3080. lusis
Lexical Summary
lusis: Release, Loosing, Liberation

Original Word: λύσις
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: lusis
Pronunciation: LOO-sis
Phonetic Spelling: (loo'-sis)
KJV: to be loosed
NASB: released
Word Origin: [from G3089 (λύω - untie)]

1. a loosening
2. (relationally) a break up

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
a release, separation

From luo; a loosening, i.e. (specially), divorce -- to be loosed.

see GREEK luo

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from luó
Definition
a loosing (by divorce)
NASB Translation
released (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3080: λύσις

λύσις, λυσεως, (λύω) (from Homer down), a loosing of any bond, as that of marriage; hence, once in the N. T. of divorce, 1 Corinthians 7:27.

Topical Lexicon
Scriptural Occurrence

The noun appears once in the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 7:27, where Paul writes: “Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek release. Are you released from a wife? Do not look for a wife” (Berean Standard Bible). The word stands in deliberate contrast to δέδεσαι (“bound”), highlighting the difference between a continuing marital obligation and its cessation.

Historical and Cultural Background

In first-century Greco-Roman society marriage could be dissolved through a variety of civil procedures, most far less formal than later Christian practice would allow. Corinth, an international port with a reputation for moral laxity, offered multiple avenues for separating from one’s spouse, sometimes even by mutual consent without state oversight. Paul acknowledges that the possibility of dissolution exists, yet frames his counsel around the “present distress” (1 Corinthians 7:26) and the higher priority of undistracted devotion to the Lord.

Theological Themes

1. Covenant Responsibility

The juxtaposition of “bound” and “release” underscores marital union as a covenantal bond rather than a mere social contract (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5-6). Paul’s exhortation not to “seek release” reaffirms the permanence intended by God, while still recognizing situations in which a believer might already stand “released.”

2. Contentment in Calling

The wider passage (1 Corinthians 7:17-24) teaches contentment within one’s present circumstances—be they marital, ethnic, or economic—so long as they do not violate God’s commands. “Release” is therefore not pursued as a path to greater fulfillment; instead, the believer is urged to find purpose wherever the Lord has placed him.

3. Pastoral Sensitivity

Paul distinguishes between objective status (“bound” or “released”) and subjective experience (“do not seek…”). His balanced counsel avoids legalism on the one hand and laxity on the other, guiding believers through complex family situations without compromising scriptural authority (compare Romans 7:2-3; Malachi 2:16).

Pastoral Application

• Marriage counseling should maintain the biblical tension between honoring the marital covenant and offering grace where dissolution has already occurred.
• The passage cautions against restlessness that would use civil provisions for divorce as an escape from challenges God intends to refine.
• For those already “released,” the text provides freedom from guilt and unnecessary striving, while still commending singleness as a viable, God-honoring state (1 Corinthians 7:32-35).

Related Biblical Concepts

Although this noun is rare, the wider family of λυ- words appears frequently:
• λύω and its cognates describe Christ’s authority to “unbind” Satan’s works (1 John 3:8) and to “loosen” the bonds of death (Acts 2:24).
• In ecclesial discipline Jesus grants the church power to “bind” and “loose” (Matthew 18:18), reflecting heavenly ratification.

Thus, the solitary use of the noun in 1 Corinthians 7:27 connects marriage ethics with the broader biblical motif of true freedom achieved under God’s lordship.

Summary

Strong’s Greek 3080 signals the termination of a binding relationship, yet Paul’s single use of the term in 1 Corinthians 7:27 reinforces the scriptural ideal of marital permanence, urges contentment in one’s calling, and offers pastoral clarity to those already freed from marital obligation.

Forms and Transliterations
λύσεις λυσιν λύσιν lusin lysin lýsin
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
1 Corinthians 7:27 N-AFS
GRK: μὴ ζήτει λύσιν λέλυσαι ἀπὸ
NAS: Do not seek to be released. Are you released
KJV: not to be loosed. Art thou loosed
INT: not seek to be loosed have you been loosed from

Strong's Greek 3080
1 Occurrence


λύσιν — 1 Occ.

3079
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