Savior
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
Soter means Savior, rescuer, or deliverer. The Pastoral Epistles apply the title to God and to Christ Jesus: God our Savior commands Paul's mission and welcomes prayer for all people, while Christ our Savior appears, abolishes death, brings life and immortality to light, and mediates the Spirit's rich outpouring.
Reader summary
Full entry for σωτήρ (G4990) · Open the biblical lexicon
Soter means Savior, rescuer, or deliverer. The Pastoral Epistles apply the title to God and to Christ Jesus: God our Savior commands Paul's mission and welcomes prayer for all people, while Christ our Savior appears, abolishes death, brings life and immortality to light, and mediates the Spirit's rich outpouring.
The BSB source-word alignment has 24 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include Savior (18), [the] Savior (3), a Savior (2), [is the] Savior (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 1:47. Its strongest book concentrations include Titus (6), 2 Peter (5), 1 Timothy (3), Acts (2).
Soter means Savior, rescuer, or deliverer. The Pastoral Epistles apply the title to God and to Christ Jesus: God our Savior commands Paul's mission and welcomes prayer for all people, while Christ our Savior appears, abolishes death, brings life and immortality to light, and mediates the Spirit's rich outpouring. The shared title belongs within the New Testament's confession of the one saving work of Father, Son, and Spirit without erasing their personal distinctions.
A savior is not merely an inspiring teacher or political improver. Human leaders must not borrow the title's ultimacy, and churches should not promise safety through loyalty to an institution. Salvation originates in God's mercy, is accomplished and revealed in Christ, renews by the Spirit, and creates hope, holiness, mission, and prayer for others.
Soter names God and Christ as Savior. The Pastoral uses display one divine saving purpose through command, universal prayer, Christ's appearing and victory over death, and the Spirit poured out through Jesus.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
First Timothy 1:1 identifies Paul as an apostle by command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope. Mission begins in divine initiative.
This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,
First Timothy 2:3 says prayer for all people, including rulers, is good and pleasing before God our Savior, who desires people to be saved and know truth.
And now He has revealed this grace through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the gospel,
Second Timothy 1:10 says grace is now revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and illuminated life and immortality through the gospel.
This is the Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
Titus 3:6 says God poured out the Holy Spirit richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, leading to justification by grace and heirship in eternal-life hope.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. One who delivers from danger or destruction; applied to God and Christ as ultimate rescuer.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 24 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
a savior, deliverer, preserver
Read versea savior, deliverer, preserver
Read versea savior, deliverer, preserver
Read versea savior, deliverer, preserver
Read versea savior, deliverer, preserver
Read versea savior, deliverer, preserver
Read versea savior, deliverer, preserver
Read versea savior, deliverer, preserver
Read versea savior, deliverer, preserver
Read versea savior, deliverer, preserver
Read versea savior, deliverer, preserver
Read versea savior, deliverer, preserver
Read versea savior, deliverer, preserver
Read versea savior, deliverer, preserver
Read versea savior, deliverer, preserver
Read versea savior, deliverer, preserver
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.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 4 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 6 selected witnesses from 24 lexical occurrence verses.
σωτήρ is built from this root:
Identifies Jesus as the deliverer from sin. 1 John 4:13-16
Identifies Jesus as fulfillment of covenant promise. 1 Timothy 2:1-7
God is identified as Savior, linking prayer to His redemptive character and purposes. Acts 13:13-41
Christ’s identity as Savior defines the scope and purpose of His mission. John 4:27–42
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Soter concentrates hope in God rather than in human competence. The Father is Savior as source and commander of the mission and as the One whose saving desire widens the church's prayers. Christ is Savior in His appearing, His defeat of death, His illumination of immortal life, and His mediation of the Spirit's outpouring. Titus can move between God our Savior and Christ our Savior because salvation is one coherent divine work, yet the persons and actions remain distinguishable.
Churches should proclaim rescue from sin, death, condemnation, and enslaving life while embodying mercy and mission. No leader becomes savior of the church, and no institution may demand loyalty as the condition of God's saving grace.
2Tim.1.10
Soter is an agent noun meaning savior, rescuer, or deliverer. Its application to God and Christ carries divine and eschatological weight beyond ordinary human rescue.
God repeatedly identifies Himself as Israel's only Savior, raises deliverers within history, and promises a righteous saving King, preparing the title's New Testament focus.
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