λυτρωτής
lytrōtḗs
G3086 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
One who liberates or ransoms another from bondage, capture, or danger; a deliverer. In extended senses, one who procures or brings about release from various forms of constraint, oppression, or peril, especially by payment of a price or fulfillment of a requirement. The term primarily denotes someone who acts to achieve the release, freedom, or protection of another by intervention.
Semantic Range
one who pays a ransom, one who liberates from captivity, legal or familial defender or deliverer, restorer of rights or property, agent of release from bondage or constraint, savior in a specific transactional sense, divine or human liberator
Root / Etymology
From the verb λυτρόω (to ransom, to liberate by paying a price), itself derived from the noun λύτρον (ransom, the price for release). λυτρωτής is the agent noun formation (-τής suffix) indicating 'one who ransoms' or 'one who liberates.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term λυτρωτής is rare in extant Greek literature, attested primarily in the Septuagint (LXX) and the New Testament (notably in Acts 7:35 for Moses). In the Septuagint, it is commonly used to translate Hebrew גֹּאֵל (go'el), denoting a 'kinsman-redeemer,' one who has the responsibility to rescue, protect, or restore the rights or freedom of a relative—whether via payment, advocacy, or vengeance. In Hellenistic contexts, the agent noun describes both secular and divine deliverers, sometimes gods or kings who deliver from calamity or oppression, but more narrowly in Israelite literary contexts for someone acting to restore or release by obligation. In the New Testament, λυτρωτής acquires a developed theological sense, often as 'deliverer' or 'redeemer,' but modern translations using 'redeemer' impose theological associations that may not match all Second Temple usages. The term is broader than simply 'savior' (σωτήρ), focusing specifically on the mechanism of release or ransom rather than mere rescue. λυτρωτής contrasts with σωτήρ (one who saves, rescuer) and ἐλευθερωτής (one who sets free), though with significant overlap; the nuance is on payment or structured act of liberation, not mere power or rescue. English 'redeemer' derives from Latin and post-biblical tradition, and may not capture the ancestral and legal obligations implied in Israelite or Judean usage.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from λυτρόω; a redeemer (figuratively):--deliverer.
Root Family
λυτρ- (lytróō) — to ransom, to liberate by payment, to redeem
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3086-01 |
λυτρωτὴν | lutroten | N ACC M SG |
deliverer | a ransom-liberator | a ransom-liberator | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3086-01 |
Acts 7:35 | λυτρωτὴν | lutroten | N ACC M SG |
deliverer | a ransom-liberator | a ransom-liberator |