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Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

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(ἔλεος, οἰκτιρμός)

Ἔλεος means properly ‘a feeling of sympathy,’ ‘fellow-feeling with misery,’ ‘compassion.’ In the sense of God’s pity for human woe, which manifests itself in His will of salvation, ἔλεος is found not infrequently in the apostolic writings (cf. Romans 9:23; Romans 15:9, 1 Peter 1:3, Judges 1:21, 2 Timothy 1:16; 2 Timothy 1:18). It is found joined with ἀγάπη in Ephesians 2:4, with μακροθυμἰα in 1 Timothy 1:16, and with χάρις in Hebrews 4:16. We find the group, grace, mercy, peace, in the greetings of 1 Timothy 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:2, 2 John 1:3; mercy and peace together in Galatians 6:16, Judges 1:2.

The verb ἐλεέω is found in a similar sense in Romans 9:15-16; Romans 11:30-32, 2 Corinthians 4:1, 1 Timothy 1:13; 1 Timothy 1:16, 1 Peter 2:10. It is also found of the mercy of man towards his fellow (Romans 12:8, 1 Corinthians 7:25, Philippians 2:27).

οἰκτιρμός also means ‘compassion,’ ‘pity,’ ‘mercy,’ and with the adj. οἰκτίρμων and the verb οἰκτείρω is used both of God’s compassion for men and of men’s compassion for one another. In the NT οἰκτιρμός is mostly used in the plural, conformably to the Heb. רַחֲמִים, which it translates in the Septuagint . Cf., for οἰκτιρμός with reference to God, Romans 12:1, Hebrews 10:28. In 2 Corinthians 1:3 God is called ‘the Father of mercies.’ οἰκτιρμός is used of human pity in Colossians 3:12; cf. οἰκτίρμων (of God) James 5:11, οἰκτείρω (of God) Romans 9:15.

In the sub-apostolic writings the usage is parallel. 1 Clem. is specially fond of both ἔλεος and οἰκτιρμός (cf. ix. 1, xviii. 2, xxii. 8, xxviii. 1, l. 2, lvi. 5, xx. 11, lvi. 1). In Polyc. Phil. we have ‘mercy’ (ἔλεος) and ‘peace’ in the introduction.

In conclusion, it may be pointed out that the doctrine of the Divine mercy is an OT rather than a NT doctrine. In the OT it is represented by the ascription to God of the following attributes: ‘(a) tender compassion, raḥǎmîm, etc., for man’s misery and helplessness; (b) a disposition to deal kindly and generously with man, ḥanan, etc.; (c) the divine affection and fidelity to man, on which man may confidently rely, as he would on the loyalty of his tribe or family, ḥeṣedh’ (W. H. Bennett in Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols) iii. 345). Bennett points out that the NT use of the corresponding terms is neither frequent nor characteristic, and is only a faint reflexion of OT teaching. ‘The great ideas represented in OT by raḥǎmîm, ḥanan, ḥeṣedh, and their cognates, are mostly expressed in NT by other terms than ἕλεος, οἰκτιρμοί, etc. One might almost say that ḥeṣedh covers the whole ground of χάρις, ἕλεος, εἰρήνη (but see Hort on 1 Peter 1:2), and implies the NT doctrine of the Divine Fatherhood.’

Literature.-H. Cremer, Bibl.-Theol. Lexicon of NT Greek³, Eng. translation , 1880, p. 248 f.; W. H. Bennett in Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols) iii. 345 f.

R. S. Franks.