Two virtually synonymous verbs are used in the OT doctrine of redemption: gāʾal, usually translated “to redeem,” and pādhāh, usually translated “to ransom.” The basic meaning of the former is fixed in the secular example of Boaz and Ruth. In a word, Naomi and Ruth were in need, and it was the right of the next-of-kin to take their needs on himself. The dramatic tension in the Book of Ruth centers on the desire of Boaz to play the part of the gōʾel (a participle of the verb gāʾal, “one who acts