OLD TESTAMENT SALVATION

FROM WHAT?
REN A. LOPEZ
Pastor
Iglesia Bautista Las Naciones
Dallas, Texas

I. INTRODUCTION
Few would disagree that the subject of salvation is one of the most
important themes in the Bibleso important that many theologians have
subordinated all other themes under it.1 And yet more confusion exists
over the meaning of the words save and salvation than almost any other
terms in the Bible.2
Cultural influences and contextual evidence, especially in the OT,
are often ignored when determining the meaning of these terms. There-
fore, the purpose of this article will be to establish the meaning of the
terms save (yasa ) and salvation (yesua) 3 from their Hebraic origins
not in light of the NT. In order to verify whether the term salvation un-
derwent any changes in its translation from Hebrew to Greek, the

1
Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), 18,
says that the unifying principle of covenant theology is soteriology. See also
John F. Walvoord, The Millennial Kingdom (Findlay, OH: Dunham Publishing
Company, 1963), 79.
2
This is similar to the investigation on Gods wrath. (See Ren A. Lopez,
Do Believers Experience the Wrath of God? Journal of the Grace Evangelical
Society 15 [Autumn 2002]: 45-66). Robert N. Wilkin, Salvation in the Old
Testament, Part 1, Grace in Focus (Nov-Dec 1999): 2-3, observes that, There
is probably more confusion over the terms save and salvation than any other
term in the Bible. Evenbelievers are sometimes confused by the use of these
terms in Scripture. Most people think that the vast majority of uses of the words
save and salvation in Scripture refer to salvation from eternal condemnation.
Actually the exact opposite is true. Biblical salvation rarely refers to salvation
from hell (even in the NT).
3
Unless specified for some technical reason, the noun salvation will be
used throughout the article, instead of mentioning at every point both yasa and
yesu a.

49
50 Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society Autumn 2003

Septuagint will also be examined. Finally, extra-biblical documents will

be surveyed in order to see how these terms were used in secular sources,
which were contemporaneous with the OT.

II. THE OLD TESTAMENT USE OF SALVATION

To begin, one must ask if the Hebrew terms for save and salvation in
the OT ever mean saved from eternal condemnation. In the OT, the
covenant people were heaven bound by trusting in Gods promise of
Messiah.4 However, they still needed to be delivered (saved) from sick-
ness, enemies, pre-mature death, general problems or covenantal restitu-
tion due to sin (cf. Deuteronomy 2830).5
The stem of the verb save (yasa ) originally meant to be roomy,
broad, which is the opposite of the concepts of oppression or nar-
rowness. As a result, to be constricted, [and] oppressed seems to be
the rescue one needs by moving out into the open.6 This is the basic

4
Forensic righteousness is taught in the OT, however, not as clearly as it
is in the NT (cf. Gen 15:6; Is 53; 54:17; 61:10).
5
Dictionary of Judaism in the Biblical Period, ed. Jacob Neusner and Wil-
liam Scott Green (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1996), s.v. Salva-
tion, 542, states the idea of salvation in covenant relationship: The righteous
may cry out for deliverance from unjust persecution or oppression or for rescue
from undeserved illness and premature death. Following the prescription of
Deuteronomy 2830, the receipt of covenantal blessings may be sought by a
sinful people who repent and ask for deliverance from the curses of the cove-
nant.
6
Georg Fohrer, sozo, in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament,
trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, ed. Gerhard Kittel and Gerdhard Friedrich, Vol. 7
(Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1964-76), 973. See also BDB,
s.v. yasa , 446, which also gives the basic meaning of placed in freedom and
give width and breadth to, liberate. It is also interesting to note that, not far
removed from the Hebrew meaning, the Arabic equivalent means to be capa-
cious, make wide, spacious, make sufficient, be or live in abundance (BDB, s.v.
yasa , 446). Though J. F. Sawyer, yasa , in Theological Dictionary of the
Old Testament, Vol. 6 (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
1990), 6:442, does not agree with the common view of connecting the Hebrew
yasa as a derivative of the Arabic wasiea, be spacious or awsaea, give room
to, he believes it comes from a Proto-Semitic word. Nevertheless, Sawyer
understands the concept of OT salvation to mean spaciousness, liberation
 Old Testament SalvationFrom What? 51

