Word study · Greek
hilastērion
atoning sacrifice, mercy seat, propitiation
Say it: hil-as-TAY-ree-on (approximate)
ἱλαστήριον
What it means
A word used in the Greek Old Testament for the "mercy seat," the lid of the ark where atonement was made (Leviticus 16). Paul says God "put forward" Jesus as a hilastērion (3:25). Translators render it "atoning sacrifice," "propitiation" (turning aside wrath), "expiation" (removing sin), or "mercy seat."
Open question Debated
Whether hilastērion in Romans 3:25 means a propitiation, an expiation, or the mercy seat is debated.
Range of meaning
- Mercy seatThe cover of the ark.
- PropitiationA sacrifice that turns away wrath.
- ExpiationA sacrifice that removes sin.
In Romans
- Chapter 3
"Whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice" (3:25).
Every verse (1)
Verses where G2435 is tagged in the Hebrew text: STEPBible Data (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. About our sources