GOD’S BOWELS FOR US!!!

GOD’S BOWELS FOR US

 

Being moved by deep compassion as it is written in Matthew 9;36¹: When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd¹, literally means from Hebrew to have the bowels yearn or to have the bowels become hot towards someone. The bowels were regarded as the seat of the most violent passions, such as anger and love; but by the Hebrews as the seat of tender affections, especially kindness, benevolence, compassion.² It would be like the heart for most of the occidental cultures nowadays. It is the centre of our emotions and from where the most intense passions and feelings come.

This expression being moved with deep compassion is the equivalent in the Old Testament for when Joseph saw his brother Benjamin (Genesis 43;30). His bowels yearned towards him; for when the two women brought before the King Solomon the living child, for him to decide which mother was the real mother (1 Kings 3,26). The one that was the real mother was deeply moved out of love (NIV Translation) or had her bowels yearned (King James Version) on her son; for when God spoke about Ephraim as a son that was reconciling with Him, and how the father felt (the father’s heart for us nowadays and the bowels in the bible and for the Jews). in Jeremiah 31,20 the words my heart yearns mean literally sound or are troubled for him, I have great compassion for him (NIV Translation) or my bowels are troubled (King James Version); for the lovers in Song of Solomon 5,5 – My beloved thrust his hand through the latch-opening, my heart began to pound for him (NIV Translation) or King James Version – My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved (or sound in the literal) for him; and in the New Testament when Paul writes in Philippians 1;8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ (KJV) or in the affection of Jesus Christ (NIV).

We can see some of the great commentaries of the bible say about these verses:

Poole commentary says: His bowels did yearn; his heart and inward parts were vehemently moved, as they commonly are upon occasion of any excessive passion, of love, pity, grief or joy (about Joseph and Benjamin).

Gill commentary says: For his bowels did yearn upon his brother: his passion grew strong, his affections were raised, his heart was full of tenderness, and there was such a flow of love and joy at the sight of his brother, and the little conversation he had with him, that he was ready to burst out, and must have discovered himself if he had not immediately turned and got out of the room, and sought (where) to weep: a proper place to vent his passion in tears of joy, and relieve himself  (Joseph and Benjamin).

Now began to kindle and appear in flames; her heart, and the desires of it, were in motion towards him (The lovers in Song of Solomon).

Sound for him, or yearn toward him; so that he did not do what he threatened, or was seemingly about to do. The phrase is expressive of great relenting, strong and melting pity in his heart, towards his dear and delightful children (Ephraim and God’s bowels or heart toward them).

His bowels yearned for them, he was touched with a feeling of their infirmities, as the merciful high priest, the good shepherd, and faithful prophet, being heartily concerned for the souls of men, their comfort here, and everlasting happiness hereafter (Jesus and the crowds).

Barnes commentary says: The metaphor expresses the most tender internal emotion (Ephraim and God’s bowels or heart towards them).

Clarke commentary says: God feels a yearning desire towards him; hamu meai lo, “my bowels are agitated for him”. I feel nothing towards him but pity and love. When a sinner turns to God, God ceases to be angry with him. God expresses his determination to save him; rachem arachamennu, “ I will be affectionately merciful to him, with tender mercy, says The Lord. He shall find that I treat him as a father does a returning prodigal son. So every penitent is sure to find mercy at the hand of God (Ephraim and God’s bowels or heart towards them).

Moved with compassion means a bowel. The Jews esteemed the bowels to be the seat sympathy and the tender passions, and so applied the organ to the sense. It signifies according to Minert, to be moved with pity from the very inmost bowels. It is an emphatic word, signifying a vehement affection of commiseration, by which the bowels and especially the heart is moved. Both this verb and the noun seem to derived from the Greek verb to draw, the whole intestinal canal, in the peristaltic motion of the bowels, being drawn, affected and agitated with the sight of a distressed or miserable object. Pity increases this motion of the bowels, and produces considerable pain. Hence, to have the bowels moved signifies to feel pity or compassion at seeing the miseries of others (Jesus and the crowds).

DTN commentary says: Troubled literally means sound – yearned³.

JFB commentary says: Namely, with the yearnings of compassionate love. The bowels include the region of the heart, the seat of the affections.

