# G2433 - hilaskomai **Strong's:** [G2433](https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2433/) · BLB lookup **Pronunciation:** hil-as'-kom-ahee **Part of speech:** verb (deponent, middle/passive form, active meaning) **Root:** from *hilaos* ("propitious, gracious, favorable") **Noun cognates:** [G2434 - hilasmos](/codex/g2434-hilasmos/), *hilasmos* ("propitiation"; [1 Jn 2:2](/codex/1-john-2-2/); 4:10); [G2435 - hilasterion](/codex/g2435-hilasterion/), *hilastērion* ("propitiation, mercy-seat"; [Rom 3:25](/codex/romans-3-25/); [Heb 9:5](/codex/hebrews-9-5/)) **Hebrew equivalent (LXX):** *kāphar* (to cover, atone), the central Day-of-Atonement verb of [Leviticus 16](/codex/leviticus-16/). *Hilaskomai* and *hilastērion* translate *kāphar* and its derived noun *kappōret* (mercy seat / ark-cover) throughout the LXX. **NT occurrences:** the verb appears only **twice** ([Luke 18:13](/codex/luke-18-13/); [Heb 2:17](/codex/hebrews-2-17/)); the cognate nouns *hilasmos* (2×) and *hilastērion* (2×) carry the word group's wider NT weight. ## Semantic range (Thayer / BDAG) 1. **To propitiate / appease / render favorable**, the wrath-turning sense; an atoning sacrifice turns aside divine anger by addressing the offense that grounds it. This is the dominant LXX sense and the Leon Morris-defended NT sense. 2. **To expiate / cover / cleanse**, the sin-removing sense; the focus is on the *sin* removed rather than the *wrath* turned aside. This is the C.H. Dodd-defended reading. 3. **To be merciful, gracious, propitious**, a more passive sense, often middle/passive in form: *"be merciful to me"* ([Luke 18:13](/codex/luke-18-13/), *hilasthēti moi*, the tax collector's plea). The construction is identical to Septuagintal prayer language (e.g., [2 Kgs 5:18](/codex/2-kings-5-18/), *"may YHWH be propitious to your servant"*). The semantic range maps onto a **single underlying logic**: divine favor is *rendered* (toward the worshipper) precisely because the offense is *covered* (taken away) by sacrificial substitution. The propitiation-vs-expiation question asks which of the two aspects is in view in the verb's primary force, the answer, on the Reformed-evangelical reading, is *both*, with propitiation as the structurally prior moment that requires expiation as its means. ## Theological force, the propitiation-expiation debate The lexeme stands at the center of the **20th-century propitiation-vs-expiation debate**. **C.H. Dodd** (*The Bible and the Greeks*, 1935; commentary on Romans, 1932) argued that the LXX translators **drained the Greek wrath-aversion language of its pagan content** when they used the *hilas-* word group to translate Hebrew *kāphar*. On Dodd's reading, the underlying logic is *sin-cleansing*, not *wrath-turning*, and translations like the RSV's "expiation" at [Romans 3:25](/codex/romans-3-25/) and [1 John 2:2](/codex/1-john-2-2/) / 4:10 are doctrinally and lexically correct. Dodd's reading shaped the RSV, the early NEB, and a generation of mainline-Protestant atonement teaching that downplayed divine wrath as an Old-Testament category foreign to the gospel. **Leon Morris** (*The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross*, 1955) decisively reversed the consensus. Morris demonstrated that: 1. **The LXX usage retains wrath-aversion as a constitutive aspect**, not merely a discarded shell. *Hilaskomai* translates *kāphar* in contexts where divine wrath is *explicitly* in view ([Num 16:46-48](/codex/numbers-16-46-48/), where Aaron's atoning act *stops* the plague-wrath; [Ps 78:38](/codex/psalms-78-38/), *"He, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them"*). 