concept behind the usages of save and salvation in the OT. That is, since
sin, enemies, and calamities are restrictions that hinder, rescue is needed
to release one from these restrictions.
Save and salvation are used 363 times in the Masoretic text,
appearing 319 times in the following seven distinct nuances (excluding
the 44 times the noun appears as proper names):
A. SAVED FROM EXTERNAL EVILS IN GENERAL
O Lord, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear? Even cry out
to You, Violence! And You will not save (Hab 1:2). Habakkuk
questions the Lords delay in saving or delivering Judah from the vio-
lence that surrounded them, clearly a physical salvation.
Salvation from external calamities, namely natural disasters, can also
be placed under this category: If disaster comes upon usjudgment,
pestilence, or famineYou will hear and save (2 Chr 20:9). Judahs
enemies (Moab and Ammon) had come to battle Jehoshaphat (20:1-2).
They must have been numerous because in v. 3 Jehoshaphat feared, and
set himself [as well as all the cities of Judah] to seek the Lord and pro-
claimed a fast throughout all Judah. Then in 20:9, Jehoshaphat appeals
to the Lord, citing past deliverance from natural calamities (cf. 2 Chr
6:28-30). The king then petitions God to deliver them from their enemies
(20:10), as He has from pestilence and famine (20:9).
One nuance of OT salvation is deliverance or help from experiencing
general external evils that come as a result of sinful actions or natural
calamities.7
B. SAVED CORPORATELY FROM ENEMIES OR IN BATTLE
In Ps 33:16, the psalmist writes, No king is saved by the multitude
of an army; a mighty man is not delivered [yasa ] by great strength.8 All

from restricting, oppressive experiences both physical and spiritual, to occur

frequently.
7
OT citations of yasa
and yesu a that appear to be used under this category
are found in Gen 49:18; Exod 2:17; Deut 28:31; 1 Sam 25:26, 31, 33; 2 Sam
14:4; 2 Kgs 6:26, 27; Isa 46:7; 47:13, 15; Jonah 2:9; Pss 72:4, 13; 74:12; 76:10;
78:22; 107:13, 19; 109:31; Job 5:4, 11, 15; 26:2; 40:14. Unless otherwise noted,
all citations from the Psalms are taken from the Hebrew Masoretic Text numera-
tion.
8
Robert N. Wilkin, Salvation in the Psalms: Deliverance from Todays
Troubles, Part 2, Grace in Focus (Jan-Feb 2000): 1, notices that deliverance
from enemies is the single most common use of the words salvation and save in
52 Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society Autumn 2003

nations that go to war trust in their might, skills, men, and weaponry to
save them from defeat (33:17). However, those that fear and trust in the
Lords mercy (33:18), although lacking military might, will be saved
from defeat (Pss 44:6; 60:7). Actually, the Lord is the weapon that saves
His people in battle. Salvation here means corporate deliverance or vic-
tory in battle.9
C. SAVED FROM MORAL TROUBLES
Proverbs 28:18 says, Whoever walks blamelessly will be saved, but
he who is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall. The Hebrew adjective
blamelessly (tamm) used in this verse is translated wholesome and
carries the concept of integrity.10 Moral integrity is set forth as a condi-
tion of deliverance and blessing (Prov 18:10; 28:10b). However, the

the Psalms (as in the rest of the Old Testament). Repeatedly the contexts in
which these words occur indicate that the salvation in view is deliverance from
ones enemies. Most often this concerns the deliverance of the nation of Israel
from her enemies. On occasion it refers to deliverance of the individual from his
enemies. The following discovery certainly bears this out. TDOT, 446, has also
noticed that out of all OT books where yasa appears the largest concentration
of occurrences is in the Psalms (136). Since the Hebrew writer quotes exten-
sively from the Psalms, T. Kem Oberholtzer concludes, In the Old Testament,
salvation usually refers to the Lords deliverance of His people from their
enemies or trouble. (The Warning Passages in Hebrews: The Eschatological
Salvation of Hebrews, Part 1, Bibliotheca Sacra 145 [January-March 1988]:
93.)
9
OT citations of yasa and yesu a that appear to be used under this category
are found in Num 10:9; Deut 20:4; 33:29; Josh 10:6; 22:22; 1 Sam 4:3; 7:8;
9:16; 10:19, 27; 11:3; 14:6, 23, 39, 45; 17:47; 23:2, 5; 2 Sam 3:18; 10:11, 19;
22:42; 2 Kgs 13:5; 14:27; 19:19, 34; 37:20, 35; Jer 15:20; 17:14 [2x]; 23:6;
30:7, 10, 11; 31:7; 42:11; 46:27; Ezek 34:22; Hos 13:4, 10; 14:4; Obad 1:21;
Mic 7:7; Hab 3:8, 13 [2x], 18; Zech 3:17, 19; Pss 14:7; 17:7; 18:42; 20:6; 24:5;
28:9; 37:40; 43:5; 44:4, 5, 8; 65:6; 68:20; 69:36; 79:9; 80:3, 4, 8, 20; 85:5, 8;
106:8, 10, 21, 47; 145:19; 149:4; Neh 9:27; 1 Chr 11:14; 16:35 [2x]; 19:19;
2 Chr 20:17; 32:22. See also Sawyer, yasa , in TDOT, 6:451, where Gods
saving power is claimed in the War scrolls of Qumran (1QM 10:4 [quoting from
Deut 20:4], 1QM 10:7 [quoting from Num 10:9] and 1QM 11:2 [quoting from
1 Sam 17:47]).
10
A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament with an Appendix
Containing the Biblical Aramaic, ed. Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles
A. Briggs (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1979), s.v. tamim, 1071.
 Old Testament SalvationFrom What? 53

