Deliverance
Category
Salvation & Redemption
Biblical Definition
God's rescuing act by which He saves people from danger, oppression, enemies, or judgment and brings them into safety under His care.
Origin(s)
Hebrew: יָשַׁע; Greek: ῥύομαι
Transliteration
yāšaʿ; rhyomai
Literal meaning
to save, deliver, bring to safety; to rescue, draw out of danger
Key Scripture(s)
Exodus 14:13-14,30; Psalm 18:17-19; Isaiah 43:1-3; Daniel 3:17; Colossians 1:13; 2 Timothy 4:18
Theological Significance
Deliverance displays God as the One who intervenes for His people when they cannot save themselves. The Exodus becomes the controlling Old Testament pattern, and later acts of deliverance point beyond temporal rescue to the fuller salvation accomplished in Christ.
Common Misunderstanding(s)
Deliverance is not a promise that every hardship will immediately disappear. In Scripture it is God's wise rescue, sometimes from danger and sometimes through suffering.
Practical Application
This word teaches believers to cry out to God in distress and to remember past rescues as fuel for present trust.