The Greek verb eleeo means to have mercy, to show compassion, or to pity. It is the verbal form of eleos (G1656, mercy), and in the New Testament it appears frequently in the cries of suppliants to Jesus: 'Lord, have mercy on us!' (Kyrie eleison). The word combines compassionate feeling with concrete action.
Eleeo is central to the New Testament's understanding of salvation itself — God's mercy in Christ is the ultimate expression of divine eleeo. In Romans 9:15-18, Paul quotes Exodus 33:19 to establish that God's mercy is entirely sovereign: 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.' This divine freedom in showing mercy does not make it arbitrary but rather shows that all mercy is pure grace, not deserved. The beatitude 'Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy' (Matthew 5:7) creates a direct correspondence — those who receive God's mercy are transformed to show mercy to others. Eleeo thus describes both the character of God and the required character of His people.