Hebrew word for perverse ( iqes ) is parallel to blameless and means

twisted and crooked. Therefore, those who refuse to live lives of integrity
will find ruin and shame. Salvation in this context refers to a temporal
benefitdirectly conditioned upon ones behaviorthat brings spiritual
or physical blessings (or both).11
D. SAVED FROM DOMINION OF OTHER NATIONS
For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall
come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the
womb; and he shall begin to deliver [le hosa ] Israel out of the hand of
the Philistines (Judg 13:5). Those who lived in the days of the judges
were rebellious and idolatrous and everyone did what was right in his
own eyes (17:6; 21:25). As a result of their wickedness, nations would
come to devour and rule over them, which is consistent with Gods warn-
ing in Deut 28:45-51. The Book of Judges proves this warning true.
Nonetheless, by Gods grace, twelve judges were raised up (2:16) in
order to guide the people into national independence once again. In
Judges 13, Samson was the promised judge who would save Israel
from the Philistines. Salvation here clearly means national independence
from the governing authority of other nations (i.e., rulership over Is-
rael).12
E. SAVED INDIVIDUALLY FROM ENEMIES
In Job 13:16, Job declares that God shall be my salvation, which
refers to the physical calamity he was presently undergoing. He claimed
that God would personally vindicate him from his present demise. David
also pleas, Preserve my life, for I am holy; You are my God; Save your
servant who trusts in You! (Ps 86:2). The entire Psalm is Davids peti-
tion to God to show His might (86:8-10) and mercy (86:3-4, 13-16) by
delivering him from the proud and violent enemies who sought to

11
Other OT citations of yasa and yesu a that appear to be used under this
category are found in Deut 22:27; 28:29; 2 Sam 22:28; Isa 63:8; Jer 4:14; Pss
7:11; 18:28; 34:19; 50:23; 51:14; 119:94, 117, 123, 146, 155, 166, 174; Job
22:29.
12
Other OT occurrences of yasa and yesu a that appear to be used in this
category include Judg 2:18; 3:9, 15, 31; 6:14, 15, 31, 36, 37; 7:2, 7; 8:22; 10:1,
12, 13, 14; 12:2, 3; 13:5; Jer 2:27, 28; 8:20; 11:12 [2x]; 14:8, 9; Lam 4:17.
54 Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society Autumn 2003

destroy him (86:14, 17). In this context, salvation is referring to the indi-
vidual physical deliverance from personal problems or ones foes.13
F. SAVED IN PROSPERITY
He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all
things and secure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire; will He
not make it increase? (2 Sam 23:5). The Davidic covenant is in view
here. In Davids last words (2 Sam 23:1) he remembers the everlasting
covenant of rulership God had promised him (cf. 2 Sam 7:8-16; Ps
89:29). David could rest assured (even if his house is not so with God)
that his seed would prosper and remain forever. The phrase salvation
and all of my desire is synonymously parallel to the phrase make it
increase. Salvation in this passage is equated with prosperity (spiritual,
material, or both)14 for those who trust in God.15
G. SAVED NATIONALLY WITH SPIRITUAL CONNOTATION
How beautiful are the feet of him who brings good news, who pro-
claims peace[and] salvation (Isa 52:7). Salvation in this context en-
compasses two ideas. First, Gods people and His city will be restored

13
Other OT citations of yasa
and yesu a that appear to be used under this
category are found in Deut 32:15; 1 Sam 2:1; 2 Sam 8:6, 14; 22:3; 22:4, 47, 51;
2 Kgs 16:7; Isa 38:20; Pss 3:2, 8, 9; 6:5; 7:1; 9:15; 12:2, 6; 13:6; 18:3, 4; 18:36,
47, 51; 20:7, 10; 21:2, 6; 22:2, 22; 25:5; 27:19; 28:8; 31:3, 17; 33:16; 34:7; 35:3,
9; 36:7; 42:6, 12; 43:5; 54:3; 55:17; 57:4; 59:3; 62:2, 7, 8; 69:2, 14, 30; 70:5;
71:2, 3; 88:2; 89:27; 106:4; 108:7; 109:26; 116:6, 13; 118:15, 21; 138:7; 140:8;
Job 13:16; 1 Chr 18:6, 13; 19:12. In this category, a corporate nuance could also
be understood. That is, David could be speaking for himself but not to the exclu-
sion of the people. This would be understood as a synecdoche (a part [Davids
plea] that stands for the whole [the people as well]). However, what is
emphasized is Davids individual deliverance as opposed to a corporate plea, as
he makes on other occasions (Pss 65:6; 68:20; 69:36; 79:9; 80:3).
14
S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text of the Book of Samuel (Oxford:
Clarendon Press, 1890), 276, says, yasa like yesu a as used by the prophets
and psalmist, denotes welfare, spiritual and material combined, emphasis origi-
nal.
15
Other OT citations of yasa
and yesu a that appear to be used under this
category are found in 2 Sam 23:5; Pss 9:15; 95:1; 96:2; 118:25; 132:16; Job
30:15; Prov 20:22; 1 Chr 16:23.
 Old Testament SalvationFrom What? 55

