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σωτηρία

sōtēría

G4991 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Preservation, deliverance, or rescue—the act or means of being saved or protected from danger, harm, or destruction, whether physically, socially, or spiritually. Extended to denote the state of safety or well-being resulting from such deliverance, and in some contexts, refers to national or communal preservation, health, or restoration. In philosophical and later religious writings, can denote deliverance from adverse conditions or existential peril, sometimes with the sense of ultimate or eschatological rescue.

Semantic Range

deliverance from danger, preservation, rescue, safety, well-being, health, salvation (spiritual or physical), national or communal preservation, ultimate rescue or eschatological salvation

Root / Etymology

From σωτήρ (sōtér, 'deliverer, savior'), itself from the verb σώζω (sózō, 'to save, preserve'), with the abstract noun-forming suffix -ία. The term σωτηρία thus denotes the result or state associated with the action of saving.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, σωτηρία typically signifies deliverance from physical danger, rescue in battle, or survival in the face of peril (e.g., from shipwreck, war, disease). Greek authors used it for both individual and collective deliverance, including city-states preserved from external threats. In the Hellenistic period and the Septuagint, it is frequently used to translate Hebrew terms for deliverance (יְשׁוּעָה) and acquires connotations of preservation by the divine, particularly in the context of YHWH rescuing Israel or individuals. In the New Testament and contemporaneous literature, σωτηρία broadens to encompass spiritual, moral, and eschatological deliverance—rescue not only from physical danger but also from sin, judgment, or existential peril. Such usage may reflect both Jewish scriptural adaptation and philosophical trends. Standard English 'salvation' or 'deliverance' do not always distinguish between physical, communal, and spiritual senses; context within Greek sources provides the nuance. In contrast to closely related terms like λύτρωσις ('redemption'), σωτηρία emphasizes preservation from harm rather than emancipation from bondage. Usage in inscriptions and papyri often relates to healing, health, or safety in mundane affairs.

Translation Consistency

primary "deliverance" 45 occurrences

σωτηρία primarily denotes rescue/preservation across physical, social, and spiritual domains. "Deliverance" is the most natural, neutral English that covers rescue, preservation, safety, and eschatological rescue alike, and it is the most frequent rendering in the P2 data. It therefore provides the most consistent, broadly applicable single-word choice (less theologically narrow than "salvation").

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of a derivative of σωτήρ as (properly, abstract) noun; rescue or safety (physically or morally):--deliver, health, salvation, save, saving.

Root Family

σωτηρία (sōtēria) — deliverance, preservation, rescue, safety

Root σωτήρ to save, to preserve, to deliver

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G4991-03 σωτηρίας soterias N GEN F SG salvation of deliverance of deliverance 19
G4991-02 σωτηρίαν soterian N ACC F SG salvation deliverance deliverance 18
G4991-01 σωτηρία soteria N NOM F SG salvation deliverance deliverance 8

Occurrences in Scripture

45 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G4991-03 Luke 1:69 σωτηρίας soterias N GEN F SG of salvation of deliverance of deliverance
G4991-02 Luke 1:71 σωτηρίαν soterian N ACC F SG salvation deliverance deliverance
G4991-03 Luke 1:77 σωτηρίας soterias N GEN F SG of salvation of deliverance of deliverance
G4991-01 Luke 19:9 σωτηρία soteria N NOM F SG salvation deliverance deliverance
G4991-01 John 4:22 σωτηρία soteria N NOM F SG salvation deliverance deliverance
G4991-01 Acts 4:12 σωτηρία soteria N NOM F SG salvation deliverance deliverance
G4991-02 Acts 7:25 σωτηρίαν soterian N ACC F SG deliverance deliverance deliverance
G4991-03 Acts 13:26 σωτηρίας soterias N GEN F SG salvation of deliverance of deliverance
G4991-02 Acts 13:47 σωτηρίαν soterian N ACC F SG salvation deliverance deliverance
G4991-03 Acts 16:17 σωτηρίας soterias N GEN F SG of salvation of deliverance of deliverance
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