G3083 — λύτρον (lytron)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3083
Original: λύτρον
Transliteration: lytron
Pronunciation: loo'-tron
Part of Speech: Neuter noun
Root: λύω (lyō) — to loose, release, dissolve
Occurrences: 2 in NT (2 unique verses, 2 tokens)
First Occurrence: Mat 20:28 — "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
Hapax Legomenon: No (appears in 2 verses)

Lexicon Definition¶

From λύω (lyō); something to loosen with, i.e. a redemption price.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 37 — Control, Rule
Subdomain: 37.010 — Release, Set Free
Other words in subdomain: ἀντίλυτρον (antilytron, G487), ἀπολύτρωσις (apolytrōsis, G629), ἀπολύω (apolyō, G630), ἄφεσις (aphesis, G859), δικαιόω (dikaioō, G1344), ἐλευθερία (eleutheria, G1657), ἐλεύθερος (eleutheros, G1658), ἐλευθερόω (eleutheroō, G1659), ἐξαγοράζω (exagorazō, G1805)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Domain: 037 — Control, Rule
Representative neighbors: ἀγγαρεύω (G29), ἀγοράζω (G59), αἰχμαλωτίζω (G163), ἀκατάστατος (G182), ἅλυσις (G254), ἀναγκάζω (G315)

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
a ransom	2	100%

Uniform translation — KJV always renders λύτρον as "a ransom."

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Matthew	1	0.09
Mark	1	0.15

Limited to the Synoptic Gospels. Both occurrences are the same logion of Jesus recorded in parallel accounts. Absent from Luke's parallel (Luke 22:27 uses different phrasing), from John, from all Pauline and General Epistles, and from Revelation. Paul uses the cognate ἀπολύτρωσις (G629) instead; the author of 1 Timothy uses the compound ἀντίλυτρον (G487).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Substitutionary Price for Life¶

Both NT occurrences present λύτρον as the price Jesus gives — his own life — in exchange for the release of "many."

Mat 20:28 — "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
Mar 10:45 — "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."

The construction δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ λύτρον ἀντὶ πολλῶν ("to give his life a ransom for many") places λύτρον as the payment and ἀντί ("in the place of") as the marker of substitution. Only one semantic category exists for the NT usage. The word's broader semantic range (prices paid for slave manumission, prisoner release, consecration redemption) is attested in the LXX and extrabiblical Greek but not in the NT itself.

2. OT Background — Redemption Price (LXX Usage)¶

The lexicon's outline of biblical usage lists Exodus 21:30, Leviticus 19:20, Numbers 35:31, and Isaiah 45:13 — all LXX occurrences where λύτρον translates Hebrew כֹּפֶר (kopher, H3724) or related terms for a ransom price paid to redeem life:

Exo 21:30 (LXX) — ransom price for the owner of an ox that kills a person
Num 35:31 (LXX) — "ye shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer"
Isa 45:13 (LXX) — "not for price nor reward" (Cyrus's release of Israel)

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ψυχή (psyche)	G5590	2x (100%)	"give his life (psyche) a ransom" — the life given AS the ransom
ἀντί (anti)	G473	2x (100%)	"a ransom FOR (anti) many" — marks substitutionary exchange
πολύς (polys)	G4183	2x (100%)	"for MANY (pollōn)" — the beneficiaries of the ransom
διακονέω (diakoneō)	G1247	2x (100%)	"came not to be ministered unto but to minister" — service context

All collocations appear at 100% because the word occurs in only 2 verses (synoptic parallels of the same saying). The fixed phrase λύτρον ἀντὶ πολλῶν is the defining construction.

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3080 λύσις (lysis) — loosing, release (from λύω)
G3084 λυτρόω (lytroō) — to ransom, redeem (verb; 3 NT occurrences: Lk 24:21, Tit 2:14, 1 Pet 1:18)
G3085 λύτρωσις (lytrōsis) — ransoming, redemption (feminine noun; 3 occ: Lk 1:68, 2:38, Heb 9:12)
G3086 λυτρωτής (lytrōtēs) — redeemer, deliverer (masculine noun; 1 occ: Acts 7:35)
G487 ἀντίλυτρον (antilytron) — a ransom (compound: ἀντί + λύτρον; 1 occ: 1 Tim 2:6 — "who gave himself a ransom for all")
G629 ἀπολύτρωσις (apolytrōsis) — redemption in full (compound: ἀπό + λύτρωσις; 10 occ: Rom 3:24, Eph 1:7, Heb 9:15, etc.)

Synonyms¶

No additional curated synonyms were surfaced by search_relationships.py beyond the cognate redemption family already listed above.

Antonyms¶

No curated antonyms were surfaced by search_relationships.py for this entry.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
כֹּפֶר (kopher)	H3724	"ransom"	Hebrew OT word; covers broader range — cover/pitch, village, ransom, bribe; λύτρον is its primary LXX Greek equivalent
ἀντίλυτρον (antilytron)	G487	"ransom"	Strengthened compound (ἀντί + λύτρον); used by Paul in 1 Tim 2:6 with "for all" (ὑπὲρ πάντων) rather than "for many" (ἀντὶ πολλῶν)

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 37.010 — Release, Set Free)¶

Strong's	Word	Verses	Primary Translation	Key Difference
G487	ἀντίλυτρον	1	a ransom	Intensified form of λύτρον; 1 Tim 2:6 only
G629	ἀπολύτρωσις	9	redemption	The accomplished act/state of redemption, not the price itself
G630	ἀπολύω	28	release, put away	General release/dismissal; not tied to a price
G859	ἄφεσις	14	forgiveness, remission	Release from penalty (debt/sin); no price connotation
G1344	δικαιόω	17	justify	Legal declaration of righteous status; not a commercial transaction
G1805	ἐξαγοράζω	3	redeem	Marketplace metaphor — to buy out of (slavery); emphasizes purchase
G59	ἀγοράζω	11	buy	General purchase; applied metaphorically to Christ's acquisition

λύτρον is uniquely the price itself — not the act (ἀπολύτρωσις), not the state (ἐλευθερία), not the legal declaration (δικαιόω). It names the thing paid.

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
כֹּפֶר (kopher)	H3724	6	8.83	Primary — "cover, ransom price, satisfaction"; the standard Hebrew equivalent
פָּדוּי (paduy)	H6302	4	10.15	"Ransomed ones" — passive participle from פָּדָה (padah, H6299)
גְּאֻלָּה (geullah)	H1353	4	8.45	"Redemption, right of redemption" — from גָּאַל (gaal, H1350)
כֶּסֶף (keseph)	H3701	4	3.75	"Silver, money" — reflects the monetary nature of ransom payments
נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh)	H5315	4	2.79	"Soul, life, person" — the thing ransomed (life for life)

The strongest bridge is H3724 kopher (co-occ 6, PMI 8.83). Below the threshold of 20 co-occurrences for auto-generating a cross-testament trace.