now and once and for all in that day (52:6). 16 Second, to be part of
Christs future kingdomknown in the OT and the Gospels as enter-
ing the kingdom (Isa 53:1-5; Matt 19:16, 25; Mark 10:17, 26)one
must be eternally saved (i.e., rescued from eternal death, cf. Isaiah 51;
61:10-11; 64:5-6). Thus, spiritual salvation is in view in what follows
(Isa 52:1353:12), as Gods means to effect that deliverance17 for the
remnant (Isa 10:20-22; 11:11, 16).
The person who brings good news and proclaims peace and salvation
in the whole context of 52:153:12 has spiritual salvation and Israels
national restoration in view. The context develops both of these thoughts.
In Isa 52:8 the Lords arm is the salvation of God. Isaiah 52:13-
15 describes Jesus Christ and His atoning work as His blood sacrifice
(1 Pet 1:2) when it states, So shall He sprinkle many nations. This
miraculous power by His holy arm (52:10; 53:1) and work refers to the
works of Messiah (Servant) developed in 53:2-12.18 This would under-
stand Isa 53:1-3 as looking back to the thought in 52:14. Thus, the na-
tions and kings will shut their mouths and see (52:15, and perhaps
be amazed)19 how the Servant who gave up His life and status gained it
back for Himself and others through His faithfulness to God (52:12;

16
The phrase in that day in Isa 10:20; 11:6-14; 12:1; 19:16-25 appears to be
used for Christs future rule over all, as well as Gods day of judgment in Isa
7:18, 20-21, 23.
17
John N. Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah Chapters 4066 (Grand Rapids: Wil-
liam B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1998), 382.
18
Oswalt, 382, says that, The arm of the Lord here shows the direct con-
nection of this poem with the precedingWhat is being said here can only be
understood in direct relationship to what has been said previously, especially in
chs. 4952. God has promised to deliver his people from their alienation from
him so that they can indeed become His servants to the world. Now he tells the
means by which he proposes to effect that deliverance. To attempt to understand
this segment in any other way is to misunderstand the significance of the occur-
rence of the arm of the Lord and the other contextual cues, ibid., emphasis
original.
19
Ibid., 380-81. The phrase, what had not been told them they shall see,
and what they had not heard they shall consider, that renders the kings of the
world speechless (kings shall shut their mouth at Him), conveys the idea of
how one who took such a humble position can end in such a high place by sit-
ting in Gods throne (Rev 22:1, 3). Since being humble is contrary to the worlds
way of gaining victory, Gods method of victory will surprise the world when
Messiahs triumph comes to pass.
56 Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society Autumn 2003

53:12).20 Therefore, since the Messiah will accomplish Gods work by

giving up His life and position (52:1353:12), the captivity and city that
was lost (52:4-6) will be regained21 (54:3-4) and ruled by the Messiah
and His partners (53:12a; Ps 2:8-9; Heb 1:9, 13-14; Rev 2:26-27).
Three contextual markers appear in OT passages where eternal salva-
tion, in addition to temporal deliverance, is in view. First, Gods grace
and power appear as the only source able to save eternally (Isa 45:14-25;
49:10, 13; 54:8-10). Second, Messiah, or a picture of Messiah, appears to
be the atoning sacrifice in the context (Isa 52:1353:12). Finally, one
cannot do anything to earn it, but simply trust in Gods righteousness and
act of salvation that will accomplish and fulfill His promise (Isa 41:1-20;
42:144:28). As will be evident, some of these contextual markers are
found in extra-biblical literature as well, the exception being eternal re-
demption obtained solely through Gods grace. That is the unique ele-
ment of the Hebrew Scriptures and the sine qua non of the Christian
faith.
Even if the terms save and salvation carry a sense of eternal salva-
tion in some OT passages, there is no explicit instance where the term
appears solely with a spiritual nuance.22 While salvation may come with
a spiritual nuance, in the OT it always has a broader meaning. Salvation
here comes by physically restoring national Israel to the land of promise,
placing them in a position of blessing.23

20
Ibid., 405-406.
21
Ibid., 417-18.
22
Out the 363 times the terms yasa and yesua appear, this writer could not
find one single instance of a justification-salvation-only meaning.
23
Although Messiahs sacrifice is the means by which God furnishes eter-
nal-life-redemption for humanity (Isa 49:153:12; 65:1), one must notice that in
Isaiahs writings (and in other prophets) it is also the grounds by which God will
temporally and eternally rescue (by His mercy) Israel from her enemies and
permanently restore her to the promise land and national prominence. In Isaiah
the means and methodi.e., Messiahs sacrifice (Isa 7:14; 9:6-7; 11:1-5; 37:32;
4243; 49:153:14; 5456)of how God will restore Israel to the land of prom-
ise is an important element. However, the emphasis of the meaning of salva-
tion lies, not on the means, but on the end result of rescuing Israel from her
enemies, by restoring them to the promise land, and restoring peace on earth by
which all humanity will benefit (Isa 2:1-4; 9:7; 10:20-34; 11:612:6; 27:2-13;
35; 37:1-7; 59:1662:12; 65:1766:24). Thus, salvation experience in Isaiah
finds its basis in justification through Messiahs atonement (Isa 52:1353:12),
 Old Testament SalvationFrom What? 57

