📖 Biblical Definition
Kyrie eleison ("Lord, have mercy") is the Greek plea that runs through the Psalms ("Have mercy upon me, O God" — Psalm 4:1; 6:2; 41:4; 51:1) and the gospels — the cry of the blind men of Jericho (Matthew 20:30-31), the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:22), the ten lepers (Luke 17:13), and the publican who beat his breast (Luke 18:13). Early Christian liturgies embedded it as the Kyrie, sung antiphonally near the start of worship. It is a prayer with no pretense — no merit cited, no excuse offered — only a soul appealing to mercy because mercy is what saves. Christian men learn it before they learn anything else.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
"Lord, have mercy" — the great biblical plea.
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The Greek phrase 'Lord, have mercy' that runs throughout Scripture as the great plea of the needy — David in the Psalms, the blind men of Jericho, the Canaanite woman, the publican in the temple; preserved in Christian liturgy from the earliest centuries as the Kyrie, often sung threefold (Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy).
📖 Key Scripture
Luke 18:38 — "And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me."
Matthew 15:22 — "Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil."
Luke 18:13 — "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Rejected by some as 'Catholic,' missing how thoroughly biblical the cry is.
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Kyrie eleison is in the gospel mouth of every needy soul who came to Christ. To dismiss it as ritual is to dismiss the cry of the publican. Pray it; sing it; let it shape the soul. Lord, have mercy.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek Kyrie eleison.
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['Greek', 'G2962', 'kyrios', 'Lord']
['Greek', 'G1656', 'eleos', 'mercy']
Usage
"Pray Kyrie eleison."
"It is the publican's prayer."