pada · ransom

What it means

pada (פָּדָה) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “ransom”.

Set someone free by paying or giving something in exchange; deliver.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To pay to get someone or something back.
2. To set someone free from slavery or danger, as God did with Israel.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

To ransom: to set someone or something free by paying a price or giving something else in its place; said of God, to set free with power. It is distinct from גָּאַל (‘redeem’), which is what the close relative does.

• Ransoming the firstborn Exodus 13:13Exodus 13:15Numbers 18:15
• YHWH ransomed Israel from the house of slaves Deuteronomy 7:82 Samuel 7:23
• Ransoming from Sheol and from iniquities Psalms 49:15Psalms 130:8Hosea 13:14
• No one can ransom his brother Psalms 49:7Leviticus 27:29
• The people ransomed Jonathan 1 Samuel 14:45

Historical and cultural background

The law commanded ransoming every firstborn: that of a donkey with a lamb, and that of a human being always (Exodus 13:13), in memory of the death of the firstborn of Egypt (Exodus 13:15).

How we translate it

Mostly “ransom” in its forms (“ransomed” 17 times, “ransom” 13, “ransom me” 4), to tell it apart from גָּאַל = ‘redeem’; “rescue” 2 and “has rescued” 3 when the one set free is a person in danger (2 Samuel 4:9; 7:23). The two verbs are seen together in Hosea 13:14: “From the hand of Sheol I will ransom them; from death I will redeem them”. In some laws and passages, however, this edition also renders it “redeem” (Numbers 18:15-16; Deuteronomy 15:15; 21:8), and there the difference from גָּאַל is not visible.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• ransomed ×17
• Ransom ×13
• ransom me ×4
• redeem ×4
• you shall redeem ×4
• has rescued ×3
• been redeemed at all ×2
• redeemed ×2
• redeemed you ×2
• rescue ×2
• others ×6

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Exodus×8
• Leviticus×4
• Numbers×6
• Deuteronomy×6
• 1 Samuel×1
• 2 Samuel×3
• 1 Kings×1
• 1 Chronicles×2
• Nehemiah×1
• Job×3
• Psalms×14
• Isaiah×4
• Jeremiah×2
• Hosea×2
• Micah×1
• Zechariah×1

• Exodus 13:13

  Every first offspring of a donkey you shall ransom with a lamb; and if you do not ransom it, you shall break its neck. And every human firstborn among your sons you shall ransom.

• Exodus 13:15

  When Pharaoh hardened himself against letting us go, YHWH killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of people and the firstborn of animals. That is why I sacrifice to YHWH every first offspring of the womb that is male, but every firstborn of my sons I ransom.’

• Exodus 21:8

  If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master, who had designated her for himself, he shall let her be ransomed; he shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt treacherously with her.

• Exodus 34:20

  And the firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you do not redeem it, you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before me empty-handed.

• Leviticus 19:20

  And if a man lies with a woman with an emission of semen, and she is a slave woman promised to a man, but she has not been redeemed at all nor been given her freedom, there shall be punishment; they shall not be put to death, for she was not free.

• Leviticus 27:27

  And if it is among the unclean beasts, he shall ransom it according to its valuation and add a fifth of it to it; and if it is not redeemed, it shall be sold according to its valuation.

• Leviticus 27:29

  No one devoted to destruction who is devoted to destruction from among human beings shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.

• Numbers 18:15

  Every firstborn of the womb of all flesh, which they present to YHWH, whether of human beings or of livestock, shall be yours; but you shall surely redeem the firstborn of human beings, and the firstborn of unclean livestock you shall redeem.

• Numbers 18:16

  And their redemption price: from a month old you shall redeem them, at your valuation, for silver, five shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.

• Numbers 18:17

  But the firstborn of a bull or the firstborn of a sheep or the firstborn of a goat you shall not redeem; they are holy. Their blood you shall splash on the altar, and their fat you shall burn as a fire offering, for a pleasing aroma to YHWH.

• Deuteronomy 7:8

  but because of YHWH’s love for you, and because he kept the oath that he swore to your fathers, YHWH brought you out with a strong hand and ransomed you from the house of slaves, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

• Deuteronomy 9:26

  I prayed to YHWH and said, “Adonai YHWH, do not destroy your people and your inheritance, whom you ransomed by your greatness, whom you brought out of Egypt with a strong hand.

• Deuteronomy 13:5

  But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken turning aside against YHWH your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slaves, to drag you away from the way in which YHWH your Elohim commanded you to walk. So you shall remove the evil from among you.

• Deuteronomy 15:15

  And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and YHWH your Elohim redeemed you; therefore I am commanding you this thing today.

• Deuteronomy 21:8

  Make expiation for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, YHWH, and do not put innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel.” And the blood shall be expiated for them.

• Deuteronomy 24:18

  And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and YHWH your Elohim redeemed you from there; that is why I am commanding you to do this thing.

• 1 Samuel 14:45

  The people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far be it! As YHWH lives, not a hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for with Elohim he has worked this day.” So the people ransomed Jonathan, and he did not die.

• 2 Samuel 4:9

  David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As YHWH lives, who has rescued my life from all distress,

• 2 Samuel 7:23

  And who is like your people, like Israel, one nation on the earth, whom Elohim went to rescue for himself as a people, and to make for himself a name, and to do for you the greatness and awesome things for your land, before your people, whom you rescued for yourself from Egypt, from nations and its gods?

• 1 Kings 1:29

  And the king swore and said, “As YHWH lives, who has rescued my life from every distress,

• 1 Chronicles 17:21

  And who is like your people Israel, one nation on the earth, whom Elohim went to rescue for himself as a people, to make for yourself a name of great things and awesome things, by driving out nations from before your people whom you rescued from Egypt?

• Nehemiah 1:10

  And they are your servants and your people, whom you ransomed by your great power and by your strong hand.

• Job 5:20

  In famine he will ransom you from death, and in war from the hands of the sword.

• Job 6:23

  and ‘Rescue me from the hand of the adversary,’ and ‘From the hand of tyrants ransom me’?

• Job 33:28

  He has rescued his soul from passing into the pit, and his life will see the light.

• Psalms 25:22

  Ransom Israel, Elohim, from all his distresses.

• Psalms 26:11

  But I in my integrity will walk; ransom me and show me favor.

• Psalms 31:5

  Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have ransomed me, YHWH, El of truth.

• Psalms 34:22

  YHWH ransoms the soul of his servants, and none of all who take refuge in him will be guilty.

• Psalms 44:26

  Rise up, as help for us, and ransom us for the sake of your loyal love.

• Psalms 49:7

  A brother by no means can a man ransom; he will not give to Elohim his price,

• Psalms 49:15

  But Elohim will ransom my soul from the hand of Sheol, for he will take me. Selah.

• Psalms 55:18

  He has ransomed in peace my soul from the battle against me, for many were against me.

• Psalms 69:18

  Draw near to my soul; redeem it; because of my enemies ransom me.

• Psalms 71:23

  My lips will shout for joy when I sing psalms to you, and my soul, which you have ransomed.

• Psalms 78:42

  They did not remember his hand, the day when he ransomed them from the adversary,

• Psalms 119:134

  Ransom me from the oppression of human beings, and I will keep your precepts.

• Psalms 130:8

  And he will ransom Israel from all its iniquities.

• Isaiah 1:27

  Zion will be ransomed with justice, and those of her who return with righteousness.

• Isaiah 29:22

  Therefore thus says YHWH to the house of Jacob, he who ransomed Abraham: “Jacob will not now be ashamed, and his face will not now grow pale.

And 19 more times.