G3084 — λυτρόω (lytróō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3084
Original: λυτρόω
Transliteration: lytróō
Pronunciation: loo-tro'-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: λύτρον (lytron, G3083) — a ransom price, something to loosen with
Occurrences: 3 unique verses (4 tokens)
First Occurrence: Luke 24:21 — "But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From λύτρον (G3083); to ransom (literally or figuratively): — redeem.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 37 — Control, Rule
Subdomain: 37.010 — Release, Set Free
Other words in subdomain: ἀγοράζω (G59), ἄνεσις (G425), ἀντίλυτρον (G487), ἀπαλλάσσω (G525), ἀπολύτρωσις (G629), ἀπολύω (G630), ἄφεσις (G859), δικαιόω (G1344), ἐλευθερία (G1657), ἐλεύθερος (G1658), ἐλευθερόω (G1659), ἐξαγοράζω (G1805)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

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

Verb Form Distribution¶

Form	Parsing	Verse
λυτροῦσθαι	Present Middle Infinitive	Luke 24:21
λυτρώσηται	Aorist Middle Subjunctive 3S	Titus 2:14
ἐλυτρώθητε	Aorist Passive Indicative 2P	1 Peter 1:18

All three NT occurrences use the middle or passive voice — never the active. The middle voice emphasizes the subject's vested interest in the act of redemption ("redeem for himself"), while the passive portrays believers as recipients of redemption ("you were redeemed").

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
have redeemed	1	33%
he might redeem	1	33%
redeemed	1	33%

Every occurrence is translated with "redeem" in the KJV, making this one of the most semantically uniform words in the NT.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Titus	1	2.2
1 Peter	1	1.0
Luke	1	0.1

The word appears only 3 times across 3 books. It is absent from Paul's major epistles, Hebrews, and Revelation — books that discuss redemption using the cognate noun ἀπολύτρωσις (G629) instead. All three occurrences are in epistolary or post-resurrection discourse (none in Jesus' pre-passion teaching).

Semantic Categories¶

1. National/Messianic Redemption (Hope for Israel's Deliverance)¶

Luke 24:21 — "But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done." The Emmaus disciples express dashed hope that Jesus was the one to redeem Israel — a political-messianic expectation of national liberation.

2. Redemption from Sin through Christ's Self-Giving¶

Titus 2:14 — "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Christ's self-sacrifice is the ransom price. The redemption is from ἀνομία (lawlessness/iniquity), and the purpose clause links redemption to purification and the creation of a covenant people.

3. Redemption by Costly Blood (Not Corruptible Things)¶

1 Peter 1:18 — "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;" The marketplace metaphor is explicit: redemption costs something. Silver and gold are insufficient; the implied payment (stated in v. 19) is "the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish."

Common Collocations¶

With only 3 verses, no statistically significant collocations exist. Theologically notable co-occurring words include:

Word	Strong's	Verse	Pattern
ἀνομία (anomía)	G458	Tit 2:14	"redeem from all iniquity"
καθαρίζω (katharízō)	G2511	Tit 2:14	redemption paired with purification
ἀργύριον (argýrion)	G694	1Pe 1:18	silver explicitly rejected as ransom currency
Ἰσραήλ (Israḗl)	G2474	Luk 24:21	national scope of expected redemption
λαός (laós)	G2992	Tit 2:14	"a peculiar people" — redemption creates a people
περιούσιος (perioúsios)	G4041	Tit 2:14	"peculiar" = OT covenant echo (Exod 19:5 LXX)

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3083 λύτρον (lytron) — ransom price, something to loosen with (Matt 20:28, Mark 10:45)
G3085 λύτρωσις (lytrōsis) — ransoming, redemption (noun; Luke 1:68, 2:38, Heb 9:12)
G3086 λυτρωτής (lytrōtēs) — deliverer, redeemer (noun; Acts 7:35 — Moses as "deliverer")
G487 ἀντίλυτρον (antilytron) — ransom, counter-price (1 Tim 2:6 — Christ "gave himself a ransom for all")
G629 ἀπολύτρωσις (apolytrōsis) — redemption in full, complete ransom (Rom 3:24, Eph 1:7, Heb 9:15)
G3080 λύσις (lysis) — loosing, release (1 Cor 7:27)

All derive from the root λύω (lyō, G3089) — to loose, untie, set free.

Synonyms¶

ἐξαιρέω (G1807)
σῴζω (G4982)
κτάομαι (G2932)
διασῴζω (G1295)
φόβος (G5401)

Antonyms¶

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

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἀγοράζω (agorázō)	G59	"redeemed" (Rev 5:9, 14:3-4)	Marketplace purchase metaphor; emphasizes the buying act, not the ransom-price mechanism
ἐξαγοράζω (exagorázō)	G1805	"redeem" (Gal 3:13, 4:5)	Buying out of (ἐκ) the marketplace; emphasizes extraction from slavery, especially from the curse of the law
ῥύομαι (rhýomai)	G4506	"deliver" (overlapping concept)	General deliverance/rescue; no price-payment connotation
σῴζω (sṓzō)	G4982	"save" (overlapping concept)	Broader term for salvation/healing; lytroo specifically implies a ransom transaction

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

Word	Strong's	Total Verses	Primary KJV	Key Difference
ἀγοράζω	G59	11	buy	General commercial purchase; redemptive only in Rev 5:9, 14:3-4
ἀντίλυτρον	G487	1	ransom	The counter-price itself (noun), not the act of ransoming
ἀπολύτρωσις	G629	9	redemption	The completed state/act of ransoming (noun); Paul's preferred term
ἀπολύω	G630	28	release, send away	Release without ransom implication; used of divorce and prisoner release
ἄφεσις	G859	14	forgiveness, remission	Release from guilt/debt; cancellation rather than price-payment
δικαιόω	G1344	17	justify	Legal acquittal; forensic metaphor vs. lytroo's marketplace metaphor
ἐλευθερόω	G1659	8	set free	Freedom from bondage (esp. sin/law in Paul); status change, not price focus
ἐξαγοράζω	G1805	3	redeem	Buy out of (the slave market); extraction emphasis

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences (LXX)	PMI Score	Notes
פָּדָה (pâdâh)	H6299	39	7.79	Primary: to sever, ransom; general redemption by payment
גָּאַל (gâʼal)	H1350	40	7.04	Primary: kinsman-redeemer; redemption by family obligation
פָּרַק (pâraq)	H6561	3	6.36	Break off, deliver by force
פֶּטֶר (peṭer)	H6363	4	6.77	Firstborn opening (the thing redeemed, not the act)

The LXX translators used λυτρόω to render both pâdâh (payment-ransom) and gâʼal (kinsman-redemption). This merger means the Greek word carries both the commercial transaction sense and the family-obligation sense of the Hebrew terms.