λύσις
lýsis
G3080 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A loosening or release, primarily indicating the act or process of unbinding, setting free, or dissolving a bond or obligation. In specific contexts, λύσις denotes the ending of a relationship or legal tie, such as the dissolution of marriage (divorce), the termination of an agreement, or the freeing of a captive. The core sense is that of release from a binding state, which can be physical, legal, or metaphorical. It may also refer to the act of loosening bonds, liberation from captivity, the cancellation of debt, or the expiration of an obligation.
Semantic Range
loosening, release, dissolution, freeing from bonds, setting free from captivity or obligation, cancellation (of a contract or debt), divorce (dissolution of marriage), restoration (in medical sense), resolution (of a crisis)
Root / Etymology
From the verb λύω (to loosen, release, set free, dissolve), with the abstract noun-forming suffix -σις indicating an action or process; thus, 'the act of loosening or releasing.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
The use of λύσις as the noun for an act of loosening or release is attested in classical Greek, including medical contexts (the resolution of a crisis or fever, restoration of health), as well as in legal and social settings (termination of contracts, release from obligations). In Hellenistic and Koine Greek, including the Septuagint and non-biblical papyri, λύσις regularly refers to release from bondage, cancellation of debts, or divorce (the legal termination of marriage). In the New Testament and contemporaneous sources, it most frequently denotes divorce, standing as a technical term for the dissolution of a marriage—paralleling Jewish and Greco-Roman legal usage. English translations often render λύσις as 'divorce,' but its range extends to any systematic unbinding or release. Its meaning should be distinguished from ἄφεσις (forgiveness, remission), which pertains more to cancellation of debts or sins, while λύσις is more general for release or untying of any bond.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from λύω; a loosening, i.e. (specially), divorce:--to be loosed.
Root Family
λύσις (lysis) — loosening, release, dissolution
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3080-01 |
λύσιν | lusin | N ACC F SG |
to be loosed | a release | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3080-01 |
1 Corinthians 7:27 | λύσιν | lusin | N ACC F SG |
to be loosed | a release |