Originally a medical term referring to healthy internal organs, this word came to describe the deep-seated compassion that moves a person to action. Paul commands believers to be compassionate in Ephesians 4:32 alongside kindness and forgiveness, modeling God's own heart. Similarly, 1 Peter 3:8 includes it in a list of virtues for community life. The Spanish and German translations (compasivos, mitfuehlend) capture the emotional depth—not just pity, but a visceral sympathy that feels another's pain.