H. SUMMARY
Deliverance from temporal and physical oppression dominates usage
far more than deliverance from hell. The seven major categories of these
terms that appear in the OT demonstrate the following sense of meaning:
temporal physical deliverance (1) generally from external evils, (2) cor-
porately from enemies or in battle, (3) from moral troubles, (4) from
nations dominion, (5) physically and/or individually from enemies, (6)
in prosperity, and (7) to national restoration through spiritual means.
Many others have also agreed with these conclusions. A survey of
the literature addressing this subject reveals that a consensus in biblical
scholarship exists concerning the meaning of OT salvation by showing
that a broader meaning always appears instead of the deliverance-from-
eternal-condemnation nuance.24 Therefore if anyone interprets salvation

but has a broader scope that encompasses all of Gods national and universal
promises to restore humanity to a place and position of blessing.
OT citations of yasa and yesu a that appear to be used under this category
are found in Isa 12:2, 3; 17:10; 19:20; 25:9 [2x]; 26:1, 18; 30:15; 33:2, 6, 22;
35:4; 43:3, 11; 45:8, 15, 17, 20, 21, 22; 49:6, 8, 25, 26; 51:5, 6, 8; 52:7, 10; 56:1;
59:1, 11, 16; 60:16, 18; 61:10; 62:1, 11; 63:1, 5, 8, 9; 64:5; Ezek 36:29; 37:23;
Hos 1:7 [2x]; Zech 8:7, 13; 9:9; 10:6 12:7; Pss 67:39; 98:1, 2, 3.
24
The view expressed in this article is held by others as well: John E. Hart-
ley, yasa , in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ed. Gleason L.
Archer, R. Laird Harris, and Bruce K. Waltke, Vol. 1 (Chicago: Moody Press,
1980), 414, shows, without clearly stating this writers conclusion, the lack of
evidence supporting the deliverance from hell definition in his article, but
instead defines yasa as to make wide or sufficient. Hence Hartley states that
the majority of [OT] references to salvation speak of Yahweh granting de-
liverance from real enemies and out of real catastrophies (ibid., 414-15). In
addition, R. E. O. White, Salvation, in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology,
ed. Walter A. Elwell (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1984), 967, seems to
concur. White states that The Lord ismy salvation is the heart of OT testi-
mony, alwaysLater Judaism anticipated a messianic deliverance which in-
cludes political, national, or religious elements (Pss. Sol. 109; T. Benj. 9:10; cf.
Luke 1:69, 71, 77). Developing this same point Joseph C. Dillow states that,
The breath of salvation is so sweeping and intended aim so magnificent that in
many contexts the words used defy precise definition. Yet these difficulties have
not thwarted numerous interpreters from assuming, often without any contextual
justification, that the words used invariably mean deliverance from hell or go
to heaven when you die. It may come as a surprise to many that this usage of
salvation (Gk. soteria) would have been the least likely meaning to come to
58 Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society Autumn 2003

in the OT as eternal condemnation, he will miss the meaning and appli-

cation God intends to convey.

III. SALVATION IN THE SEPTUAGINT

AND EXTRA-BIBLICAL LITERATURE
As developed above, the temporal, not eternal, deliverance meaning
is well attested in the Hebrew Scriptures, but what about other literature?
Does the temporal-deliverance meaning outweigh the eternal deliver-
ance definition in the LXX, Classical period, and Koine period?
A. THE SEPTUAGINT
The LXX 25 translates soteria (salvation) from the Hebrew noun
yesu a sixty-four times26 and sozo (save) from the Hebrew verb yasa
159

mind of a reader of the Bible in the first century, (The Reign of the Servant
Kings: A Study of Eternal Security and the Final Significance of Man [Hayes-
ville, NC: Schoettle Publishing, 1992], 111-13). Then, not surprisingly, (Wilkin,
Salvation in the Old Testament, Part 1, pp. 2-3), says: Biblical salvation
rarely refers to salvation from hell (even in the NT). This is especially evident in
the OT. During my doctoral work, I looked up every OT occurrence of the vari-
ous words which mean save and salvation. I found that over 90% of the
references concern salvation from enemies and from other difficulties in this
life, emphasis original. See for a further discussion on the issue of OT salvation
and its broader emphasis: Allen P. Ross, The Biblical Method of Salvation: A
Case for Discontinuity, in Continuity and Discontinuity: Perspectives on the
Relationship Between the Old and New Testaments: Essays in Honor of S. Lewis
Johnson Jr., ed. John S. Feinberg (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1988),
161-78, 352-56; See also Kenneth E. Locklin, The Significance of the Term
SOTERIA in Romans (Th.M. thesis, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1978), 8-
18, and Daniel Carl Esau, Pauls Concept of SOTERIA in Romans (Th.M.
thesis, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1969), 6-7; Colin Brown and J. Schneider,
Redemption, in The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theol-
ogy, Vol. 3 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978), 201-209; James
K. Zink, Salvation in the Old Testament A Central Theme, Encounter 25
(1964): 405-414.
25
E. M. Blaiklock, Septuagint, in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia
of the Bible, ed. Merrill C. Tenney, Vol. 5 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing
House, 1975-76), 343. LXX, also known as the Septuagint, began to be written
and compiled during the reign of the monarch Ptolemy II Philadelphus at Alex-
andria from 28447 B.C.
 Old Testament SalvationFrom What? 59

