λύτρον
lýtron
G3083 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A means of releasing or setting free by payment; specifically, a ransom paid to effect the liberation of a person or thing from bondage, captivity, or obligation. The term primarily conveys the act of delivering or liberating via compensation. In various contexts, it can denote both literal and metaphorical deliverance, such as freeing slaves or hostages, or, in figurative usage, liberation from peril, debt, or spiritual consequence.
Semantic Range
ransom price, means of release or liberation, payment for redemption, compensation for the freeing of captives or slaves, price paid for deliverance, metaphorical or spiritual release
Root / Etymology
Derived from the verb λύω (to loose, release, untie); formed with the suffix -τρον indicating an instrument or means, thus, 'the means of releasing.' Cognate with classical terms relating to ransom or redemption. No Semitic origin; the term is Hellenic in formation.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, λύτρον referred to the payment rendered to free a captive, prisoner of war, or slave—commonly rendered 'ransom.' In early Greek literature (e.g., Homer), it appears in the context of exchanging goods or valuables for personal freedom. In the Septuagint, λύτρον is used to translate Hebrew terms such as כֹּפֶר (kofer, 'covering, ransom') and פִּדְיוֹן (pidyon, 'payment for redemption'), broadening its semantic field to legal and cultic situations, including compensation for manslaughter or ritual impurity. In the New Testament, λύτρον retains its foundational sense of 'ransom' as a price for liberation, but is employed in theological discourse to signify deliverance from sin or spiritual bondage, particularly in Mark 10:45 and Matthew 20:28 with reference to the death of Jesus as a means of liberating others. English translation traditions often render λύτρον as 'ransom,' but the nuance of a compensatory payment to secure release—grounded in both Greco-Roman and Israelite practice—may not be fully preserved by this single term. The concept is conceptually related to λυτρόω ('to redeem') and ἀπολύτρωσις ('redemption'), but not interchangeable with them, as λύτρον emphasizes the price or means rather than the act or result. Distinguished from terms like ἀντίλυτρον (counter-ransom, i.e., substitute ransom, see 1 Tim 2:6), which stresses the substitutionary aspect of the payment.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from λύω; something to loosen with, i.e. a redemption price (figuratively, atonement):--ransom.
Root Family
λύτρον (lytron) — release, ransom, payment for freedom, means of liberation
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3083-01 |
λύτρον | lutron | N ACC N SG |
ransom | a ransom price | a ransom price | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3083-01 |
Matthew 20:28 | λύτρον | lutron | N ACC N SG |
ransom | a ransom price | a ransom price |
G3083-01 |
Mark 10:45 | λύτρον | lutron | N ACC N SG |
ransom | a ransom price | a ransom price |