If that title doesn't get your attention, I don't know what will. If it doesn't maybe I'll just go on a rant about how we are so desensitized to hyperbolic headlines. We'll save that rant for later I guess.
Today we are going to look at the Greek and Hebrew words often translated compassion simply because I think it's interesting and this devotional is where I get to drop all the interesting content I find that doesn't make it into the sermon. So... lucky you.
The root word for compassion in the Hebrew is the word rehem which means "womb". This, remember, is the word God chooses to emphasis in his self-description of his own character. God's character is first and foremost that of compassion, which is seen best in a mother's compassion for her child in our human experience.
In the New Testament, which is written in Greek, the most common word translated compassion is splanchnon. (say that 10x fast!) Like its Hebrew counterpart, it too has a literal anatomical meaning—guts, entrails, intestines. Mmmm... how's your breakfast sounding now.
This literal meaning we see in Acts 1:18,
(Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels (splanchnon) gushed out.
My favorite is the old King James translation trying to stick to the original Philippians 1:8 at the expense of activating your gag reflex,
Philippians 1:8 8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels (splanchnon) of Jesus Christ.
Now you see why we need to translate into modern English. For example, the ESV translates that word more appropriately "affection".
The metaphorical, and more oft used meaning of the word is heart, affections and compassion. Our closest modern comparison would be to say that something is "gut-wrenching". It's a deep feeling of affection we get when we hear news of a tragedy that hits close to home. It's the empathy we feel for someone who is suffering. It's the feeling we have for our children when we see them struggling. This is the type of compassion God has for you and the type of compassion he calls us to model in our relationships with one another.
Additional Content
Reflection
Reflect on that image today or a mother's womb and the intimate relationship a mother shares with her child in her womb. That's the first term God uses to describe himself. That's the kind of tender hearted compassion and love that God has for you. Reflect on what invokes that kind of compassion in you. What stories do you hear that are just gut wrenching? How do you experience the compassion of God for others in your life?