The Greek noun oiktirmos (οἰκτιρμός) means mercy, compassion, or tender compassion. It typically appears in the plural (oiktirmoi) to express the fullness and intensity of compassionate feeling. It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew rachamim (compassionate mercies, from the womb — H7356), conveying deep emotional empathy for those in distress.
Paul opens Romans 12 with the phrase 'by the mercies (oiktirmon) of God,' calling believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices in response to what God has already done in chapters 1–11. This establishes the fundamental shape of Christian ethics: mercy received produces mercy lived. In 2 Corinthians 1:3, God is 'the Father of mercies (oiktirmon).' Colossians 3:12 lists oiktirmos as the first garment believers are to 'put on' — compassion is the foundational character of the new self. Hebrews 10:28 uses it to argue from lesser to greater: if violations of Moses' law met with no mercy (choris oiktirmon), how much greater is the consequence of rejecting the Son of God?