Kyrie Eleison in Greek
"Lord, have mercy" — Kyrie eleison is one of the oldest prayers in Christian worship, and one of the few the Western Church kept in Greek. Here it is in the Greek with help saying it, and a look at the small grammar that gives the plea its shape.
Working with a passage of your own? Koine Greek translator translates Koine Greek both ways.
Prayer in Koine Greek
Traditional Greek liturgical prayer
Transliteration
How to say it
What it means in English
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
The familiar wording (Traditional public-domain English form):
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
A few things worth knowing
- Κύριε is the vocative form: it directly addresses the Lord.
- ἐλέησον is an aorist imperative from the verb meaning to have mercy.
- Western musical Mass settings often repeat each invocation three times; the basic phrase is the same.
A Greek prayer kept in Greek
Unlike much of the Western liturgy, Kyrie eleison was often preserved in Greek. Its brevity helped it remain recognizable even to people who did not know Greek well.
Connection to the Jesus Prayer
The same plea for mercy lies behind the Jesus Prayer. Kyrie eleison is public and liturgical; the Jesus Prayer is usually personal and devotional.
Where this text comes from
We use Traditional Greek Kyrie text, a public-domain edition, so the wording here is stable and free to read, copy, and share. You can check the source for yourself.
More prayers and verses in their original languages
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does Kyrie eleison mean?
- It means "Lord, have mercy."
- What does Christe eleison mean?
- It means "Christ, have mercy."
- Is Kyrie eleison Latin or Greek?
- The words are Greek, though they are used in Latin and Western liturgical contexts.