σωτηρία
Rescue or safety (physically or morally)
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What does σωτηρία (sōtēría) mean in the Bible?
σωτηρία (sōtēría) is a Greek word meaning "rescue or safety (physically or morally)". σωτηρία, -ας, ἡ (σωτήρ), [in LXX for יֶשַׁע, יְשׁוּעָה, תְּשׁוּעָה, פְּלֵיטָה, etc. Describes the full rescue accomplished through faith in Christ. This term runs through the canonical themes of Faith, Messiah, Redemption.
Full entry for σωτηρία (G4991) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
Redemptive deliverance from sin and death, both present spiritual rescue and future eternal completion
(σωτήρ), [in LXX for יֶשַׁע, יְשׁוּעָה, תְּשׁוּעָה, פְּלֵיטָה, etc. ;] deliverance, preservation, salvation, safety (Lat. salus): Act.7:25 27:34, Heb.11:7; ἐξ ἐχθρῶν, Luk.1:71. In NT esp. of Messianic and spiritual salvation (see: σώζω): Luk.19:9, Jhn.4:22, Act.4:12 13:47, Rom.11:11, 2Th.2:13, 2Ti.3:15, Heb.2:3 6:9, 2Pe.3:15, Ju 3; opposite to ἀπηώλεια, Php.1:28; αἰώνιος-., Heb.5:9; ὁ λόγος (τὸ εὐαγγέλιον) τῆς σ., Act.13:26, Eph.1:13; ὁδὸς σωτηρίας, Act.16:17; κέρας σωτηρίας, Luk.1:69; ἡμέρα σωτηρίας, 2Co.6:2 (LXX); κατεργάζεσθαι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σ., Php.2:12; κληρονομεῖν σ., Heb.1:14; ὁ ἀρχηγὸς τῆς σ., Heb.2:10; εἰς σ., Rom.1:16 10:1, 10, 1Pe.2:2; σ. as a present possession (see: σώζω), Luk.1:77, 2Co.1:6 7:10, Php.1:19, 2Ti.2:10; as more fully realized in the future: Rom.13:11, 1Th.5:8-9, Heb.9:28, 1Pe.1:5 1:9-10, Rev.7:10 12:10 19:1.
Why This Word Matters
Describes the full rescue accomplished through faith in Christ. Acts 4:1-12
Declares present deliverance through Christ. Luke 19:1–10
Peter declares that true and final deliverance comes only through Jesus’ name. Romans 10:5-13
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
New Testament Witnesses
Additional Occurrences
Appears In
Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.
Word Pictures (Robertson)
A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain