σῴζω G4982
To save, deliver, rescue, or heal; encompasses spiritual salvation, physical rescue from danger, and restoration to wholeness or health.
One of the most theologically loaded verbs in the New Testament, sozo carries a remarkable semantic range from physical rescue to eternal salvation. In the Gospels, Jesus uses it both for pulling someone from drowning waves (Matt 8:25) and for pronouncing spiritual deliverance (Matt 1:21). The famous declaration 'your faith has saved you' (Mark 5:34; Luke 7:50) beautifully straddles healing and salvation, a nuance visible in how Arabic splits between khallasa (save/deliver) and shafa (heal/cure), while Greek holds both meanings in one word. Spanish similarly alternates between salvar and sanar depending on context, revealing the sense boundaries that Greek leaves fluid.
1. save spiritually, grant salvation — The primary theological sense of delivering from sin, spiritual death, and divine judgment, granting eternal life through faith. This overwhelmingly dominant usage (79 of 108 occurrences) spans from the angel's announcement that Jesus 'will save his people from their sins' (Matt 1:21) through eschatological promises like 'the one who endures to the end will be saved' (Matt 24:13). Across all major target languages — Spanish salvar, French sauver, German retten, Arabic khallasa — the translations converge on deliverance vocabulary rather than healing terms, confirming a distinct soteriological sense. 79×
AR["أن-تُخَلِّصَ","أن-يُخَلِّصَ","أن-يُخَلِّصَهُ","أَن-يُخَلِّصَ","أَنْ-يُخَلِّصَ","أَنْ-يُخَلِّصَهُ","سَيَخلُصُ","سَيَخْلُصُ","لِيُخَلِّصَ","يَخلُصُ","يُخَلِّصَ"]·ben["উদ্ধার-করতে","বাঁচানো","রক্ষা-করতে","রক্ষা-করতে,","রক্ষা-পাবে"]·DE["retten","rettet"]·EN["to-save","will-be-saved"]·FR["sauver"]·heb["יִוָּשֵׁעַ","יִוָּשַׁע","לְ-הוֹשִׁיעַ","לְהוֹשִׁיעַ"]·HI["उद्धार-करे","उद्धार-पाएगा","बचअन","बचन","बचने","बचा","बचाना","बचाने","बचाने-में","बचाया-जाएगा"]·ID["akan-diselamatkan","menyelamatkan","untuk-menyelamatkan"]·IT["salvare"]·jav["badhe-dipun-slametaken","badhé-dipunwilujengaken","badhé-kaluwaran.","badhé-kaslametaken","milujengaken","ngeslametaken.","nylametaken","nylametaken,","supados-milujengaken"]·KO["구원받으리라","구원받을-것이다","구원을-얻으리라","구원하기로,","구원하기를","구원하기에","구원하다","구원하려고","구원하시기를","구하기를","구하는-것이","구하다","구하러","구하려-하면"]·PT["salvar","salvá-lo","será-salvo"]·RU["спасать","спасти","спасён-будет","спасётся"]·ES["a-salvar","salvar","será-salvado","será-salvo"]·SW["ataokolewa","ataokolewa.","kuiokoa","kujiokoa","kumwokoa","kuokoa","kuwaokoa","kuziokoa","na"]·TR["kurtarmak","kurtarmak,","kurtarmak>.","kurtarmaya","kurtulacak","kurtulacaktır"]·urd["بچانا","بچانے","بچایا-جائے-گا","بچایا-جائےگا","بچے-گا","نجات-دے","ہلاک-کرنا"]
Matt 1:21, Matt 10:22, Matt 16:25, Matt 18:11, Matt 24:13, Matt 27:42, Matt 27:42, Mark 8:35, Mark 8:35, Mark 13:13, Mark 15:31, Mark 15:31 (+38 more)
▼ 3 more senses below
Senses
2. rescue from danger — Physical rescue from immediate danger, peril, or death — the cry of the disciples in the storm, 'Lord, save us, we are perishing!' (Matt 8:25), or Peter sinking in the waves (Matt 14:30). Also includes the mocking challenge at the cross: 'Save yourself and come down!' (Matt 27:40). Spanish uses salvad (imperative rescue) and se salvaria (conditional rescue), while Arabic employs najja/khalasa in the physical deliverance register, distinguishing this from the soteriological sense. 12×
amh["አድኗቸው"]·AR["خلِّصوا","خَلَصَ","خَلَّصَ","خَلِّصْ","خَلِّصْنا","فَلْيُخَلِّصْ","نَجِّ","نَجِّنِي"]·ben["σωσάτω-রক্ষা-করুক","σῶσον-রক্ষা-কর","বাঁচাও","রক্ষা-কর","রক্ষা-করতে,","রক্ষা-করো","রক্ষা-পেত"]·ces["zachraňujte"]·dan["frels,"]·DE["retten","rettet"]·ell["σώζετε,"]·EN["let-him-save","save","to-save","would-be-saved","would-have-been-saved"]·FR["sauver","sauvez,"]·guj["બચાવો,"]·hat["sove"]·hau["ku-ceto"]·heb["הַצִּילֵנִי","הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי","הוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ","הוֹשִׁיעַ","הוֹשַׁע","הושיעו","יוֹשִׁיעַ","לְהַצִּיל","נוֹשַׁע"]·HI["बच","बचता","बचा","बचाए","बचाओ","बुराई-करना"]·hun["mentsétek-meg"]·ID["Selamatkanlah","akan-selamat","menyelamatkan,","selamat","selamatkanlah"]·IT["salvare","salvate"]·jav["dipun-slametaken","luwarna","mitulungana","ngeslametna","nylametaken,","nylametna","nylametnaa","slamet","slametna","tulungana"]·JA["救え"]·KO["구원받았으리라","구원받았을-것이다","구원하라","구원하소서","구하는-것이","구하라","구하소서","구해"]·mar["वाचवा,"]·mya["ကယ်တင်ကြ"]·nld["redt"]·nor["frels"]·pnb["بچاؤ"]·pol["ratujcie"]·PT["salva","salvai","salvar,","seria-salva"]·ron["salvați-i,"]·RU["пусть-спасёт","спасайте","спаси","спаслась","спаслась-бы","спасти"]·ES["salvad","salvar","se-salvaría","sería-salvada","sálva","sálvame","sálvanos","sálvate","sálvese"]·SW["angeokolewa","aokole","jiokoe","jokole","jokolea","kuokoa,","mwili","niokoe","tuokoe,","waokoeni"]·swe["rädda"]·tam["இரட்சியுங்கள்"]·tel["రక్షించుడి"]·tgl["iligtas"]·TH["ช่วยให้รอด"]·TR["kurtar","kurtarmak,","kurtarsanlar,","kurtarsın","kurtulurdu"]·ukr["рятуйте"]·urd["بچا","بچاؤ","بچائے","بچانا","بچتا"]·VI["hãy-cứu"]·yor["ẹ-gba-là,"]·yue["拯救"]·ZH["要拯救"]
3. make whole through faith — The distinctive declaration 'your faith has saved/made you whole' (Matt 9:22; Mark 5:34; Mark 10:52; Luke 7:50; Luke 8:48), bridging physical healing and spiritual deliverance in a single pronouncement. This sense is notoriously hard to translate because it refuses to separate body and soul. Arabic splits between khallasa (saved) and shafa (healed) depending on the translator's theological emphasis, while Korean and Swahili similarly diverge, exposing a meaning that Greek deliberately holds together. The nine occurrences cluster in faith-healing narratives where Jesus addresses the person directly. 9×
AR["خَلَّصَ","خَلَّصَكَ","خَلَّصَكِ","سَـ-يَشْفَى","سَيَخلُص","شَفاكِ","قَد-خَلَّصَكِ"]·ben["রক্ষা-করেছে","সুস্থ-করেছে","সুস্থ-হবে","সে-পরিত্রাণ-পাবে"]·DE["retten","rettet"]·EN["has-saved","he-will-be-saved"]·FR["sauver"]·heb["הוֹשִׁיעַ","הוֹשִׁיעַתְּךָ","הוֹשִׁיעָה","הוֹשִׁיעָה-אוֹתָךְ","יִוָּשֵׁעַ"]·HI["तुझे","ने-बचाया-है","बचाया-है","बचेगा","बचेगा।"]·ID["ia-akan-diselamatkan","ia-akan-sembuh","telah-menyelamatkan","telah-menyembuhkan"]·IT["salvare"]·jav["badhe-dipun-wilujengaken,","badhé-saras.","nylamet","nylametaken","sampun-nyarasaken","sampun-nyelàmetaken","sampun-nylametaken"]·KO["구원받을-것이나이다","구원받을-것이다","구원하였다","구원했다","구했다"]·PT["salvou","será-salvo","te-salvou","te-salvou;"]·RU["будет-спасён","исцелила","спасла","спасётся,"]·ES["será-salvado","será-salvo","te-ha-salvado","te-ha-sanado"]·SW["ataokolewa","atapona","imekuokoa","imekuponya"]·TR["kurtardı","kurtulacak"]·urd["بچ-جائے-گا","بچا-لیا-ہے","بچایا","بچایا-ہے","جا"]