2. **The NT contexts presuppose divine wrath against sin** as the doctrinal background, [Romans 1:18-3](/codex/romans-1-18-3/):20 develops the wrath-of-God argument that [Rom 3:25](/codex/romans-3-25/)'s *hilastērion* answers; [1 John 4:10](/codex/1-john-4-10/)'s *hilasmos* presupposes the alienation it removes. 3. **The Reformed-evangelical reading** retains both moments: Christ's atonement *expiates* sin (covers it, removes it) and *thereby propitiates* God (turns aside His wrath against it). The two are not rivals but aspects of the same act. D.A. Carson, John Stott (*The Cross of Christ*, 1986), and the NIV's choice of "sacrifice of atonement" with a "propitiation" footnote represent the post-Morris evangelical consensus. ### Stream 1, The publican's plea ([Luke 18:13](/codex/luke-18-13/)) [Luke 18:13](/codex/luke-18-13/) gives the verb's only NT use in **personal-prayer form**: *ho theos, hilasthēti moi tō hamartōlō* ("God, be propitiated [be merciful, atone] toward me, the sinner"). The construction is **passive imperative**, *hilasthēti*, and the worshipper appeals for the divine wrath-aversion to be applied to himself. Critically: the prayer is offered **in the temple, during the hour of incense** ([Luke 18:10](/codex/luke-18-10/)), which Luke's first-century audience would recognize as **the very hour the priest performs the daily atoning offering on behalf of the people** ([Exod 30:7-8](/codex/exodus-30-7-8/); [Lk 1:9-10](/codex/luke-1-9-10/)). The tax collector's plea is asking for *the application of the Day-of-Atonement coverage* to himself personally. The justification verdict that follows (*"this man went down to his house justified"*, [Lk 18:14](/codex/luke-18-14/)) confirms the request was answered. The verse is the load-bearing Synoptic anchor for forensic-justification language and for the imputation-by-propitiation pattern Paul develops at [Romans 3:21-26](/codex/romans-3-21-26/). ### Stream 2, The high-priestly atonement ([Hebrews 2:17](/codex/hebrews-2-17/)) [Heb 2:17](/codex/hebrews-2-17/) gives the verb's only **active-purpose** NT use: *eis to hilaskesthai tas hamartias tou laou* ("to make propitiation for the sins of the people"). The construction is **infinitive of purpose**, the incarnation's purpose-clause includes the priestly act of *hilaskesthai*. The verb's accusative direct-object is *hamartias* ("sins"), making explicit that the propitiation operates *on the sins* (the expiation-aspect) for the wrath-aversion (the propitiation-aspect) to be effected. The [Hebrews 2:17](/codex/hebrews-2-17/) use establishes the **incarnation-priesthood-atonement** chain that the rest of the epistle develops (4:14-16; 7:23-28; 9:11-14, 24-28; 10:11-18). The verb is then taken up by the noun-cognate *hilastērion* at [Hebrews 9:5](/codex/hebrews-9-5/) (the mercy-seat) and the synoptic theology of the cognates' nouns *hilasmos* and *hilastērion* across the NT. ### Stream 3, The noun-cognates ([Rom 3:25](/codex/romans-3-25/); [1 Jn 2:2](/codex/1-john-2-2/); 4:10; [Heb 9:5](/codex/hebrews-9-5/)) The verb's two-occurrence sparseness is supplemented by the noun-cognates, which carry the heavier NT weight: - **[Romans 3:25](/codex/romans-3-25-26/)**, *hilastērion* (noun, accusative). God set forth Christ *as a propitiation* (or, on some readings, *as the propitiation-place / mercy-seat*) in His blood, *to demonstrate God's righteousness*. The lexical-grammatical debate over whether *hilastērion* names the *act* (propitiation) or the *place* (mercy seat, *kappōret*) is technical, but both readings preserve the substitutionary atonement structure. - **[1 John 2:2](/codex/1-john-2-2/)**, *hilasmos* (noun, nominative). Christ Himself **is** *the hilasmos* concerning our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world's. The verse anchors the personal-and-cosmic scope of the propitiation. - **[1 John 4:10](/codex/1-john-4-10/)**, *hilasmos* (noun, accusative). The Father **sent the Son to be the hilasmos** for our sins; the verse establishes the **propitiation-initiated-by-love** structure (4:10 reads *"in this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son..."