of brothers.  But it happens fast, not in the bye-and-bye. Salvation is experienced today, in ordinary life changes.  Does it have theological, eschatological overtones?  Certainly, but those are not the central idea.  Salvation occurs when God answers, no matter where or how.  Open your eyes and see.  Salvation is at hand when rescue is needed.

Topical Index: salvation, tĕšûʿâ, ʿāzab, abandon, rāḥaq, far off, ḥûš, hurry, Psalm 38:21-22

^[1] Hartley, J. E. (1999). 929 יָשַׁע. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 414). Chicago: Moody Press.

^[2] Schultz, C. (1999). 1594 עָזַב. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 658). Chicago: Moody Press.

^[3] Ibid.

^[4] White, W. (1999). 2151 רָחַק. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 844). Chicago: Moody Press.

^[5] Yamauchi, E. (1999). 631 חוּשׁ. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 274). Chicago: Moody Press.