times, or three fifths of its occurrences.27 In other cases the LXX renders
the Greek verb sozo from three Hebrew stems plt, pelte, and mlt
(fugitive, escape, or deliver) in one fifth of its occurrences. Finally, the
stem ns l (preserve or spare) occurs twenty-four times and makes up one
fifth of all other occurrences.28
The Septuagints renderings of save (sozo) and salvation (soteria)
exhibit the same range of meanings29as would generally be expected
as in the Hebrew OT.30 These include: (1) Saved from external evils in
general,31 (2) Saved corporately from enemies or in battle,32 (3) Saved

26
Fohrer, sozo, in TDNT, 7:971. However, the LXX translates the noun
soteria mostly for the Hebrew stem yasa (81 times).
27
Ibid., 970. In the Masoretic text yasa
occurs 241 times. The Hebrew verb
yasa still remains the most important out of the 15 different Hebrew verbs
translated as sozo in the LXX (Brown and Schneider, Redemption, in
NIDNTT, 3:206).
28
Fohrer, sozo, in TDNT, 7:970.
29
Johannes Pedersen, Israel: Its Life and Culture, South Florida Studies in
the History of Judaism (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1991), 330, understands how
easy anachronistic interpretations (i.e., taking something chronologically out of
place) can distort our view of the OT use of salvation since the Hellenists
chose the well known NT word soteria to translate the Hebrew term yasa :
When the Jews of the Hellenistic period were to translate this word into Greek,
they used a word which played a very great part at that time, i.e., soteria, one of
the words which later on came to designate a fundamental idea in the New Tes-
tament. The word salvation has throughout become charged with contents of the
soteria of the New Testament, and when it is used to render the above-
mentioned Hebrew words (yasa and yesu a) it is apt to cause ideas from the
domain of the New Testament to be transferred into these Old-Israelitic terms.
Salvation instinctively suggests the idea of something beyond, a deliverance
from the misery of this world into another world. When we use the word with
relation to the Old Testament, we must know that the meaning is a different one,
life and happiness here always being bound up with this earth.
30
Foerster, sozo, in TDNT, 7:972. See also Locklin, The Significance of
the Term SOTERIA in Romans, 9-10, and Esau, Pauls Concept of SOTERIA
in Romans, 6-7.
31
The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation
[soterian = yesu a] (Exod 15:2). 31 The Lord appears as Israels deliverer
who fights for them. He throws the horse and riderinto the sea (cf. 15:1, 4-
10). The Lord is a man of war (15:3). Salvation here means deliverance in
60 Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society Autumn 2003

from moral troubles, 33 (4) Saved from nations dominion, 34 (5) Saved
physically and/or individually from enemies,35 (6) Saved as prosperity,36
and (7) Saved with a spiritual connotation.37

battle. The Lord is Israels deliverer from her enemies. In this context salvation
is attributed to God as a deliverer in war or from any external evils.
32
Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the
hand of those who plundered them (Judg 2:16). The people are delivered
(esosen = yasa ) in v. 16 from enemies (2:14). Salvation here, as shown previ-
ously, means deliverance from enemy hands.
33
Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct
aright I will show the salvation [soterian = yasa ] of God (Ps 49:23,
numeration in English translation). In this passage David illustrates Gods physi-
cal and spiritual deliverance based on honoring Him and having upright moral
character.
34
Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you who have es-
caped [sotomenoi = pelt e] from the nations. They have no knowledge, who
carry the wood of their carved image, and pray to a god that cannot save
[sozousin = yasa ] (Isa 45:20). Here, Israel was trying to escape from nations
who were holding them captive. This expresses the same idea found in v. 20 of
deliverance from captivity (as indicated by the word at the end of the verse).
Salvation here means escape (or deliverance) from the nation that had enslaved
them.
35
Flee, save [sosate = pelt e] your lives! And be like the juniper in the wil-
derness (Jer 31:6, English numeration). Saving ones physical life by fleeing is
the concept found in Jer 31:6. Genesis 32:31 (English numeration) conveys the
sense of preservation (esothe = mlt) of Jacobs physical life from harm.
36
Terrors are turned upon me; they pursue my honor as the wind, and my
prosperity [soteria = yesu a] has passed like a cloud (Job 30:15). All of Jobs
family, wealth, and health were gone (1:3-22), which in 30:15 means he lost his
prosperity. Although Job lost everything, he would regain much more at a
later time, as seen in 42:10.
37
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath. For the
heavens will vanish away like smokeBut My salvation [soterion = yesu a]
will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished (Isa 51:6). The
recipients are those who follow after righteousnesswho seek the Lord
(51:1), who know righteousness[and] in whose heart is [His] law (51:7).
Righteousness as a synonym for eternal (45:17; 56:1) salvation, accomplished
solely by God, occurs in Isa 45:8 and 46:13. Here, as shown above, eternal sal-
vation (prosperity) is to a place and position of blessing and is based solely upon
the Lord (51:3-16; 53:1-12). Salvation in this context has a dual concept by also
 Old Testament SalvationFrom What? 61

