415. aneleemon
Lexical Summary
aneleemon: Unmerciful, without mercy

Original Word: ἀνελεήμων
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: aneleemon
Pronunciation: an-el-eh'-mone
Phonetic Spelling: (an-eleh-ay'-mone)
KJV: unmerciful
Word Origin: [from G1 (α - Alpha) (as a negative particle) and G1655 (ἐλεήμων - merciful)]

1. merciless

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
unmerciful.

From a (as a negative particle) and eleemon; merciless -- unmerciful.

see GREEK a

see GREEK eleemon

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 415: ἀνελεήμων

ἀνελεήμων, ἀνελεημον, genitive ἀνελεήμονος (alpha privative and ἐλεήμων), without mercy, merciless: Romans 1:31. ((Aristotle, rhet. Alex. 37, p. 1442a, 13); Proverbs 5:9, etc.; Sir. 13:12, etc.; Wis. 12:5 Wis. 19:1.)

STRONGS NT 415a: ἀνέλεοςἀνέλεος, ἀνελεον, without mercy, merciless: James 2:13 L T Tr WH, unusual form for ἀνίλεως R G. The Greeks said ἀνηλεής and ἀνελεης, cf. Lob. ad Phryn., p. 710f; Winer's Grammar, 100 (95).

Topical Lexicon
Essential Meaning

Strong’s Greek 415 portrays a person who withholds compassion. It describes an ethical state rather than a momentary lapse—a settled disposition that refuses pity, mercy, or kindness toward another human being.

Biblical Context in Romans 1:31

Paul places the term in his sweeping diagnosis of Gentile depravity (Romans 1:18–32). The Spirit-inspired catalogue moves from idolatry to relational breakdown and culminates with “senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless” (Romans 1:31). The word shows the moral bottom of a society that has rejected the knowledge of God: when divine mercy is spurned, human mercy evaporates.

Contrast with Divine Mercy

God is “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4), “abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:8). Scripture highlights the sharp contrast between the Creator’s gracious nature and the creature’s potential for mercilessness. The gospel displays this contrast most vividly: “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The merciless heart thus stands in direct opposition to the revealed character of God.

Old Testament Background

Old Covenant law occasionally commanded Israel to execute judgment “without pity” (Deuteronomy 19:13) against persistent evil, but those acts were judicial, not personal cruelty. By contrast, the prophets condemn oppression that springs from a merciless heart (Isaiah 58:6–7; Amos 1:11). The shepherd metaphor in Ezekiel 34 indicts leaders who “ruled them with harshness and severity,” showing how a lack of mercy ruins a community.

New Testament Emphasis on Mercy

The Lord Jesus elevates mercy to a kingdom hallmark:
• “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7).
• He ends the parable of the Good Samaritan with “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37).

James presses the issue home: “Judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). The presence or absence of mercy evidences whether saving faith is genuine.

Theological Observations

1. Depravity: Strong’s 415 exposes the social cost of sin. When man rejects God, horizontal relationships fracture.
2. Imago Dei: Mercy reflects God’s image in humanity; its absence signals distortion of that image.
3. Eschatology: Final judgment will weigh how people have treated the helpless (Matthew 25:31–46). Persistent mercilessness reveals an unregenerate heart.

Historical Interpretation

Early church writers such as Clement of Rome and Polycarp urged believers to guard against a merciless spirit, seeing it as evidence of falling back into pagan ways. Medieval commentators linked Romans 1:31 to the cruelty of persecuting powers. Reformers highlighted the verse as proof that works cannot save; only regeneration can transform the heart.

Practical Ministry Implications

• Pastoral diagnosis: A congregation tolerant of cruelty or indifference to the needy may signal deeper doctrinal drift.
• Counseling: Helping believers recognize and repent from merciless attitudes is part of sanctification.
• Social witness: Christian mercy ministries—hospital care, orphan relief, prisoner visitation—illustrate the opposite of Strong’s 415 and authenticate the gospel before a watching world.

Warnings and Promises

Scripture warns that those who practice mercilessness “know God’s righteous decree… yet continue to do so” and are “worthy of death” (Romans 1:32). Conversely, those who extend mercy mirror the Father and will receive mercy in the day of Christ (Matthew 5:7).

Key Related Passages for Study

Deuteronomy 19:13; Psalm 103:8; Isaiah 58:6–7; Matthew 5:7; Matthew 18:33; Luke 6:36; Luke 10:25–37; James 2:13; Jude 1:22–23.

Forms and Transliterations
ανελεήμονα ανελεημονας ανελεήμονας ἀνελεήμονας ανελεήμονες ανελεήμοσιν ανελεήμων ανέλπιστον aneleemonas aneleēmonas aneleḗmonas
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Englishman's Concordance
Romans 1:31 Adj-AMP
GRK: ἀσυνθέτους ἀστόργους ἀνελεήμονας
NAS: untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;
KJV: implacable, unmerciful:
INT: untrustworthy without natural affection unmerciful

Strong's Greek 415
1 Occurrence


ἀνελεήμονας — 1 Occ.

414
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