"the cover of the ark of the covenant, the mercy-seat, the place of propitiation, Rom. 3:25; Heb. 9:5*"
Definition and meaning
the cover of the ark of the covenant, the mercy-seat, the place of propitiation, Rom. 3:25; Heb. 9:5*
In the original Greek the word is written: ἱλαστήριον
Historical context
Paul wrote Romans from Corinth, one of the most important commercial cities in the empire. Rome had a Jewish population of around 50,000. The letter addresses real tensions between Jewish believers with centuries of Torah tradition and Gentile believers with no such background. Emperor Nero was on the throne. Within ten years he would execute both Paul and Peter.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of hilasterion (G2435) across the King James Bible.
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
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Common questions
Strong's G2435 (hilasterion) is a Greek word that means: the cover of the ark of the covenant, the mercy-seat, the place of propitiation, Rom. 3:25; Heb. 9:5* It appears 2 times in the King James Bible.
The word hilasterion (G2435) appears 2 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G2435 is hilasterion, a Greek word defined as: the cover of the ark of the covenant, the mercy-seat, the place of propitiation, Rom. 3:25; Heb. 9:5*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
hilasterion is a Greek word found in the New Testament.