λύτρωσις (G3085) — Greek Lexicon

λύτρωσις

lýtrōsis

G3085 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Release or deliverance effected by payment of a ransom; the act of setting free, especially from bondage or captivity. In broader usage, refers to deliverance or liberation, whether physical, social, or spiritual, often with an emphasis on the means or cost by which freedom is obtained.

Semantic Range

ransom price, liberation by payment, act of freeing someone from captivity or bondage, deliverance (spiritual or physical), means or act of redemption

Root / Etymology

From the verb λυτρόω (to set free by paying a ransom) and ultimately derived from λύτρον (ransom, the price for release). Related to the root λυ-, indicating loosening or releasing.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, λύτρωσις referred to the act of ransoming from slavery or captivity, emphasizing the concrete process of liberation through payment. In Hellenistic and Koine Greek (including the LXX and New Testament), the term retains this sense but extends metaphorically to contexts of deliverance from oppression, suffering, or sin. In the Septuagint, it often translates Hebrew terms for physical redemption or deliverance (e.g., from Egypt or exile), while in the New Testament, it acquires added theological and ethical significance, sometimes associated with forgiveness or spiritual liberation, yet the primary semantic core remains the actual act of release by means of a cost or ransom. English biblical translations often render λύτρωσις as 'redemption', but this may obscure its concrete nuance of a transaction or agency by which release is procured. Related terms such as ἀπολύτρωσις (G629) may broaden or intensify the sense of complete release or liberation.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from λυτρόω; a ransoming (figuratively):--+ redeemed, redemption.

Root Family

λυτρ- (lytróō) — to ransom, to liberate by payment, to redeem

Root λυτρ- to ransom, to set free, to deliver by payment

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
G3084	λυτρόω	you were ransomed
G3086	λυτρωτής	a ransom-liberator

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G3085-01`	λύτρωσιν	lutrosin	`N ACC F SG`	redemption	ransom-liberation	ransom-liberation	3

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G3085-01`	Luke 1:68	λύτρωσιν	lutrosin	`N ACC F SG`	redemption	ransom-liberation	redemption
`G3085-01`	Luke 2:38	λύτρωσιν	lutrosin	`N ACC F SG`	the redemption	ransom-liberation	ransom-liberation
`G3085-01`	Hebrews 9:12	λύτρωσιν	lutrosin	`N ACC F SG`	redemption	ransom-liberation	ransom-liberation

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