Greek word · G629

ἀπολύτρωσις

apolytrōsis

redemption

Release or liberation, especially of a prisoner of war or slave, on payment of a ransom (lytron). The prefix apo- ("from, away") stresses being set free from something.

Appears 10 times in 10 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 31, 2026

What it means

ἀπο-λύτρωσις, -εως, ἡ

(ἀπολυτρόω, to release on payment of ransom, cf. λύτρον), [in LXX: Da (LXX) Daniel 4:30 with * ;]

release effected by payment of ransom, redemption, deliverance; metaphorically, Hebrews 11:35; of deliverance thr. Christ from evil and the consequences of sin: Luke 21:28, Romans 3:24 (Vau., in l) 8:23, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Ephesians 1:7, 14 4:30, Colossians 1:14, Hebrews 9:15. (On the extent to WH. the word retains the sense of ransom, see ICC, Romans 3:24, Westc., He., 297 ff.; see also ICC, Eph., 11; DCG, ii, 605; Cremer, 410; Deiss., LAE, 331; Lft., Notes, 271, 316; Tr., Syn., § 77.)†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ephesians 1:7

Range of meaning: Release or liberation, especially of a prisoner of war or slave, on payment of a ransom (lytron). The prefix apo- ("from, away") stresses being set free from something. In Jewish Greek the related verb lytroō had stretched to cover any powerful act of deliverance by God, with or without a price, most of all the Exodus.
Against the English: English "redemption" today usually means making up for past failures (a "redemption arc"), cashing in a voucher, or a general religious word for "being saved." The Greek is concrete: a captive walks free because someone secured the release.
How it drifted: Through church use, "redemption" became an all-purpose word for salvation, and in secular English it slid toward self-improvement and comeback. Few modern readers know the slave-market and prisoner-ransom picture behind it.
Used elsewhere in the period: Rare in Greek generally. Plutarch (Pompey 24) uses it for ransoming captives taken by pirates. The Letter of Aristeas (12, 33) uses it for freeing Jewish slaves in Egypt, and Josephus (Antiquities 12.27) does the same in his retelling. Philo (Every Good Man Is Free 114) uses it of release from captivity. In the Greek Old Testament the word appears once (Daniel 4:34, Nebuchadnezzar's "time of my release"), but its family (lytron, lytroō) runs all through it: Exodus 6:6 "I will redeem you with an outstretched arm"; the kinsman-redeemer and the ransom laws of Leviticus 25 and 27. In Paul: Romans 3:24; 8:23; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 1:14; Ephesians 1:14; 4:30.

From the study of Ephesians 4:30

Range of meaning: Release, liberation, especially release secured by paying a ransom (lytron), as in freeing slaves or prisoners of war. In biblical usage it can also mean deliverance more generally, though the price idea is often present (BDAG; cf. the debate between Warfield and Morris on the one hand and Hill and Marshall on the other over how strongly the price is in view).
Against the English: "Redemption" is the standard rendering. In modern English it can mean almost anything from "making up for a failure" to cashing in a coupon, or it becomes a vague synonym for "being saved". The concrete picture of a captive or slave set free at a cost fades.
How it drifted: "Redemption" became mainly a religious abstraction in English, and the everyday ransom picture faded.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the Septuagint the related verb lytroō describes the Exodus (Deut 7:8) and the return from exile (Isa 43:1, 14). Isaiah 63:9, right before the "grieved his holy spirit" verse, says God "redeemed them". In Ephesians 1:7, "we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of trespasses" is already present. In 1:14 the Spirit is the down payment "toward the redemption of [God's] possession", which is still future. Compare Rom 8:23, "the redemption of our bodies", and Luke 21:28.

From the study of Ephesians 1:14

Range of meaning: Release obtained by paying a ransom (lytron); in wider use, liberation or deliverance. It is rare in non-biblical Greek, where it is used of freeing captives or slaves. In the New Testament it can mean present release (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; Romans 3:24) or the final, complete deliverance at the end (Luke 21:28; Romans 8:23; Ephesians 4:30).
Against the English: 'Redemption' is accurate but worn smooth. Modern readers hear a general religious 'being saved', or a commercial sense (redeeming a coupon). The Greek pictures the freeing of a captive or slave, with the Exodus in the background.
How it drifted: Constant use in church language has made 'redemption' an abstract label instead of an image of release from bondage.
Used elsewhere in the period: Daniel 4:34 (Old Greek) is the only LXX use, where Nebuchadnezzar's 'time of release' comes. The related verb lytroō is the regular LXX word for God redeeming Israel from Egypt (Exodus 6:6; Deuteronomy 7:8) and from exile (Isaiah 43:1; 44:22–24). Romans 8:23 links the Spirit as firstfruits with 'the redemption of our bodies'.

Where it appears

Luke · 1

Luke 21:28 ἀπολύτρωσις redemption

When these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Here: The freeing of captives or slaves. Here it means the final release of Jesus' followers from persecution, distress and the world's hostility when the Son of Man comes (v. 27). Verse 31 restates it as "the kingdom of God is near".

Romans · 2

Romans 3:24 ἀπολυτρώσεως redemption

and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Here: Freeing someone who was held, such as a captive or slave, usually by paying a price (lytron, 'ransom'). For Jewish hearers it also recalled God bringing Israel out of Egypt. Here the release is how the verdict becomes possible.
Romans 8:23 ἀπολύτρωσιν redemption

Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Here: Release, the word for a slave or captive being set free. It stands beside 'adoption' and explains it: the completed adoption is the body set free.

1 Corinthians · 1

1 Corinthians 1:30 ἀπολύτρωσις, redemption,

It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.

Here: Release of a captive or slave, often by payment of a price. For Jews this called up the Exodus, when God redeemed Israel from slavery. Christ himself is the liberation of his people.

Ephesians · 3

Ephesians 1:7 ἀπολύτρωσιν redemption

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

Here: Release from captivity or slavery, built on the word for a ransom price (lytron). Here it names the freedom believers now hold "in him."
Ephesians 1:14 ἀπολύτρωσιν [the] redemption

who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.

Here: The final, complete setting-free still to come (compare 4:30, 'sealed for the day of redemption'). In 1:7 believers already 'have' redemption; here its completion is still ahead.
Ephesians 4:30 ἀπολυτρώσεως.¶ of redemption.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Here: The final release of God's purchased people, when he fully takes possession of what is his (1:14). The word carries the picture of freeing a slave or captive at a price.

Colossians · 1

Colossians 1:14 ἀπολύτρωσιν redemption

in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Here: Release from captivity or bondage. In wider Greek it often means release bought with a ransom price. After verse 13 ("rescued us from the authority of darkness") it carries the picture of an exodus: captives set free.

Hebrews · 2

Hebrews 9:15 ἀπολύτρωσιν redemption

Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

Here: Release bought at a price. Here what people are released from is the liability created by covenant violations, as if the transgressions were a debt or bond being paid off.
Hebrews 11:35 ἀπολύτρωσιν, release,

Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused their release, so that they might gain a better resurrection.

Here: Release from torture and death, offered by the persecutors on condition that the victim break God's law. Here it is not spiritual redemption from sin. It is a reprieve they could have had, and they refused it.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.