*). - **[Hebrews 9:5](/codex/hebrews-9-5/)**, *hilastērion* (noun, accusative). The mercy-seat in the Holy of Holies; the term anchors the Day-of-Atonement / [Leviticus 16](/codex/leviticus-16/) typology that the propitiation language presupposes. The four noun-occurrences plus the two verb-occurrences yield **six NT word-group occurrences**, all converging on Christ's substitutionary atoning death as the act that turns away divine wrath by removing sin. ### Stream 4, The Septuagint background ([Exod 25](/codex/exodus-25/); [Lev 16](/codex/leviticus-16/); [Num 16](/codex/numbers-16/); [Ps 78](/codex/psalms-78/)) The NT *hilas-* word group is inseparable from its LXX background: - **[Exodus 25:17-22](/codex/exodus-25-17-22/) (LXX)**, *poiēseis hilastērion epithema* ("you shall make a propitiation-cover/mercy-seat"); the **kappōret** of the Ark of the Covenant becomes *hilastērion* in Greek. This is the lexical bridge to [Romans 3:25](/codex/romans-3-25/) and [Hebrews 9:5](/codex/hebrews-9-5/). - **[Leviticus 16](/codex/leviticus-16/) (LXX)**, the Day of Atonement chapter. *Kāphar* (translated *exilaskomai* in LXX) saturates the chapter; the high priest *atones for* the holy place, the altar, the priests, and the people through the bull-and-goat blood-rite. This is the typological background of Hebrews' priestly Christology. - **[Numbers 16:46-48](/codex/numbers-16-46-48/)**, Aaron stands *between the dead and the living* with the censer; the verb *exilaskomai* names the act that stops the plague-wrath. This is Morris's load-bearing wrath-aversion proof-text. - **[Psalm 78:38](/codex/psalms-78-38/) (LXX 77:38)**, *"He, being compassionate, *atoned* for their iniquity and did not destroy them, and many times He turned away His anger."* Morris's lexical anchor for the propitiation reading: *atoned for / did not destroy / turned away anger*. The Reformed-evangelical case for propitiation rests on the **lexical continuity** of the *hilas-* word group from LXX (where wrath-aversion is undeniable) into NT (where the same word group describes Christ's atoning work). ## Notable verses ### NT verb-uses (the two) - **[Luke 18.13](/codex/luke-18-13/)**, *hilasthēti moi tō hamartōlō* ("be propitious to me, the sinner"); the tax collector's plea - **[Hebrews 2.17](/codex/hebrews-2-17/)**, *eis to hilaskesthai tas hamartias tou laou* ("to make propitiation for the sins of the people") ### NT noun-cognate uses (*hilasmos*) - **[1 John 2.2](/codex/1-john-2-2/)**, *autos hilasmos estin peri tōn hamartiōn hēmōn* ("He Himself is the propitiation for our sins") - **[1 John 4.10](/codex/1-john-4-10/)**, *apesteilen ton huion autou hilasmon peri tōn hamartiōn hēmōn* ("He sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins") ### NT noun-cognate uses (*hilastērion*) - **[Romans 3.25-26](/codex/romans-3-25-26/)**, *hon proetheto ho theos hilastērion* ("whom God set forth as a propitiation") - **[Hebrews 9:5](/codex/hebrews-9-5/)**, *hyperanō de autēs Cheroubin doxēs kataskiazonta to hilastērion* ("above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat") ### Old Testament / LXX background - **[Exod 25:17-22](/codex/exodus-25-17-22/) (LXX)**, the mercy seat as *hilastērion* - **[Leviticus 16](/codex/leviticus-16/)**, the Day of Atonement; *exilaskomai* throughout - **[Num 16:46-48](/codex/numbers-16-46-48/)**, Aaron's censer; *exilaskomai* stops the plague - **[Ps 78:38](/codex/psalms-78-38/) / LXX 77:38**, *"He, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity"* ## Patristic / scholarly note **Athanasius** (*De Incarnatione* 6-9, 20) develops the *hilaskomai* logic without separating its expiation and propitiation aspects: the incarnation pays the *debt* of sin (expiation) and thereby turns aside the corruption-and-death that sin owes (propitiation, reframed in *Christus Victor* terms). **Anselm** (*Cur Deus Homo*, 1098) takes up the satisfaction-theory development on this exegetical ground: divine honor requires either satisfaction or punishment; Christ's atoning death provides the satisfaction the *hilas-* word group names. **Reformation engagement.