4698. splagchnon
Lexical Summary
splagchnon: Bowels, compassion, affection, heart

Original Word: σπλάγχνον
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: splagchnon
Pronunciation: SPLANGKH-non
Phonetic Spelling: (splangkh'-non)
KJV: bowels, inward affection, + tender mercy
NASB: heart, affection, affections, hearts, intestines, tender
Word Origin: [probably strengthened from splen (the "spleen")]

1. an intestine (plural)
2. (figuratively) pity or sympathy

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
bowels, inward affection, tender mercy.

Probably strengthened from splen (the "spleen"); an intestine (plural); figuratively, pity or sympathy -- bowels, inward affection, + tender mercy.

HELPS Word-studies

4698 splágxnon – properly, the internal organs ("viscera"); (figuratively) "gut-level compassion" (visceral feelings); the capacity to feel deep emotions (sympathy, empathy, etc.).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain origin
Definition
the inward parts (heart, liver, lungs, etc.), fig. the emotions
NASB Translation
affection (3), affections (1), heart (4), hearts (1), intestines (1), tender (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4698: σπλάγχνον

σπλάγχνον, σπλαγχνου, τό, and (only so in the N. T.) plural σπλάγχνα, σπλάγχνων, τά, Hebrew רַחֲמִים, bowels, intestines (the heart, lungs, liver, etc.);

a. properly: Acts 1:18 (2 Macc. 9:5f; 4 Macc. 5:29, and in Greek writings from Homer down).

b. in the Greek poets from Aeschylus down the bowels were regarded as the seat of the more violent passions, such as anger and love; but by the Hebrews as the seat of the tenderer affections, especially kindness, benevolence, compassion (cf. Lightfoot on Philippians 1:8; Winers Grammar, 18); hence, equivalent to our heart (tender mercies, affections, etc. (cf. B. D. American edition under the word )): 1 John 3:17 (on which see κλείω); 2 Corinthians 6:12; Philippians 2:1 (here G L T Tr WH εἰ τίς σπλάγχνα; Buttmann, 81 (71), cf. Green 109; Lightfoot at the passage); σπλάγχνα ἐλέους (genitive of quality (cf. Winers Grammar, 611 (568); so Test xii. Patr., test. Zab. §§ 7, 8)), a heart in which mercy resides (heart of mercy), Luke 1:78; also σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ (Rec. οἰκτίρμων), Colossians 3:12; τά σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ περισσοτέρως εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐστιν, his heart is the more abundantly devoted to you, 2 Corinthians 7:15; ἐπιποθῶ ὑμᾶς ἐν σπλάγχνοις Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, in the heart (R. V. tender mercies) of Christ, i. e. prompted by the same love as Christ Jesus, Philippians 1:8; ἀναπαύειν τά σπλάγχνα τίνος, to refresh one's soul or heart, Philemon 1:7, 20; τά σπλάγχνα ἡμῶν, my very heart, i. e. whom I dearly love, Philemon 1:12 (so Darius calls his mother and children his own bowels in Curt. 4, 14, 22. meum corculum, Plautus Cas. 4, 4, 14; meum cor, id. Poen. 1, 2, 154; (cf. Lightfoot on Philemon, at the passage cited)). The Hebrew רַחֲמִים is translated by the Sept. now ὀικιρμοι, Psalm 24:6 (); Psalm 39:12 (), now ἔλεος, Isaiah 47:6; once σπλάγχνα, Proverbs 12:10.

Topical Lexicon
Overview

The term translated “inward parts,” “compassion,” or “tender mercy” occurs eleven times in the Greek New Testament. While rooted in the ancient idea that the deepest emotions issue from the visceral center of a person, Scripture elevates the word to describe both the innermost saving affection of God and the Spirit-wrought love believers are to exhibit toward one another.

Hebraic and Greco-Roman Background

Hebrew thought located emotions in the kidneys or bowels (for example, Jeremiah 12:2). Greek medicine likewise viewed the viscera as the seat of profound feeling. The New Testament writers draw on this shared imagery but infuse it with redemptive meaning, linking the believer’s new affections to the incarnation, cross, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Divine Compassion Revealed (Luke 1:78)

Zechariah’s prophecy situates the coming of the Messiah within “the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high” (Luke 1:78). The word captures the wellspring of covenant grace that moves God to act in history. The Dawn—Christ Himself—arises out of these depths of divine feeling, ensuring that salvation is not a sterile legal transaction but the outpouring of God’s very heart toward sinners.

Literal Use: A Stark Contrast (Acts 1:18)

Luke employs the same vocabulary to describe Judas Iscariot’s gruesome death: “and all his intestines spilled out” (Acts 1:18). The graphic scene underscores the antithesis between heaven-sent mercy and self-destruction wrought by treachery. Judas’s literal entrails on the ground stand opposite the figurative “inward parts” of mercy that characterize genuine disciples.

Pauline Depth of Affection

1. Open-hearted Ministry (2 Corinthians 6:12). Paul protests, “We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us”. Ministry that bears apostolic authenticity is marked by unrestrained, vulnerable affection.
2. Joy over Repentance (2 Corinthians 7:15). Titus “remembers your obedience” and his “affection for you is even greater,” indicating that pastoral joy is tied to the flock’s holy fear and responsiveness.
3. Christ-shaped Longing (Philippians 1:8). “God is my witness how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus”. Paul’s emotions are not merely personal; they are mediated through the living Christ.
4. Communal Encouragement (Philippians 2:1). True fellowship involves “affection and compassion,” forming the soil in which unity and humility grow.
5. Elect Identity and Clothing (Colossians 3:12). The church is commanded to “clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion,” making these inward mercies the first garment of sanctified behavior.

Philemon: A Case Study in Incarnated Mercy

Paul’s short letter contains three occurrences:
• Verse 7: Philemon has “refreshed the hearts of the saints,” demonstrating hospitality that reaches the core of others.
• Verse 12: Onesimus is called “my very heart,” revealing how spiritual parenthood binds apostle and convert.
• Verse 20: Paul asks, “Refresh my heart in Christ,” grounding interpersonal requests in shared union with Jesus.

The epistle shows that the gospel moves believers to treat even a runaway slave as family, guided by affections patterned after God’s own.

Johannine Test of Authentic Faith (1 John 3:17)

“If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?”. The visceral response to need becomes a litmus test of genuine regeneration. Where mercy is absent, so is divine life.

Practical and Pastoral Implications

• A theology of compassion: God’s saving initiative flows from the deepest divine affection, compelling believers to mirror that tenderness.
• Shepherding: Leaders must open their “inward parts” to the flock, cultivating ministries marked by vulnerability, patience, and restorative discipline.
• Fellowship: Congregational unity is sustained not merely by shared doctrine but by shared affection that refreshes weary saints.
• Social concern: Authentic love translates into concrete aid; indifference toward need signals spiritual bankruptcy.
• Evangelism: The gospel is most credible when heralded through voices and lives that resonate with the same compassion that sent the Dawn from on high.

Eschatological Horizon

The mercies celebrated at Christ’s first advent anticipate His return. The church that now embodies His affection will, on that Day, experience it in unveiled fullness, while those who spurn it face the fate prefigured in Judas’s tragedy.

Summary

Strong’s Greek 4698 traces a line from God’s visceral covenant mercy, through the incarnate ministry of Christ, into the fiber of apostolic mission and community life. Its usage challenges every generation of believers to move beyond sentiment, allowing the Spirit to turn inward affections into outward acts that display the heart of God to a watching world.

Forms and Transliterations
σπλαγχνα σπλάγχνα σπλαγχνοις σπλάγχνοις σπλάγχνων splanchna splánchna splanchnois splánchnois
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Luke 1:78 N-ANP
GRK: διὰ σπλάγχνα ἐλέους θεοῦ
NAS: Because of the tender mercy
KJV: Through the tender mercy of our
INT: through [the] affections of compassion of God

Acts 1:18 N-NNP
GRK: πάντα τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ
NAS: and all his intestines gushed
KJV: all his bowels gushed out.
INT: all the intestines of him

2 Corinthians 6:12 N-DNP
GRK: ἐν τοῖς σπλάγχνοις ὑμῶν
NAS: by us, but you are restrained in your own affections.
KJV: in your own bowels.
INT: in the affections of you

2 Corinthians 7:15 N-NNP
GRK: καὶ τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ περισσοτέρως
NAS: His affection abounds all the more
KJV: his inward affection is
INT: and the affections of him more abundantly

Philippians 1:8 N-DNP
GRK: ὑμᾶς ἐν σπλάγχνοις Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ
NAS: for you all with the affection of Christ
KJV: all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
INT: you in [the] affection Christ of Jesus

Philippians 2:1 N-NNP
GRK: εἴ τις σπλάγχνα καὶ οἰκτιρμοί
NAS: if any affection and compassion,
KJV: if any bowels and
INT: if any affections and compassions

Colossians 3:12 N-ANP
GRK: καὶ ἠγαπημένοι σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ χρηστότητα
NAS: put on a heart of compassion,
KJV: beloved, bowels of mercies,
INT: and beloved hearts of compassion kindess

Philemon 1:7 N-NNP
GRK: ὅτι τὰ σπλάγχνα τῶν ἁγίων
NAS: because the hearts of the saints
KJV: because the bowels of the saints
INT: because the hearts of the saints

Philemon 1:12 N-NNP
GRK: τὰ ἐμὰ σπλάγχνα
NAS: to you in person, that is, [sending] my very heart,
KJV: that is, mine own bowels:
INT: my very heart

Philemon 1:20 N-ANP
GRK: μου τὰ σπλάγχνα ἐν Χριστῷ
NAS: refresh my heart in Christ.
KJV: refresh my bowels in the Lord.
INT: my heart in Christ

1 John 3:17 N-ANP
GRK: κλείσῃ τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ ἀπ'
NAS: and closes his heart against
KJV: his bowels [of compassion] from
INT: might shut up the heart of him from

Strong's Greek 4698
11 Occurrences


σπλάγχνα — 9 Occ.
σπλάγχνοις — 2 Occ.

4697
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