B. CLASSICAL PERIOD
In extra-biblical literature ranging from the Classical period (900
B.C. to 330 B.C.) to the Koine period (at least 300 B.C. to A.D. 140),38
there seems to be no noticeable difference in the Greek usages of save
(sozo) and salvation (soteria).39 For example, in Classical literature the
concept of deliverance and preservation appears for the noun soteria in
Herodotus 5:98. In Aristotles Politica 1301a23, soteria is defined as
ways of preserving.40
Foerster cites several Classical references from the mystery religions
that define sozo as a persons blissful life beyond death.41 This, per-
haps, comes close to the biblical concept of a persons salvation from
hell. Nevertheless, the above evidence suggests that the temporal deliv-
erance definition for salvationas used in the OTis still commonly
used in Classical Greek for sozo and soteria.
C. KOINE PERIOD
Linguistically, the Apocrypha and Qumran writings do not belong in
this sectionsince Greek usage, not Hebrew, is the subject matter here.
However, due to the importance of its contemporaneous nature, it will be
included.

referring to future deliverance from present Babylonian oppression through

eternal spiritual means.
38
W. White, Jr., Greek Language, in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclo-
pedia of the Bible, ed. Merrill C. Tenny, Vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub-
lishing House, 1975-76), 828. Obviously, White concludes, this includes the
LXX which is the largest body of text in the Koin dialect. At points the tr.
drew upon purely Gr. concepts for its rendering of Hebraic expressions while in
other passages the Heb. was followed so closely to be unintelligible in Gr.
39
A Greek English Lexicon, ed. Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, Henry
Stuart Jones, and Roderick McKenzie, 9th ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1940),
s.v. sozo, 1748, Also, see, s.v. soteria, 1751.
40
Ibid., s.v. soteria, 1751. See LSJM for helpful examples that show how
classical Greek usage of soteria and sozo are in line with OT usage and meaning
of the term.
41
Foerster, sozo, in TDNT, 7:969.
62 Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society Autumn 2003

1. Salvation in the Apocrypha.

In the Apocrypha, the salvation/save word-group almost always
means physical deliverance from afflictions.42 It refers to how a raft in
the sea saves (delivers) (Wis of Sol 14:5), and how a door in the house
can protect more than idols (Lett of Jer 58). It is not common to find
men saving other men, but the idea does exist: Eleazar sacrificed him-
self before the battle to save [sosai] his people (1 Macc 6:44) and
Judas Maccabaeus was the mighty savior [sozon] of Israel (1 Macc
9:21).43
By far the majority of usages refer to the deliverance of the right-
eous by God.44 He saved people from demons (Tob 6:17-18) and the
child Moses from danger (Wis 18:5). God also saved Moses when he
crossed the Red Sea (1 Macc 4:9), was in war (1 Macc 9:46), and
through His wisdom (Wis 9:18; 10:4; Sir 3:1).
2. Salvation in the Qumran writings.
In the Qumran writings deliverance came by God-given rulers: by
the hand of our kings You rescued [hws tnw] us (1QM 11:3), and
from God Himself, called the God of deliverance ( lys wwt), so that the
priest and Levites praise[d] Him for His acts of deliverance (1QS
1:18-19). God also delivered by revealing the law which was concealed
for a short while, to the time when help (ys kh) was manifested (1QH

42
An exception to the common meaning exhibited in the Apocrypha may be
found in 4 Macc 15: 2, 3, 8, 27 where a women allows her seven sons to be
burned, but trusts in the God of Abraham who promises to save and give them
eternal life (see 4 Macc 14:20; 15:3, 28,), although they presently died. Also see
2 Macc 7:25-29. In Baruch 4:22, 24, 29 soteria seems to come with eternal life
verities but the context and term also carries a national deliverance concept.
43
The following passages appear to have the meaning of preserving ones
physical life: Jdt 10:15; 11:13; Tob 14:10; 1 Macc 2:44, 59; 3:18; 4:9, 11; 5:62;
9:9; 10:83; 11:48; 2 Macc 12:25; 13:3 [welfare is the meaning]; 14:3; 4 Macc
4:12; 5:6; 6:15, 27; 10:1; Bar 6:49.
44
Foerster sozo, in TDNT, 7:981-82. The following passages appear to
have the meaning of preserving ones physical life by God: Esth 10:9; 13:9, 12;
16:22; Jdt 8:17; 1 Macc 3:6; 4:25; 2 Macc 1:11; 2:17, 39; 7:25; 11:26; 3 Macc
6:13, 33, 36; 7:16, 22; 4 Macc 4:12; 9:4; 15:2, 3, 8, 27; Obe 4:13; 12:14; Wis
5:2; 6:24; 10:14; 14:4; 16:6-7; 18:7; Sir 2:11; 34:13; 36:9; 46:1; 51:8, 11; Bar
4:22, 24, 29; Dan 3:66.
 Old Testament SalvationFrom What? 63