** Calvin (*Institutes* II.16-17; *Commentary on Romans*, on 3:25) reads [Romans 3:25](/codex/romans-3-25/)'s *hilastērion* as the central New Testament locus for **penal-substitutionary** atonement, with the LXX *kappōret*/*kāphar* background determining the lexical force. Calvin and the Reformed tradition do not separate propitiation from expiation; the act removes sin *in order to* turn aside wrath. **The 20th-century debate.** C.H. Dodd's expiation-only reading dominated mainline Protestant scholarship 1935-1955 and shaped RSV (1946/1952), early NEB, and the Bultmannian school. **Leon Morris** (*The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross*, 1955; *The Atonement: Its Meaning and Significance*, 1983) led the evangelical recovery, with **Roger Nicole**, **D.A. Carson**, **John Stott** (*The Cross of Christ*, 1986), and **Henri Blocher** building the contemporary consensus. The NIV, ESV, and CSB all preserve "propitiation" or "sacrifice of atonement" at [Rom 3:25](/codex/romans-3-25/) / [1 Jn 2:2](/codex/1-john-2-2/); 4:10, against the RSV's "expiation." **Modern lexical work.** BDAG (3rd ed., 2000) lists "propitiate, conciliate" as the verb's primary gloss, with "expiate, wipe out" as a sub-sense; the entry retains both aspects. Moulton-Milligan's papyri evidence confirms the wrath-aversion sense was alive in Koine Greek outside Jewish-Christian contexts. The current scholarly consensus is **post-Morris**: the *hilas-* word group's NT use names propitiation-via-expiation, with both aspects load-bearing. The doctrinal payoff is decisive against **moral-influence-only atonement theories** (Abelard; classical liberal Protestantism; some contemporary progressive theologies) that drain the cross of substitutionary wrath-aversion. The lexical evidence simply does not permit it. ## Verses in this codex _See Obsidian's backlinks pane for every verse page linking here._ Anchors: [Luke 18.13](/codex/luke-18-13/) (the tax collector's plea), [Hebrews 2.17](/codex/hebrews-2-17/) (high-priestly atonement), [Romans 3.25-26](/codex/romans-3-25-26/) (the central NT *hilastērion* text), [1 John 2.2](/codex/1-john-2-2/) / [1 John 4.10](/codex/1-john-4-10/) (the *hilasmos* nouns), [Hebrews 9:5](/codex/hebrews-9-5/) (the mercy seat). ## See also - [G2434 - hilasmos](/codex/g2434-hilasmos/), *hilasmos*, the abstract-noun cognate ("propitiation"; [1 Jn 2:2](/codex/1-john-2-2/); 4:10) - [G2435 - hilasterion](/codex/g2435-hilasterion/), *hilastērion*, the place-noun cognate ("propitiation, mercy seat"; [Rom 3:25](/codex/romans-3-25/); [Heb 9:5](/codex/hebrews-9-5/)) - [G0863 - aphiemi](/codex/g0863-aphiemi/), *aphiēmi*, the forgiveness verb that *hilaskomai* grounds - [Penal Substitutionary Atonement](/codex/penal-substitutionary-atonement/), the doctrinal framework - [Atonement Theory Spread](/codex/atonement-theory-spread/), the multi-position comparison hub - [Day of Atonement](/codex/leviticus-16/), the OT typology the word group presupposes - Leon Morris / C.H. Dodd, the 20th-century debate principals - Wrath of God, the divine-wrath doctrine propitiation presupposes - Passages: [Luke 18.13](/codex/luke-18-13/), [Hebrews 2.17](/codex/hebrews-2-17/), [Romans 3.25-26](/codex/romans-3-25-26/), [1 John 2.2](/codex/1-john-2-2/), [1 John 4.10](/codex/1-john-4-10/)