4. heal, restore to health — Healing or curing physical illness, restoring bodily health, where the context makes clear that physical recovery rather than spiritual salvation is in view. The woman with the hemorrhage reaching for Jesus' garment, 'If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed' (Matt 9:21; Mark 5:28), and the summary statements of mass healings (Mark 6:56). Arabic shafa/yushfa (heal/be healed), Korean natta (got well), and Spanish sanados (healed) consistently select medical vocabulary here, confirming a distinct physical-restoration sense separate from the faith-pronouncement formula of Sense 3. 8×
AR["أَن-يُشفى","أُشفى","تُشْفى","سَأُشْفى","شُفيَتِ","شُفِيَ"]·ben["রক্ষা-পাব","রক্ষা-পেল","সুস্থ-হওয়ার","সুস্থ-হত","সুস্থ-হব","সুস্থ-হয়","সুস্থ-হয়েছে"]·DE["retten","rettet"]·EN["I-will-be-saved","has-been-healed","she-may-be-saved","to-be-saved","was-saved","were-being-saved"]·FR["sauver"]·heb["אִוָּשֵׁעַ","לְהִוָּשֵׁעַ","נוֹשְׁעָה","נוֹשְׁעוּ","נוֹשַׁע","תִּוָּשֵׁעַ"]·HI["उसके","और","चंगी-हुई","चंगी-हो-जाऊँगी","चंगे-होने","बचाया-गया"]·ID["aku-akan-diselamatkan","aku-akan-sembuh","diselamatkan","disembuhkan","disembuhkan,","sembuh"]·IT["salvare"]·jav["bakal-dislémetaken.","dipun-slametaken","dislamet,","kasarasaken,","kaslametan,","kula-badhé-saras.","sami-kawarasaken.","saras"]·KO["구원-받았는지","구원받고,","구원받았는지","구원받았다.","구원받으리라.","구원받을","나았다","나으리라"]·PT["foi-salva","foi-salvo","seja-salva,","ser-curado,","serei-salva","serei-salva.","tem-sido-curado"]·RU["был-спасён","быть-спасённым","исцелялись","спаслась","спаслась-она","спасусь","спасён,"]·ES["eran-sanados","fue-salvada","fue-sanado","ha-sido-sanado","sea-sanada","ser-sanado","seré-salvada","seré-sanada"]·SW["akaponywa","alivyoponywa","ameponywa","aponywe,","kuponywa","nitaponywa.","waliponywa"]·TR["kurtulacağım","kurtulacağım.","kurtuldu","kurtulmak","kurtulsun,","kurtuluyordu"]·urd["بچ-جاؤں-گی","بچ-جاؤں-گی-میں","بچ-جائے","بچ-گئی","بچائے-جانا","بچایا-گیا","بچایا-گیا-ہے","شفا-پاتے-تھے"]
Related Senses
H7965 1. peace, absence of conflict (198×)H3467 1. save, deliver, rescue (Hifil active) (156×)H5127 1. flee, run away (Qal) (144×)G1515 1. peace, well-being, harmony (93×)H8002 1. peace offering(s) (87×)H3444 1. salvation, deliverance (67×)H4422 1. Nifal: escape, flee (63×)H1272 1. flee, run away (Qal) (58×)H6869b 1. distress, trouble (57×)G4991 1. of salvation (46×)G2347 1. tribulation, affliction, distress (45×)H0983 1. security, safety, confidence (42×)H6031b 1. Piel: afflict, oppress (42×)H6040 1. affliction, misery, suffering (36×)H3468 1. salvation, deliverance (33×)G5343 1. flee, run away (28×)H3467 2. savior, deliverer (Hifil participle substantive) (28×)H8668 1. salvation, deliverance (27×)H8252 1. be quiet, be at rest (26×)G4990 1. Savior (24×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
σῴζω, with ι wherever ζ follows ω, as σῴζω, Refs 5th c.BC+, but otherwise without it, e.g. ἔσωσε Refs 5th c.BC+; but Didym. (and many Hellenistic and later Inscrr. and Papyri) rejected the ι everywhere, see Refs 5th c.BC+; σοζ[, i.e. σωζ[, occurs in Refs: future σώσω Refs 5th c.BC+; early Attic dialect σωῶ Refsperfect σέσωκα, also σέσῳκα, see. {ἀνασῴζω}:— middle, future σώσομαι Refs 5th c.BC+:…