# Ancient (biblical greek) for the adjective "set free" or "freed."



## YoelDavid12

Hi guys! 
I want to design a tattoo. It's a little complicated though. It includes Hebrew and Greek. What I need in Greek is the adjective for "set free" or "freed" or "liberated." I know the root verb, which would be ἐλευθερόω: to liberate. As in john 8:36: so if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 
The word that I want is the adjective, as in "I have been _set free._" I want the word to mean that the action has happened to me. Also, I want this in ancient biblical Greek. If this isn't the correct forum to post on please tell me! I couldn't find one better, but didn't look really hard.  
Thanks in advance!


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## tsoapm

Hi,

In 8:36 it’s ἐλεύθεροι, plural and nominative. I imagine nominative would be alright and I also imagine that you’re male, so I’d say that ends up being: ἐλεύθερος. You’d better get confirmation though if it’s for a tattoo.

Actually, it happens to be vocab in my NT Greek textbook, so I’m fairly sure about it, apart from the accents, which I don’t really understand at all.


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## Nikolaos_Kandidatos

Hi, ἐλεύθερος (again assuming you are male) is correct and is the normal adjective meaning "free". However, it does not automatically imply you have been set free, and as such may not fulfill your criteria.

May I suggest the word ἀπελεύθερος, found in First Corinthians 7,23? Properly it means "set free, liberated" as in a slave that has been set free (by Christ in this case).


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## YoelDavid12

Mark Dobson said:


> Hi,
> 
> In 8:36 it’s ἐλεύθεροι, plural and nominative. I imagine nominative would be alright and I also imagine that you’re male, so I’d say that ends up being: ἐλεύθερος. You’d better get confirmation though if it’s for a tattoo.
> 
> Actually, it happens to be vocab in my NT Greek textbook, so I’m fairly sure about it, apart from the accents, which I don’t really understand at all.






Nikolaos_Kandidatos said:


> Hi, ἐλεύθερος (again assuming you are male) is correct and is the normal adjective meaning "free". However, it does not automatically imply you have been set free, and as such may not fulfill your criteria.
> 
> May I suggest the word ἀπελεύθερος, found in First Corinthians 7,23? Properly it means "set free, liberated" as in a slave that has been set free (by Christ in this case).



Thank you both! I appreciate both of your answers.
*Nikolaos_Kandidatos thank you for showing me the point that it doesn't automatically mean "set" or "made" free. I definitely want that crucial element. My idea is to have both Hebrew and Greek. The Hebrew would say "I have been" and the Greek would say "set free"(yes, I realize the Hebrew is read right to left).
Would the word ἀπελεύθερος work in this case? I realized that this word is a noun. I don't want it to read "I have been [a freed man]", implying that I once was, and now am not. Maybe this is difficult because the Greek would include all of that messy english grammar into one word, therefore making it impossible to translate as split words. Any suggestions?
Btw, you guys are great! Thanks for your detailed responses.
Also, yes I am male.
And yes this would be for a tattoo, but I just thought about the idea yesterday and thought I'd see if it was a possibility with grammar and such. I have no plans to get this soon, or maybe ever. Just a little research.


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## tsoapm

Mark Dobson said:


> In 8:36 it’s ἐλεύθεροι





Nikolaos_Kandidatos said:


> May I suggest the word ἀπελεύθερος, found in First Corinthians 7,23?


But between ἐλεύθερος and ἀπελεύθερος, isn’t the only real difference ἀπο used as an intensifier? I was assuming that the θ in ἐλεύθερος was an indicator of a passive construction, but if it’s already in ἐλευθερόω, as I now note, I suppose it can’t be.

*Edit:* Oh, I’m properly lost now, here it says "deliver*ed* from obligation", "properly, …  liberat*ed*, … unshackl*ed*".


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## Nikolaos_Kandidatos

Hi guys,

Mark Dobson: no, as you found out, ἀπὸ is not merely an intensifier in this case as ἀπελεύθερος "freedman, liberated person" is a technical term of the institution of slavery in the ancient world and would be appropriate because it was precisely this institution that was used metaphorically by Christ and St. Paul to describe the relationship of man and God (a free man is still God's slave and a slave is still a freedman of God).

YoelDavid12: in this case I'm afraid cannot recommend simply using ἀπελεύθερος as it is unlikely the result of such a direct translation from English syntax would be grammatical in either language. I cannot speak for Hebrew though as I have zero competency in that language. Perhaps it might be possible to find a compromise after consulting someone literate in Hebrew, but may I offer an alternate suggestion? If you simple want a Christian tattoo meaning I have been set free, why not just get the same text in Hebrew, Greek and why not in Latin too, so you'd have the full set of sacred languages like the "King of Jews"-inscription on the cross? It would not be anachronistic and you wouldn't have to break grammar rules to do it. If you like the idea I can give you the last two - the Greek would be "ἠλευθέρωμαι" and the Latin "liberatus sum", both perfect tense forms meaning literally "I have been set free". (The Latin could technically also mean "I was set free" while the Greek explicitly states "I have been set free and am free now").


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## YoelDavid12

Nikolaos_Kandidatos said:


> If you simple want a Christian tattoo meaning I have been set free, why not just get the same text in Hebrew, Greek and why not in Latin too, so you'd have the full set of sacred languages like the "King of Jews"-inscription on the cross? It would not be anachronistic and you wouldn't have to break grammar rules to do it.



The idea behind mixing languages was the Hebrew representing the OT, the Law, "I have been" (in the past) and the Greek representing the NT and the new covenant "set free". But what I was afraid of is true I think. I still want the idea of each language representing the stages of life and how Christ has changed me. So maybe I'll just do two seperate sentences. Something like, "I was a slave" (Hebrew) and "I am liberated" (Greek).


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## YoelDavid12

Also, I looked up the word ἠλευθέρωμαι and the verse that comes up is John 8:32, where it is translated as "shall set you free". 
Is this just a loose translation? Or somehow passive and referring to anyone? The second person singular(or plural?) threw me off.


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## Nikolaos_Kandidatos

YoelDavid12 said:


> Also, I looked up the word ἠλευθέρωμαι and the verse that comes up is John 8:32, where it is translated as "shall set you free". Is this just a loose translation? Or somehow passive and referring to anyone? The second person singular(or plural?) threw me off.



ἡλευθέρωμαι is perfect passive 1nd person singular, "I have been set free" and cannot be translated "shall set you free". John 8,32 reads instead ἐλευθερώσει which is future active 3rd person singular, "he/she/it will set you free" (καὶ γνώσεσθε τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς - and you will learn the truth and the truth will set you free) The search engine must have simply decided to serve you a related but non-identical form of the same word.


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## Polyvius

I think "απελεύθερος" would do. The word exactly means a former slave that is set free. If the hebrew means "i have been", then the whole gives the sense that "I was slave and now free".


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## Nikolaos_Kandidatos

Polyvius said:


> I think "απελεύθερος" would do. The word exactly means a former slave that is set free. If the hebrew means "i have been", then the whole gives the sense that "I was slave and now free".



...or it might end up meaning "I was a freedman (but am no more)", that is that my being ἀπελεύθερος is a past state and I am now possibly again a slave. Perhaps it would be better to write "I became" or "I was made" in Hebrew and then ἀπελεύθερος, but at the very least this should be done by someone competent in both languages to avoid awkward... dystranslations.


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