λύτρον (lutron)
lutron
ransom
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun lutron refers to a ransom, specifically the price paid to secure the release of slaves or captives. In the New Testament, it appears only twice, both in parallel accounts where Jesus describes his mission: Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45. The sources note that this term is used for the monetary compensation required to free a person from bondage, drawing on a background where human lives had a set market value.
Its theological weight comes from the phrase "a ransom for many." This construction links Jesus’ death directly to Old Testament concepts of redemption and substitution. Just as money was paid to buy back prisoners in ancient times, Jesus presents his life as the payment that liberates others from the penalty of sin. The word emphasizes a concrete transaction rather than an abstract idea, highlighting the cost involved in this act of deliverance.
Etymologically, lutron derives from the verb lyō, meaning "to loose" or "to release." This root connection reinforces the image of breaking chains. While translators often use the single English word "ransom," the Greek term carries the full sense of a purchase price paid to a holder of power. The sources highlight that this usage distinguishes it from general terms for forgiveness, focusing instead on the legal and economic reality of buying back freedom.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word lutron carries the weight of a real transaction. In the ancient world, it was the price paid to free a slave or captive from bondage. When Jesus uses this term, He is not speaking in vague spiritualities but in the concrete language of purchase and release. His life is the currency that buys freedom for those held by sin.
This truth offers deep comfort. You are not left to struggle alone against forces that seek to bind you. The cost has already been paid in full by Christ. This act of service was not an accident but a deliberate mission, showing that God values your freedom above all else.
Reflecting on this sacrifice invites gratitude rather than fear. It reminds us that our worth is established by the price paid for us. We can rest in the assurance that we have been liberated, not by our own efforts, but by the generous gift of His life.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [as] a ransom2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- λύτρον2×
Key Verses
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Matthew 20:28
even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
This verse explicitly links Jesus' servant role with the payment of His life as a lutron, defining His mission as one of active liberation for many.
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Mark 10:45
For the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark's parallel account reinforces that this ransom was not an afterthought but the central purpose of the Son of Man's coming to earth.