Greek word · G2155

εὔσπλαγχνος

eusplanchnos

compassionate

Literally 'good-boweled', from eu ('well') and splanchna ('inner organs'). In early Greek medical writing it could literally mean having healthy organs, and in classical poetry it could mean 'stout-hearted, brave'.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 21, 2026

What it means

εὔσπλαγχνος, -ον

(εὖ, σπλάγχνον, which see), [in Man.1.7 (Camb. Manual LXX, iii, 825) ;]

1. in Hippocr., as medical term (LS, see word).

2. Metaphorical (cf. εὐσιλαγχνία, Eurip., Rhes., 192), in NT, tenderhearted, compassionate: Ephesians 4:32, 1 Peter 3:8.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ephesians 4:32

Range of meaning: Literally 'good-boweled', from eu ('well') and splanchna ('inner organs'). In early Greek medical writing it could literally mean having healthy organs, and in classical poetry it could mean 'stout-hearted, brave'. In Jewish and Christian Greek it came to mean compassionate or tenderhearted, because the splanchna were felt as the seat of deep emotion, especially pity.
Against the English: 'Tenderhearted' and 'compassionate' fit well. The Greek picture is gut rather than heart: a feeling deep in the body that moves a person to act, not a sentimental softness.
Used elsewhere in the period: The Prayer of Manasseh 7 calls God 'compassionate (eusplagchnos), patient and very merciful'. The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (T. Zebulun 9:7; T. Simeon 4:4) pair it with 'merciful'. 1 Clement 54:1 asks 'Who among you is noble, who compassionate?' In the New Testament it appears only here and in 1 Peter 3:8. The related verb splanchnizomai is used of Jesus being 'moved with compassion' and of the father in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:20).

From the study of 1 Peter 3:8

Range of meaning: From eu- 'good, well' and splanchna 'inward parts' (heart, liver, bowels). In medical Greek (Hippocratic writings) it could literally mean 'having healthy organs', or figuratively 'stout-hearted'. In Jewish and Christian Greek the splanchna were the seat of deep feeling, especially pity, so the word came to mean 'tenderhearted, compassionate'. The related verb splanchnizomai is what the Gospels use when Jesus is 'moved with compassion'.
Against the English: 'Tenderhearted' (BSB, WEB) and 'compassionate' (YLT) are good. The KJV's 'pitiful' meant 'full of pity' in 1611, but today it means 'pathetic, contemptible', the reverse of the intended compliment.
How it drifted: English 'pitiful' moved from 'showing pity' to 'deserving pity or scorn' in later centuries.
Used elsewhere in the period: The only other New Testament use is Eph 4:32 ('be kind to one another, tenderhearted'). It appears in the Prayer of Manasseh 7 for God's compassion, and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (e.g. Testament of Simeon 4:4; Testament of Zebulun 9:7) use it for mercy, sometimes God's. The splanchna word group translates Hebrew raḥamim, 'compassion', which is connected with the womb.

Where it appears

Ephesians · 1

Ephesians 4:32 εὔσπλαγχνοι, tender-hearted,

Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

Here: Literally 'having good innards'. Greeks felt deep emotion in the gut, so this means compassion felt from the inside, the gut-level pity that moves a person to act.

1 Peter · 1

1 Peter 3:8 εὔσπλαγχνοι, tender-hearted,

Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble.

Here: Literally 'having good inner organs'. In Jewish Greek the gut was where deep compassion was felt. The word asks for a visceral, moved mercy, not just polite kindness.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.