"Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28).

"For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all; the testimony to be borne in its own times" (1 Tim. 2:5-6).

Some of us are into "word studies." That is, we like to examine and re-examine words in the Bible in the light of the Lexicons and Greek critical commentaries. I find that to be a fruitful and enjoyable endeavor, but I also find that in most cases, the translators of the King James Version and the American Standard Version did a good job. To understand a word used in the Bible, the first place to look is an English dictionary. And so it is with the word "ransom."

My Webster’s New World Dictionary defines ransom this way: "1. The redeeming or release of a captive or of seized property by payment of money or compliance with other demands. 2. The price thus paid or demanded." The verb: "To obtain the release of (a captive or property) by paying the demanded price."

The two passages that we have cited at the beginning of this article state then that the ransom price for us is the life of Jesus – he gave himself. He redeemed us from the death of sin by offering his life for ours. Simple, isn’t it.

Someone argues that Jesus’ life was not given in exchange for ours, because that would imply that he was our substitute in the payment of sin. It is argued that the notion of ransom is not really in the Bible. In the light of these kinds of assertions, we must ask two questions. Did the translators, who were all Greek scholars, mistranslate? And if they did not, why would the Lord himself use a word that was not accurate? We know that is not the case, so we focus on the translation itself.

In Matthew, the word "ransom" is translated from the Greek, lutron (3083. These numbers aid in finding words in the lexicons for those who do not know the Greek alphabet). Strong's Dictionary gives this definition: "something to loose with, i.e. a redemption price (figuratively, atonement)." Thayer defines lutron this way: "1) the price for redeeming, ransom, a) paid for slaves, captives b) for the ransom of life 2) to liberate many from misery and the penalty of their sins."

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words has some light to shed on "ransom."

"1. lutron, lit., "a means of loosing" (from luo, ‘to loose’), occurs frequently in the Septuagint, where it is always used to signify ‘equivalence.’ Thus it is used of the ‘ransom’ for a life, e. g., Ex 21:30, of the redemption price of a slave, e. g., Lev 19:20, of land, 25:24, of the price of a captive, Isa 45:13. In the NT it occurs in Matt 20:28 and Mark 10:45, where it is used of Christ's gift of Himself as ‘a ransom for many’ …That Christ gave up His life in expiatory sacrifice under God's judgment upon sin and thus provided a ‘ransom’ whereby those who receive Him on this ground obtain deliverance from the penalty due to sin, is what Scripture teaches. What the Lord states in the two passages mentioned involves this essential character of His death. In these passages the preposition is anti, which has a vicarious significance, indicating that the ‘ransom’ holds good for those who, accepting it as such, no longer remain in death since Christ suffered death in their stead."

The critical commentaries concur. A. T. Robertson, in his Word Pictures in the New Testament says on Matt. 20:28: "The word translated ‘ransom’ is the one commonly employed in the papyri as the price paid for a slave who is then set free by the one who bought him, the purchase money for manumitting slaves. See examples in Moulton and Milligan's ‘Vocabulary’ and Deissmann's ‘Light from the Ancient East,’ pp. 328f. There is the notion of exchange also in the use of anti (the word translated ‘for’ in Matt. 20:28 - DTB). Jesus gave his own life as the price of freedom for the slaves of sin. There are those who refuse to admit that Jesus held this notion of a substitutionary death because the word in the New Testament occurs only here and the corresponding passage in Mark 10:45. But that is an easy way to get rid of passages that contradict one's theological opinions. Jesus here rises to the full consciousness of the significance of his death for men" (Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament). Mark 10:45 is Mark’s account of the same event and vs. 45 is the same as the verse in Matthew.

Vincent, in his Word Studies, declines to comment on the word "ransom" under the heading of Matthew 20:28, but he does make comment under Mark 10:45. "For many anti (NT:473) polloon (NT:4183). For, in the sense of ‘over against, instead of;’ not ‘on behalf of.’ (Vincent's Word Studies of the New Testament). Vincent rests his conclusion about what Jesus was saying on the meaning of the Greek word anti, translated "for." Arndt and Gingrich define anti this way: "1. In order to indicate that one person or thing is, or is to be, replaced by another – instead of, in place of (Matt. 2:22; Luke 11:11 ). 2. In order to indicate that one thing is equivalent to another – for, as, in place of (1 Cor. 11:15; Matt. 5:38)." In the Septuagint, anti is used in Genesis 22:13 and Genesis 44:33. A&G goes on to say that anti can be "on behalf of." But the passages cited do not encourage us to separate that meaning from the original, "in place of," as both of those phrases are compatible, and in the case of Jesus giving his life as a ransom for (anti) us would certainly be "on our behalf."

What about the word "ransom" found in 1 Timothy 2:6. It is translated from a different Greek word, although it is derived from the word in Matthew and Mark, lutron. The word found in 1 Timothy is antilutron (487), "a redemption-price" (Strong). Thayer gives this simple definition: "what is given in exchange for another as the price of his redemption, ransom."

More can be learned from the Greek commentators. A. T. Robertson says: "A ransom for all antilutron huper pantoon. ‘A reminiscence of the Lord's own saying’ (Lock) in Matt 20:28 where we have lutron anti polloon. In the papyri huper (5228) is the ordinary preposition for the notion of substitution where benefit is involved as in this passage. Anti has more the idea of exchange and antilutron huper combines both ideas. Lutron is the common word for ransom for a slave or a prisoner. Paul may have coined antilutron with the saying of Christ in mind …( Word Pictures in the New Testament).

Because we are all sinners, and justice demands the death of the sinner, our salvation is described in terms of "ransom." We have been rescued because a price has been paid for us. The price of our rescue is the blood of Jesus. His life was given in exchange for ours.

Jesus died as a ransom for all (1 Tim. 2:6 ). This is a basic teaching of the New Testament and the object of Old Testament prophecy. "And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for the redeemed: the wayfaring men, yea fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: and the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away" (Isa. 35:8-10).

In order to benefit from the price paid, we must fulfill certain conditions. Jesus died as a ransom for all men, yet all are not saved (Matt. 7:13-14). We must be baptized into his death (Rom. 6:3-4), or the blood that he shed to ransom us will be wasted, merely spilled on the ground to be trampled under our feet.

Rejoice that we have been ransomed from the awful fate of sin and the heavy hand of judgment. Be glad that God has loved us so much that he paid the price for us with the life of his son.