Charity
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G1654, eleēmosynē, is a Greek noun for mercy expressed through alms, gifts to the poor, or material charity. Jesus assumes that disciples will give to people in need, but He rejects generosity performed to win human honor.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐλεημοσύνη (G1654) · Open the biblical lexicon
G1654, eleēmosynē, is a Greek noun for mercy expressed through alms, gifts to the poor, or material charity. Jesus assumes that disciples will give to people in need, but He rejects generosity performed to win human honor.
The BSB source-word alignment has 13 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include . . . (4), gifts to the poor (2), [as] alms (1), [begging] (1), alms (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 6:2. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (8), Matthew (3), Luke (2).
G1654, eleēmosynē, is a Greek noun for mercy expressed through alms, gifts to the poor, or material charity. Jesus assumes that disciples will give to people in need, but He rejects generosity performed to win human honor. He calls for giving that the Father sees, commands disciples to loosen their hold on possessions, and confronts outward religious cleanliness that leaves the inner life untouched. Acts places the word beside a disabled man who depends on daily begging, Tabitha's sustained works of kindness, Cornelius's generosity and prayer, and Paul's delivery of aid to his people.
The noun keeps mercy tangible. Compassion reaches money, possessions, clothing, food, and other material needs rather than remaining a sympathetic feeling. Yet the person receiving aid is never a prop for the giver's reputation. Matthew 6 protects giving from spectacle. Acts 3 names a man who is publicly recognized by his begging location and then receives healing in Jesus' name, but the account does not make ordinary material assistance inferior or promise that every disabled person will be cured. Tabitha's garments and Cornelius's repeated gifts show patterns of generosity rather than one dramatic display.
Almsgiving does not purchase salvation, manipulate God, or create ownership over recipients. Cornelius's gifts are remembered before God, yet Acts 10 still centers God's initiative, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Secret giving also does not forbid accountable records, shared financial controls, or safeguarding. Faithful charity protects dignity, listens to actual needs, avoids humiliating publicity, and uses wise procedures so that mercy reaches people without fraud, favoritism, coercion, or dependency engineered for control.
G1654 traces material mercy through hidden giving, loosened possessions, a beggar's daily dependence, Tabitha's practiced care, Cornelius's generosity and prayer, and Paul's accountable delivery of aid.
So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.
Jesus assumes giving but exposes charity staged for applause. Public recognition can become the giver's desired payment while the neighbor's need is used as scenery.
So that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Secret giving reorients the disciple toward the Father's sight and away from reputation. The command concerns motive and display, not the removal of accountable stewardship.
But give as alms the things that are within you, and behold, everything will be clean for you.
Jesus confronts leaders preoccupied with exterior cleanliness while their inner life is full of greed and wickedness. The difficult wording joins generosity to inward integrity rather than making a gift a ritual purchase of purity.
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
Jesus places generosity within freedom from anxious possession and trust in the Father's kingdom. Heavenly treasure redirects ownership; it does not turn poor neighbors into an investment mechanism.
And a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those entering the temple courts.
The man's need has become a daily public arrangement shaped by disability and dependence. The narrative later centers his restoration and praise of God without blaming him for requesting material help.
In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which is translated as Dorcas), who was always occupied with works of kindness and charity.
Tabitha's almsgiving belongs to a sustained life of discipleship, and the widows later show garments she made. Her care is remembered through relationships and useful work.
He and all his household were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to the people and prayed to God regularly.
Cornelius's gifts accompany reverence and prayer, but his story still requires God's initiative and Peter's proclamation of Christ. Generosity is witnessed by God without becoming a substitute gospel.
Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.
The angel says Cornelius's prayers and gifts are remembered before God. The image affirms divine notice while the chapter proceeds toward the saving message about Jesus.
After several years, then, I returned to Jerusalem to bring alms to my people and to present offerings.
Paul names alms as part of the purpose for his return while defending himself before Felix. Material aid crosses distance and is delivered within accountable testimony.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Charitable giving rooted in mercy; Jesus emphasizes hidden almsgiving over public displays of generosity.
Charitable giving rooted in mercy; Jesus emphasizes hidden almsgiving over public displays of generosity.
(ἐλεέω), [in LXX chiefly for חֶסֶד, צְדָקָה ;]
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
14 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
alms-giving, charity
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Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 5 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 13 lexical occurrence verses.
ἐλεημοσύνη is built from this root:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
G1654 gives mercy an economic form. Jesus does not introduce almsgiving as an unusual achievement; He says when disciples give and then exposes the desire to be seen. Secrecy protects the act from becoming theater, yet it does not prohibit receipts, multiple counters, or transparent administration that protects everyone involved. Luke places giving against greed, anxiety, and misplaced treasure.
Possessions can be released because the Father's kingdom is more secure than what moths and thieves can take. Acts makes the recipients and practitioners concrete. A man lame from birth is carried daily to beg, showing a social world in which survival depends on public gifts. His healing in Jesus' name must not be preached as contempt for material care or as a promise that disability will always be removed.
Tabitha's charity is expressed through garments and remembered by widows. Cornelius combines giving with prayer, but his gifts do not purchase the Spirit or eliminate the need to hear Christ proclaimed. Paul carries aid to Jerusalem as part of accountable ministry across communities. Churches shaped by G1654 can give quietly without being careless, record funds without advertising recipients, and pair immediate relief with listening, advocacy, and long-term support.
Mercy seeks the person's good rather than the giver's image or control.
Matt.6.4
G1654 is a feminine noun related to mercy vocabulary and often names alms or gifts to the poor. Its translations include giving, charity, alms, money requested as alms, and gifts to the poor because the surrounding action specifies the material form.
Biblical commands to open the hand, defend poor neighbors, and refuse exploitative lending provide the Old Testament background for New Testament almsgiving. G1654 keeps that mercy material while Jesus and Acts place it under God's sight and within gospel-shaped community.