What does λύτρωσις (lýtrōsis) mean in the Bible?
Lytrosis means redemption, ransom-release, or deliverance. The word appears only three times in the New Testament, and each occurrence is significant.
Greek · G3085
λύτρωσις
A ransoming (figuratively)
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λύτρωσις G3085
Pronunciation lýtrōsis
What does λύτρωσις (lýtrōsis) mean in the Bible?
Lytrosis means redemption, ransom-release, or deliverance. The word appears only three times in the New Testament, and each occurrence is significant.
Reader summary
Full entry for λύτρωσις (G3085) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3085?
The BSB source-word alignment has 3 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include [the] redemption (1), redeemed (1), redemption (1).
Where does λύτρωσις (lýtrōsis) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 1:68. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (2), Hebrews (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Lytrosis means redemption, ransom-release, or deliverance. The word appears only three times in the New Testament, and each occurrence is significant. Zechariah blesses the Lord because He has visited and redeemed His people. Anna speaks about the Child to those waiting for Jerusalem's redemption. Hebrews declares that Christ entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, securing eternal redemption.
The word therefore moves from Israel's promised deliverance to the saving work accomplished by Jesus. It should not be reduced to vague rescue language. Lytrosis names redemption that God visits to accomplish, that faithful saints await, and that Christ secures eternally by His own blood.
How the Bible Uses It
Lytrosis appears in Luke's infancy narrative and in Hebrews. Luke presents redemption as the long-awaited deliverance of God's people centered on the coming Child. Hebrews shows the decisive ground of eternal redemption in Christ's once-for-all priestly entry by His own blood.
- Luke.1.68
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people.
Zechariah blesses the Lord because He has visited and redeemed His people. Redemption is God's covenant mercy arriving in history.
- Luke.2.38
Coming forward at that moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the Child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Anna speaks about the Child to those waiting for Jerusalem's redemption. Lytrosis is tied to hope fulfilled in Jesus' arrival.
- Heb.9.12
He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.
Christ secures eternal redemption by entering once for all through His own blood. Hebrews grounds redemption in His priestly sacrifice.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It [the] redemption 1× Luke 2:38
redeemed 1× Luke 1:68
redemption 1× Hebrews 9:12
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Luke 1:68
Aligned rows 3
Books represented 2
Luke 2 Hebrews 1
Source forms
λύτρωσιν 3x lytrōsin Luke 1:68, Luke 2:38, Hebrews 9:12
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 3x Luke 1:68, Luke 2:38, Hebrews 9:12
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Use this word to deepen hope in God's accomplished redemption, not to make vague rescue claims.
- Keep waiting, fulfillment, sacrifice, and eternal redemption together.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that lytrosis occurs often in the New Testament.
- Do not claim that redemption is secured by anything other than Christ's once-for-all work in Hebrews 9.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Redemption through payment of ransom price, especially Christ's sacrificial work securing deliverance.
Strong's G3085
Lexical occurrences 3 verses Greek text appearances 3 times Word forms 1 form 3 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Hebrews 9:11-14 Source Gloss
a ransoming (figuratively)
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Redemption through payment of ransom price, especially Christ's sacrificial work securing deliverance.
(λυτρόω), [in LXX: Lev.25:29, 48, Isa.63:4 גְּאֻלָּה), Num.18:16, Psa.49:8 111:9 130:7 (פָּדָה, פִּדְיוֹם, פְּדוּת), Jdg.1:15 * ;] a ransoming, redemption (αἰχμαλώτων, Plut., Arat., 11): of the mediatorial work of Christ, Heb.9:12; in general sense, deliverance(cf. Psa.4:8, l.with): Luk.1:68 2:38.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
3 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 1:68 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
λύτρωσιν lutrwsin
liberation, deliverance, release
Read verse Luke 2:38 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
λύτρωσιν lutrwsin
liberation, deliverance, release
Read verse Hebrews 9:12 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
λύτρωσιν lutrwsin
liberation, deliverance, release
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 1 Aligned forms 3 Case pattern Accusative (3) Number pattern Singular (3)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Accusative · Singular · Feminine Luke 1:68 · Luke 2:38 · Heb 9:12 3×
Sampled Scripture Occurrences
Representative Scripture witnesses for this entry: passage, original form, and sense in context.
New Testament Witnesses
redemption
redemption
redemption
Additional Occurrences
Luke 2:36–38 λύτρωσιν lýtrōsis
Redemption, release by payment
Word Origins
λύτρωσις is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Indicates deliverance by ransom, pointing toward atonement. Hebrews 9:11-14
Points toward deliverance accomplished through Christ. Luke 1:57–80
Indicates permanent release secured by Christ. Luke 2:21–40
Canonical Themes
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Lytrosis is a small word group in the New Testament, but it carries a large redemptive horizon. In Luke, redemption is not an abstract theme. It is the mercy for which Israel has waited, now arriving in the birth and mission of Jesus. Zechariah blesses God for visiting and redeeming His people, and Anna speaks about the Child to those waiting for Jerusalem's redemption.
Hebrews then shows how redemption is secured: not by repeated animal blood, but by Christ entering once for all by His own blood. The word therefore helps teachers join expectation, fulfillment, sacrifice, and eternal rescue without turning redemption into vague improvement.
Anchor passage
Heb.9.12
Doctrinal connections
- Luke 1:68: redemption is God's visitation and covenant mercy for His people.
- Luke 2:38: faithful waiting for Jerusalem's redemption is answered in the Child.
- Hebrews 9:12: eternal redemption is secured by Christ's own blood.
- G3084 lytroo: the related verb helps show redemption as release accomplished by God.
- G629 Apolytrosis: broader redemption language connects forgiveness, liberation, and future inheritance.
- Exodus patterns: New Testament redemption language echoes God's deliverance while centering fulfillment in Christ.
Lytrosis is a noun of redemption or release. Because it occurs only three times in the New Testament, its range should be handled through those contexts and related redemption terms rather than inflated by speculation.
From Old to New Testament
The Old Testament exodus, ransom, and return-from-exile hopes form the background for redemption language. Luke presents those hopes as coming to fulfillment in Jesus, while Hebrews shows their deepest basis in His priestly sacrifice.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain