Journal: Bulletin for Biblical Research
Volume: BBR 22:1 (NA 2012)
Article: What “Mercies Of God”? "Oiktirmos" In Romans 12:1 Against Its Septuagintal Background
Author: Nijay K. Gupta

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BBR 22:1 (2012) p. 81

What “Mercies Of God”?
Oiktirmos In Romans 12:1 Against Its Septuagintal Background

Nijay K. Gupta

Seattle Pacific University

In what is considered to be a climactic point in Romans, in 12:1–2 Paul makes a firm appeal in view of “the mercies of God.” It is the conclusion of many scholars that Paul is using the language of mercy (oiktirmos) either to refer to the argument of Rom 9–11 or, perhaps, to summarize chapters 1–11 as a whole. Though the term is undoubtedly acting to refer back to Paul’s argument in the preceding material, there is a pattern of the usage of oiktirmos (and its cognates) in the LXX that has not been introduced into the scholarly discussion. We will examine the patterned use of oiktirmos in the LXX with a view toward how and why it appears as well as what other concepts are frequently and naturally correlated. Then we will demonstrate how suitable this specific term was for Paul in relating the mercy of God to the injunctions in 12:1–2. In particular, we will observe how oiktirmos appears in the discussion of God’s covenant faithfulness with a view toward revelation, forgiveness, and deliverance.

Key Words: Romans, mercy, compassion, Septuagint, revelation, forgiveness, deliverance

Author’s note: An early draft of this article was presented at the British NT conference in the Simultaneous Short Papers session, and I am thankful for the comments and feedback offered by some of the participants. In the preparatory research for this article, I benefited from reading and interacting with a conference paper (and forthcoming essay) by Prof. John M. G. Barclay entitled “‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy’: The Golden Calf and Divine Mercy in Romans 9–11 and Second Temple Judaism.” I will refer to this paper in subsequent notes only by the short title “Golden Calf and Divine Mercy.”

Introduction

There is, perhaps, no ethical injunction more well-known in the letters of Paul than found in Rom 12:1: “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” What tends to be downplayed are the five words before the formal exhortation: διὰ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ θεοῦ. A prima facie reading might lead to the simple conclusion that Paul is basing a committed response to God on his own gracious initiative—offer yourself to God because he has shown grace and mercy to you. There is good reason, though,...

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