# Redeemed written in original/ancient/New Testament Greek



## DrewDoggy

Hi, I am looking to get a tattoo of redeemed in New testament greek. I read that the NT was written in all capital letters. so should i do it that way? But i believe the root is either, exagorazo or lytroo. So i need help with the way it is written.


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## Nikolaos_Kandidatos

Hi,

it seems both ἐξαγοράζω and λυτρῶ are used but λυτρῶ probably more and perhaps feels more appropriate. So the perfect participle would be λελυτρωμένος / λελυτρωμένη (depending on your gender). Also, googling λελυτρωμένος seems to point to sites where it is used in the appropriate theological sense (αἵματι Χριστοῦ λελυτρωμένος etc.). If you want to mimic the writing of the time of Christ, ΛΕΛΥΤΡΩΜΕΝΟΣ / ΜΕΝΗ should be reasonably close.


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## Perseas

Next to N. Kandidatos' excellent post, I 'd like to add that the past participle of the same verb is _λυτρωθείς _m._/ λυτρωθεῖσα _f. and capitalized _ΛΥΤΡΩΘΕΙΣ _m._/ ΛΥΤΡΩΘΕΙΣΑ _f..


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## DrewDoggy

Ok so λυτρωθείς is the past? Like was redeemed or redeemed. Thats the more correct one?


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## Perseas

λυτρωθείς = he who was redeemed
λελυτρωμένος = he who has been redeemed


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## DrewDoggy

Ok thank both you guys so much  your awesome!!!


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## fdb

The perfect passive participle “redeemed” does not (by chance) actually occur anywhere in the NT. If you are thinking of the specifically Pauline concept of the Christian redeemed (literally: bought back) by the sacrifice of Christ’s blood, then you should know that the verb used by Paul is always ἐξαγοράζω not λυτρῶ.


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## DrewDoggy

Hmm ive seen both used though?


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## fdb

Yes, ἐξαγοράζω is in Gal. 3,13; 4,5; Eph. 5,1; Col. 4,5
λυτρῶ is in Luke 24,21; Titus 2,14; 1 Pet. 1,18.


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## Nikolaos_Kandidatos

Good point, fdb. Λυτρῶ probably seemed more familiar to me because it is  almost always used in the Old Testament LXX (carrying out a search in Thesaurus Linguae Graecae, I seem to get around 110  hits as opposed to just 2 for ἐξαγοράζω).

However, in post-New Testament literature in general the participle λελυτρωμένος seems more common than ἐξηγορασμένος. Searching all texts later than 0 BC gives just 5 hits for ἐξηγορασμένος but around 167 for λελυτρωμένος/η. Even so ἐξηγορασμένος is used, if only a couple of times, in the required sense (together with αἵματι or αἵματι Χριστοῦ etc.) so it's certainly not wrong and, since fdb demonstrates the verb is preferred by Paul, it might just be what DrewDoggy is looking for.

I have a slight feeling that ἐξαγοράζω in this sense is a more "down-to-earth" term (probably borrowed by Paul from a non-religious contemporary context like the ransoming of prisoners of war or slaves, in order to illustrate the practical meaning of the redemption ), while λυτρῶ is the traditional term and carries a more solemn feeling due to its extensive use in the Old Testament (at least to the hellenized Jews outside Palestine who read their OT in Greek translation). But I must stress that this is just a hunch and might be influenced by my Modern Greek. Maybe someone more informed could comment on this possible semantic difference?


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## Perseas

_Εξαγοράζω_ = bye off, bribe, bye out, ransom, redeem, suborn, corrupt
_Λυτρώνω_ = ransom, redeem, free, relieve

Those are some meanings of the verbs we are discussing here according to my dictionary. I cited them to present a more complete picture, maybe you find them interesting. In addition, _λυτρώνω_ is a synonym for _σώζω_ (save), which is also an ancient verb but still in use. A difference between _σώζω_ and _λυτρώνω_ is that the latter is used in a more elevated style, it is more formal and would fit in theological contexts. Now, if DrewDoggy is interested precisely in the point referred to by fdb, it's ok.


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## DrewDoggy

Thank you guys


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## JacksonChase

Looking for a male version of the word Redeemed. Something along the lines of a definition "has been redeemed". Would maybe like a Koine version of this as it is in what the New Testament was written. Any help is appreciated thank you.

Also this is for a tattoo, if that helps out in any way.


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## JacksonChase

Would the phrasing 'ΛΥΤΡΩΜΕΝΟΣ' be correct?


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## Αγγελος

If you want _ancient _(including hellenistic) Greek, you need the reduplication: ΛΕΛΥΤΡΩΜΕΝΟΣ
ΛΥΤΡΩΜΕΝΟΣ is correct in _modern _Greek.


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