“Lutron (Strong 3083) is formed from luo (Strong 3089; to loosen) with the ending “tron.” … In post-Homeric constructs … lutron is “money paid as a ransom.” The word is not found in Homer, but it occurs in Herodotus and the tragedians, as well as various inscriptions and papyri.

“Lutron is especially the money paid to ransom prisoners of war, but it is then used for slaves, or for release from a bond. The usage of the Septuagint translation is much the same as secular usage. Philo’s usage follows that of the Septuagint. In Josephus, lutron is often used in the sense of ransom for prisoners of war or booty seized in war … hence, it will be seen that this was a current practice in the time of Josephus.”

– Edited Excerpts, Gerhard Kittel, Theological Dictionary
of the New Testament (German 1942), Eerdmans (translated 1967)

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