Lexical Summary luó: To loose, to release, to dissolve, to break, to destroy Original Word: λύω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance break up, dissolve, looseA primary verb; to "loosen" (literally or figuratively) -- break (up), destroy, dissolve, (un-)loose, melt, put off. Compare rhegnumi. see GREEK rhegnumi HELPS Word-studies 3089 lýō – properly, loose (unleash) let go; release (unbind) so something no longer holds together; (figuratively) release what has been held back (like Christ "releasing" the seven seals in the scroll in Revelation). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. verb Definition to loose, to release, to dissolve NASB Translation annuls (1), break (1), breaking (1), broke down (1), broken (4), destroy (2), destroyed (3), loose (2), loosed (2), putting an end to (1), release (1), released (7), removed (1), take off (1), unbind (1), untie (8), untied (1), untying (4). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3089: λύωλύω; imperfect ἐλυον; 1 aorist ἔλυσά; passive, present λύομαι; imperfect ἐλυομην; perfect 2 person singular λέλυσαι, participle λελυμενος; 1 aorist ἐλυθην; 1 future λυθήσομαι; from Homer down; the Sept. several times for פָּתַח, to open, הִתִּיר and Chaldean שְׁרֵא (Daniel 3:25; Daniel 5:12); to loose; i. e.: 1. to loose any person (or thing) tied or fastened: properly, the bandages of the feet, the shoes, Mark 1:7; Luke 3:16; John 1:27; Acts ( 2. to loose one bound, i. e. to unbind, release from bonds, set free: one bound up (swathed in bandages), John 11:44; bound with chains (a prisoner), Acts 22:30 (where Rec. adds ἀπό τῶν δεσμῶν); hence, equivalent to to discharge from prison, let go, Acts 24:26 Rec. (so as far back as Homer); in Apocalyptic vision of the devil (κεκλεισμένον), Revelation 20:3; ἐκ τῆς φυλακῆς αὐτοῦ, 7; metaphorically, to free (ἀπό δεσμοῦ) from the bondage of disease (one held by Satan) by restoration to health, Luke 13:16; to release one bound by the chains of sin, ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν, Revelation 1:5 L T Tr WH (see λούω at the end (cf. Winer's Grammar, § 30, 6 a.)). 3. to loosen, undo, dissolve, anything bound, tied, or compacted together: the seal of a book, Revelation 5:2 (5 Rec.); tropically, τόν δεσμόν τῆς γλώσσης τίνος, to remove an impediment of speech, restore speech to a dumb man, Mark 7:35 (Justin, hist. 13, 7, 1 cui nomen Battos propter linguae obligationem init; 6 linguae nodis solutis loqui primum coepit); an assembly, i. e. to dismiss, break up: τήν συναγωγήν, passive, Acts 13:43 (ἀγορην, Homer, Iliad 1, 305; Odyssey 2, 257, etc.; Apoll. Rh. 1, 708; τήν στρατιάν, Xenophon, Cyril 6, 1, 2); of the bonds of death, λύειν τάς ὠδῖνας τοῦ θαντου, Acts 2:24 (see ὠδίν). Laws, as having binding force, are likened to bonds; hence, λύειν is equivalent to to annul, subvert; to do away with; to deprive of authority, whether by precept or by act: ἐντολήν, Matthew 5:19; τόν νόμον, John 7:23; τό σάββατον, the commandment concerning the sabbath, John 5:18; τήν γραφήν, John 10:35; cf. Kuinoel on Matthew 5:17; (on the singular reading λύει τόν Ἰησοῦ, 1 John 4:3 WH marginal reading see Westcott's Commentary at the passage); by a Chaldean and Talmudic usage (equivalent to אַתֵּר, שְׁרֵא (cf. Winer's Grammar, 32)), opposed to δέω (which see 2 c.), to declare lawful: Matthew 16:19; Matthew 18:18 (but cf. Weiss in Meyer 7te Aufl. ad the passages cited). to loose what is compacted or built together, to break up, demolish, destroy: properly, in passive ἐλύετο ἡ πρύμνα, was breaking to pieces, Acts 27:41; τόν ναόν, John 2:19; τό μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ, Ephesians 2:14 (τά τείχη, 1 Esdr. 1:52; γέφυραν, Xenophon, an. 2, 4, 17f); to dissolve something coherent into parts, to destroy: passive (τούτων πάντων λυομένων, 2 Peter 3:11); τά στοιχεῖα (καυσούμενα), 2 Peter 3:10; οὐρανοί (πυρούμενοι), 2 Peter 3:12; metaphorically, to overthrow, do away with: τά ἔργα τοῦ διαβόλου, 1 John 3:8. (Compare: ἀναλύω, ἀπολύω, διαλύω, ἐκλύω, ἐπιλύω, καταλύω, πυραλύω.) The verb translated “to loose, untie, release, break up, destroy, abolish” appears forty-two times in the Greek New Testament and spans the full range of redemptive history—from the literal untying of a colt to the final dissolution of the present heavens and earth. Its occurrences cluster around five spheres: everyday untying, legal or social release, deliverance from satanic or mortal bondage, apostolic authority in church discipline, and eschatological dissolution. Literal Loosing of Bonds and Objects The most basic sense concerns the simple act of untying or freeing a physical object. Jesus directs His disciples, “Go into the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there with her colt. Untie them and bring them to Me” (Matthew 21:2; also Mark 11:4-5; Luke 19:30-33). The bystanders’ question in Mark 11:5—“Why are you untying the colt?”