GOOD SAMARITAN Definition & Meaning

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good Samaritan

or good sa·mar·i·tan

[ good suh-mar-i-tn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

one who is compassionate and helpful to a person in distress.

Good Samaritan

noun

New Testament a figure in one of Christ's parables (Luke 10:30–37) who is an example of compassion towards those in distress
a kindly person who helps another in difficulty or distress

Good Samaritan

In one of the parables of Jesus , the only one of several passersby to come to the aid of a Jew (see also Jews ) who had been robbed, beaten, and left to die on the roadside. The kindness of the Samaritan was particularly admirable because Jews and Samaritans (i.e., people of Samaria) were generally enemies. Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan to answer a man who had asked him, “Who is my neighbor?” He forced his questioner to admit that the Samaritan was the true neighbor of the man who had been robbed.

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Notes

Figuratively, “Good Samaritans” are persons who go out of their way to perform acts of kindness to others, especially strangers.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of good Samaritan¹

First recorded in 1840–50; from the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:30–37.

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Idioms and Phrases

A compassionate person who unselfishly helps others, as in In this neighborhood you can't count on a good Samaritan if you get in trouble . This expression alludes to Jesus's parable about a Samaritan who rescues and cares for a stranger who had been robbed and badly hurt and had been ignored by a priest and a Levite (Luke 10:30–35). The Samaritans were considered a heretical group by other Jews, so by using a Samaritan for the parable, Jesus chose a person whom his listeners would find least likely to be worthy of concern. [c. 1600]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

According to the affidavit, Pearce and Osborn said they drove the unconscious women to hospitals about 12 hours later, claiming to be good Samaritans who found them passed out on a curb.

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Relatives of a "good Samaritan" murdered by a man who was only released from jail the day before are taking legal action against a number of authorities.

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These good Samaritans respond to rescue calls at any hour of the day, often putting their own safety at risk.

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They said that fire was stomped out by a good Samaritan.

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They said the fire was stomped out by a good Samaritan.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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