Word Study for G4990 (σωτήρ) | Strong's Concordance

sōtḗr /so-tare'/ Ask about this word

Meaninga deliverer, i.e. God or Christ

KJV usagesaviour.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of sōtḗr — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word sōtḗr, represented by G4990, means a deliverer, i.e. God or Christ:--saviour. It appears 24 times across 24 unique verses in the Bible. This title is profoundly significant, identifying the one who provides divine rescue and deliverance, a role attributed to both God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In scripture, G4990 is used to identify the source of salvation. The title is applied to God, as in Mary's praise: "my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour" Luke 1:47. It is also used to describe the Saviour's inherent kindness and love for humanity Titus 3:4. The term is most frequently applied to Jesus Christ, from the angelic announcement of his birth Luke 2:11 to the apostolic testimony that the Father sent the Son to be the "Saviour of the world" 1 John 4:14. His role extends to being the "saviour of the body," the church Ephesians 5:23, and He was exalted by God to give "repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins" Acts 5:31.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the role and work of the Saviour:

G747 archēgós (a chief leader): This term is used in conjunction with sōtḗr to describe Jesus's exalted status. God raised Him to be a Prince and a Saviour Acts 5:31, highlighting both His authority and His deliverance.
G2015 epipháneia (a manifestation, i.e. (specially) the advent of Christ): The work of the Saviour is revealed through His appearing. His first advent made salvation manifest 2 Timothy 1:10, and believers now await the glorious appearing of our God and Saviour Titus 2:13.
G2222 zōḗ (life): A primary result of the Saviour's work is the gift of life. Our Saviour Jesus Christ "hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" 2 Timothy 1:10.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of G4990 is foundational to Christian doctrine, establishing key truths about God's nature and plan.

A Shared Divine Title: The title Saviour is uniquely applied to both God the Father 1 Timothy 2:3 and Jesus Christ 2 Peter 2:20. Some passages even link them under this single identity, such as "God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour" Titus 1:4, underscoring a unified purpose in salvation.
Source of Deliverance: The Saviour is the agent of spiritual rescue. He is the one who gives "forgiveness of sins" Acts 5:31 and through whose "appearing" death itself is "abolished" 2 Timothy 1:10. This deliverance is for "all men, specially of those that believe" 1 Timothy 4:10.
The Believer's Hope: The Saviour is the focus of the believer's future expectation. Christians are characterized as those who "look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ" from heaven Philippians 3:20 and eagerly await the "everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour" 2 Peter 1:11.

Summary

In summary, G4990 is far more than a simple title; it is a declaration of divine power and redemptive love. As sōtḗr, both God the Father and Jesus Christ are revealed as the definitive source of deliverance from sin and death. The term encapsulates the core of the gospel message: that a Saviour has been provided who brings life, offers forgiveness, and stands as the ultimate hope for all who trust in Him.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists one rendering for this word. It is counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the number is how many of them use it. Select it to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a noun across 24 occurrences, inflected in 4 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

σωτῆρος
σωτῆρα
σωτὴρ
σωτῆρι

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 24 verses across 11 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Titus (6 verses); never once in the other 16.

Luke

John

Acts

Ephesians

Philippians

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

2 Peter

1 John

Jude

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.