—shows the everyday nature of the term. John 11:44 conveys the same literal action when Jesus orders Lazarus’ grave-clothes removed: “Unbind him and let him go”. Physical restraints are taken off so that life and movement may resume, foreshadowing deeper spiritual realities. Release from Legal or Social Obligations The verb also describes setting someone free from binding contracts or obligations. Paul advises the unmarried, “Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife” (1 Corinthians 7:27). Here the dissolution of a marriage covenant is in view; the tie has been legally loosed. Luke employs the term in the courtroom. A Roman commander “released” Paul from his bonds so he might learn the charge against him (Acts 22:30). Likewise, after the shipwreck on Malta, the stern of the vessel “was being broken up” (Acts 27:41), showing the verb’s extension to the disintegration of material structures. Spiritual Liberation and Redemption The heart of New Testament theology emerges when the verb speaks of liberation from death, sin, and satanic oppression. Peter proclaims at Pentecost, “God raised Him up, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him” (Acts 2:24). The resurrection is portrayed as the decisive unbinding of death’s cords. In Luke 13:16 Jesus asks, “Should not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound these eighteen years, be released from her bonds on the Sabbath?”. The Sabbath healings demonstrate that God’s rest includes freedom from the devil’s chains. John summarizes Christ’s mission: “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). The verb underscores a total dismantling of Satan’s operations, not merely a temporary respite. Revelation 1:5 celebrates the fruit of that victory: Jesus Christ “loved us and released us from our sins by His blood”. The shedding of blood effects a permanent emancipation. Authority to Bind and Loose in the Kingdom Jesus entrusts His disciples with derivative authority: “Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19; 18:18). In context the terms refer to admitting or excluding, forgiving or retaining—actions carried out in harmony with heaven’s prior decree. The passive perfect in heaven underscores divine initiative; earthly ministry enacts what the Father has already willed. The same pattern appears in John 20:23, where the post-resurrection commission links the forgiveness of sins with Spirit-empowered proclamation. The church does not create forgiveness; it announces and administers it. Christological Fulfillment and Abolition of Barriers Ephesians 2:14-15 portrays Christ as the One who “has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and ordinances”. The verb pictures the tearing down of the Jew-Gentile barrier, producing one new humanity. Far from negating the moral law, this abolition fulfills its ceremonial shadows and unites formerly estranged peoples into a single body. Eschatological Unbinding and Cosmic Dissolution Future texts employ the verb to describe both the loosing of demonic forces and the final disintegration of creation. Four angels “having been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind” (Revelation 9:15). Satan himself “will be released from his prison” after the thousand years (Revelation 20:3, 7). Peter applies the term three times to the fiery end of the universe: “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire” (2 Peter 3:10-12). What was once spoken into cohesion will be loosed into nothingness, making way for “new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). Pastoral and Missional Implications 1. Proclaim liberation. Preaching should announce Christ’s finished work that has loosed believers from sin’s penalty and power (Revelation 1:5; Acts 2:24). Connection to Old Testament Imagery Prophets foretold a Messiah who would “proclaim liberty to the captives” (Isaiah 61:1). The Greek verb in Luke 4:18 (“set free”) corresponds conceptually. Additionally, God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt and from Babylon foreshadowed the greater unbinding accomplished at Calvary. Summary Across the New Testament the verb translated “loose” traces a single redemptive arc: • Physical untying → legal release → spiritual emancipation In every occurrence, the word proclaims that God in Christ breaks every chain—personal, societal, and cosmic—until nothing remains to hinder perfect fellowship with Him. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 5:19 V-ASA-3SGRK: ἐὰν οὖν λύσῃ μίαν τῶν NAS: Whoever then annuls one of the least KJV: therefore shall break one INT: if then shall break one of the Matthew 16:19 V-ASA-2S Matthew 16:19 V-RPM/P-NNS Matthew 18:18 V-ASA-2P Matthew 18:18 V-RPM/P-NNP Matthew 21:2 V-APA-NMP Mark 1:7 V-ANA Mark 7:35 V-AIP-3S Mark 11:2 V-AMA-2P Mark 11:4 V-PIA-3P Mark 11:5 V-PPA-NMP Luke 3:16 V-ANA Luke 13:15 V-PIA-3S Luke 13:16 V-ANP Luke 19:30 V-APA-NMP Luke 19:31 V-PIA-2P Luke 19:33 V-PPA-GMP Luke 19:33 V-PIA-2P John 1:27 V-ASA-1S John 2:19 V-AMA-2P John 5:18 V-IIA-3S John 7:23 V-ASP-3S John 10:35 V-ANP John 11:44 V-AMA-2P Acts 2:24 V-APA-NMS Strong's Greek 3089 |
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