5:11). Finally, in relation to the end-time it is said that God has created
the righteous to open every affliction of his soul to eternal deliverance
[lysw t wlm] (1QH 15:16).45
In the Qumran writings, the word salvation can denote physical de-
liverance as well as eternal redemption. However, the temporal nuance
of the word dominates its usage.46
3. Salvation in secular Greek writers.
Secular first century Greek writers, like Philo and Josephus, also
commonly used the term for preservation, blessing, deliverance, and/or
health.47 Evidence from a papyri suggests that soteria was used with a
nuance of health and prosperity: To all this I swear by Almighty God
and by the supremacy, salvation and preservation of our most pious sov-
ereigns, Flavius Heraclius and Aelia Flavia.48

IV. CONCLUSION
After surveying the OT, Septuagint, and extra-biblical literature, sev-
eral conclusions can be drawn. Use of the terms save and salvation in the
OT and save (sozo) and salvation (soteria) in the LXX, have the same
basic meaning: deliverance from hindrances in life, specifically national

45
Ibid., 983. Foerster sees eternal redemption here (1QM 1:12; 18:11).
Indeed, the Dead Sea Scrolls understand salvation to be eternal deliver-
ance from sheol. That is why one finds the statement, I extol thee that thou hast
redeemed [pryth] my soul from the pit and hast caused me to rise up from the
sheol of perdition to the heights of eternity (1QH 3:19). Although these texts do
not use the term yesu a, it does appear in 1QH Fr 18:5 and in 1QH 15:15 with
eschatological verities; yet these references contextually allow for understanding
yesu a to also carry a national deliverance meaning as well.
46
Ibid., 982-83. In the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs XII, sozo is
understood as having an eternal nuance earned by obedience. It is also under-
stood that the individual with Gods help and cooperation achieves temporal
and eternal salvation (ibid., 984).
47
Ibid., 986, 988. See also Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the
New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, rev. and ed. Frederick
William Danker, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 982-83,
985-86.
48
James Hope Moulton and George Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek
Testament (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1997), 622.
64 Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society Autumn 2003

and individual foes. Extra-biblical usages also parallel Jewish concepts

of yasa and yesu a. While specialized usage for eternal salvation does
occur, it is always with a broader range of meaning that could include
one or more combinations of the non-eternal categories of usage.
Thus the commonly understood justification-only meaning of the
term salvation does not occur in the OT. May all grace proponents heed
Earl D. Radmachers call to avoid missing Gods meaning of the term
salvation:
Have you ever said something to a friend only to discover later
that while he heard what you said he missed the meaning?
This often happens when we read the Bible. How easy it is to
bring a meaning to a Bible passage that was not what the
writer had in mind. When we do that, we missed the mind of
God and are in serious danger of following the enemy of our
souls. To protect ourselves from that danger we need to study
the meaning of words and how they are used in their contexts.
And this is especially true of the word salvation.49
In Israelite culture and in the majority of the Hebrew Scriptures, sal-
vation did not mean salvation from eternal condemnation, but instead it
was understood to include a broader range of meaning: physical and
temporal deliverance. 50 Hence when someone refers to OT salvation,
remember to ask, From what? lest we miss Gods application for us.

49
Earl D. Radmacher, Salvation, ed. Roy B. Zuck (Nashville: Word Pub-
lishing, 2000), 3, emphasis original.
50
Nuesner and Green, Dictionary of Judaism in the Biblical Period, 542,
suggest that the manner in which salvation is construed has often oversim-
plified the breadth of biblical and post-biblical tradition.
They continue, Two misimpressions prevail in particular. First, for reasons
inherent in the New Testament, Christians usually construe salvation as deliver-
ance from sin and its consequences: guilt and divine condemnation. In fact, the
Hebrew Bible and much post-biblical tradition employ the Hebrew root ysh and
the Greek verb and noun sozo/soteria (save, salvation; rescue; deliver[ance]), as
well as a number of other terms and metaphors, to denote a range of divine ac-
tivity that includes rescue from ones enemies, healing from illness, and deliver-
ance from death, in addition to forgiveness of sin and release from its conse-
quencesSecond, much that is defined as salvation does not involve God
saving anyone from anything. Rather, God is bestowing on the covenant people
the blessings that they have been promised, without any sense that they have
hitherto been deprived of these things.