Exploring the Meaning of Luo in Greek

λύω means “to loose.” In the passages cited here it is used for loosening what is tied, releasing what is restrained, and freeing from bonds—whether a sandal strap, an animal, a tongue, or a person’s long bondage.

Occurrences

Matthew 5:19

“Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 5:19)

Here λύω is expressed through the idea of breaking a commandment. The scene contrasts two patterns of influence—loosening the force of “one of these least commandments” by one’s own practice and teaching, versus doing and teaching them. The term frames disobedience as a kind of untying: what should remain firm is treated as something that can be loosened, with corresponding standing “in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Matthew 16:19

“I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19)

λύω appears in the paired contrast with “bind,” but now applied not to rope or straps but to actions with heavenly correspondence. “Keys” and the bind/release pair place λύω in the register of authorization and control: to “release on earth” is presented as an act that stands in alignment with what “will have been released in heaven.” The word contributes the imagery of undoing what has been secured, as a deliberate, consequential act.

Matthew 18:18

“Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18)

This occurrence reiterates the bind/release pairing, widening it to “whatever things.” λύω here works as the counterpart to binding in a formal declaration (“Most certainly I tell you”), again tying the earthly act of releasing to an already-established heavenly reality. In this saying, “to loose” is not spontaneous relief but an action that stands within an ordered framework.

Matthew 21:2

“saying to them, “Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them, and bring them to me.” (Matthew 21:2)

λύω is used in a straightforward physical sense: animals are “tied,” and the instruction is to undo that restraint. The command “Untie them” sits between finding the animals and bringing them, making loosening the necessary step that changes their status from fixed in place to able to be led.

Mark 1:7

“He preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen.” (Mark 1:7)

In John’s preaching, λύω is used for loosening a sandal thong. The act is menial and close to the ground (“stoop down”), and John uses it to measure his unworthiness in relation to “he who is mightier.” The word’s contribution is tactile and concrete: loosening a strap becomes the chosen image for humble service that John says he does not deserve even to perform.

Mark 7:35

“Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was released, and he spoke clearly.” (Mark 7:35)

Here λύω describes the release of “the impediment of his tongue.” The wording links two results: ears opened and tongue released, leading to speech (“he spoke clearly”). The verb captures a change from restriction to freedom of function, portraying healing as an untying of what hindered normal speech.

Mark 11:2

“and said to them, “Go your way into the village that is opposite you. Immediately as you enter into it, you will find a young donkey tied, on which no one has sat. Untie him, and bring him.” (Mark 11:2)

λύω again concerns loosening a tied animal, but Mark adds detail: it is a “young donkey” and “on which no one has sat.” The instruction “Untie him” functions as a practical directive, yet the description heightens the sense that this animal has been kept reserved and restrained; loosening is the decisive act that places it into service.

Mark 11:4

“They went away, and found a young donkey tied at the door outside in the open street, and they untied him.” (Mark 11:4)

This verse narrates the execution of the instruction. λύω marks the moment of transition: the donkey is found “tied” at a specific location (“at the door outside in the open street”), and then it is actually loosed. The verb gives the narrative its hinge from discovery to action.

Mark 11:5

“Some of those who stood there asked them, “What are you doing, untying the young donkey?”” (Mark 11:5)

λύω becomes the focal action noticed by bystanders. The question “What are you doing” implies that loosening the donkey is an accountable act, not a private gesture; it is visible and potentially contestable. The word thus carries social tension: untying is interpreted as an action requiring explanation.

Luke 3:16

“John answered them all, “I indeed baptize you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire,” (Luke 3:16)

As in Mark 1:7, λύω refers to loosening a sandal strap, again framed by John’s comparison between his own ministry (“baptize you with water”) and the mightier one who will baptize “in the Holy Spirit and fire.” The loosening of a strap serves as a minimal act of service; John’s repeated claim of unworthiness uses λύω to express profound distance in rank.

Luke 13:15

“Therefore the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each one of you free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath, and lead him away to water?” (Luke 13:15)

λύω is used for freeing an animal from a stall on the Sabbath. The action is ordinary and compassionate: loosening is followed by leading the animal “away to water.” In the argument, the verb highlights a common practice that the speaker assumes his hearers accept, setting up an analogy between everyday loosening and a more significant freeing.

Luke 13:16

“Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan had bound eighteen long years, be freed from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” (Luke 13:16)

Here λύω expresses release from prolonged bondage. The woman is described as one “whom Satan had bound eighteen long years,” and the question presses the moral logic of freeing her “on the Sabbath day.” The verb directly answers the imagery of binding: what has held her is treated as something that should be undone, and the duration underscores how fitting and urgent the loosening is.

Sense and Usage

Across these passages, “to loose” moves between concrete and extended uses without losing its central picture: something held fast is undone. At its most literal, λύω is the practical act of untying what is tied (the donkey and colt in Matthew 21:2; the young donkey in Mark 11:2–5). These scenes keep the verb close to the hands: there is a tied object, a command or action to untie, and a resulting mobility (“bring them to me”; “bring him”; leading an animal “away to water”). Even when the act appears simple, it can become contested in public space, as the question in Mark 11:5 shows.

The word also serves as a vivid measure of status and worthiness in John’s preaching (Mark 1:7; Luke 3:16). Loosening a sandal strap is not portrayed as impressive; it is lowly. Precisely because it is lowly, it becomes a strong image for humility: John places himself beneath even the level of service he considers least, magnifying the might of the one to come.

λύω further describes release from bodily hindrance and long bondage. In Mark 7:35, the “impediment of his tongue was released,” presenting healing as the removal of restraint so that clear speech follows naturally. In Luke 13:16, the verb addresses a life constrained by being “bound eighteen long years,” and loosening is framed as liberation from “bondage.” The Sabbath debate (Luke 13:15–16) places animal loosening and human freeing side by side, using the everyday act to argue for the rightness of undoing deeper bonds.

Finally, Matthew 16:19 and 18:18 place λύω into formal paired speech with “bind,” framed by “keys of the Kingdom of Heaven” and solemn assurance. In these sayings, loosening is not merely a physical gesture but a decisive release that stands in relation to heaven’s binding and releasing. Matthew 5:19, by speaking of breaking commandments and teaching others likewise, uses loosening imagery in an ethical register: the force of a command can be treated as something that is undone in practice and instruction, with consequences for how one is “called” in the Kingdom.

Imagery

The passages cluster around things that restrain: straps, knots, stalls, impediments, bondage, and even the firm claim of commandments. λύω repeatedly marks the turning point where restraint gives way—an animal can be led, a tongue can speak clearly, a long-bound person can be freed, and an authoritative decision can release rather than bind.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).