MHWBC commentary says: … My bowels were moved for him, as those of the two disciples were when Christ made their hearts burn within them.

My understanding:

On the way to understand what the words “being moved in deep compassion” mean I would describe this feeling as an intense flame of passion between two lovers, combined with the feeling of the father that reconciles himself with the distant son and the brothers that didn’t see each other for a long time and couldn’t keep the tears when they finally met.

Also on the way to understand what the words “being moved in deep compassion” mean I would describe the human reaction to this feeling as they would be making a great sound, as they would be shouting, an uproar, a stir, a feeling of being troubled, to be in a turbulent commotion incapable of keeping the abundant tears.

So that is what being moved with deep compassion means and it is how God feels about us, how Jesus unveiled this feeling to us through his example, how the disciples saw that he was being moved by deep compassion in many times in the scriptures³ ¹¹ and how God expects us to move in deep compassion towards one another and the lost people around us¹².

Yury Gaudard.

REFERENCES

Matthew 9,36: When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd¹.

Thayer commentary².

Verses relating multitude, increasing (yearn) with sound, uproar³.

HÂMÂH: to murmur(figuratively of a soul in prayer), growl, roar, cry aloud, mourn, rage, sound, make noise, tumult, to be clamorous, to be disquieted, to be loud, to be moved, to be troubled, to be in an uproar, to be in a stir, to be in a commotion, to be boisterous, to be turbulent. BDB Definition H1993

To make a loud sound (like English “hum”), by implication to be in great commotion or tumult, to rage, war, moan, clamor, clamorous, concourse, cry aloud, be disquiet, loud, mourn, be moved, make a noise, rage, roar, sound, be troubled, make in tumult, tumultuous, be in an uproar. Strong’s Definition.

Part of speech: verb

A primitive root to compare is: H1949

HÛM: to distract, ring again, make a great noise, murmur, roar, discomfit, to be moved, to be in a stir, to show disquietude. BDB Definition H1949

To make an uproar, or agitate greatly, destroy, move, make a noise, put, ring again. Strong’s Definition.

Part of speech: verb

Another primitive root to compare is: H2000

HÂMAM: to move noisily, confuse, make a noise, discomfit, break, consume, crush, destroy, trouble, vex. BDB Definition H2000

Properly to put in commotion, by implication to disturb, drive, destroy, break, consume crush, destroy, discomfit, trouble, vex. Strong’s Definition

Part of speech: verb

Another primitive root to compare is: H1995

HÂMÔN HÂMÔN: Murmur, roar, crowd, abundance, tumult, sound. BDB Definition H1995

A noise, tumult, crowd, also disquietude, wealth, abundance, company, many, multitude, multiply, noise, riches, rumbling, sounding, store, tumult. Strong’s Definition.

Part of speech: noun masculine.

Verses to compare relating sound with being profoundly moved or grow hot, in a sense of increasing (in this case the compassion) and expressing this emotion with a sound, an uproar, a great noise:

 Jeremiah 48;36 – Therefore my heart shall sound ( H1993) for Moab like pipes, and my heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kir-heres; because the abundance that he has gotten is perished.

Isaiah 16;11 – Therefore my bowels sound  like a harp for Moab, and my inward parts for Kirheres.

Isaiah 63;15 – Look down from heaven, and see from Your habitation, holy and glorious. Where are your zeal and your strength, the yearning of your heart and your mercy toward me? Are they restrained? New king James Version

Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength the sounding of thy bowels and thy mercies toward me? Are they restrained? King James Version

Look down from heaven and see, from your lofty throne, holy and glorious. Where are your zeal and your mighty? Your tenderness¹ and compassion² are withheld from us. New International Version

Look down from heaven, look at us! Look out the window of your holy magnificent house! Whatever happened to your passion, your famous mighty acts, Your heartfelt pity, your compassion? Why are you holding back? The Message

Look down from heavens, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory! Where is the zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy tender mercies? Are they restrained toward me? Darby 1890

Look down from heaven, and behold from thy holy habitation and the place of thy glory: where is thy zeal, and thy strength, the multitude of thy bowels, and of thy mercies? They have held back themselves from me. Douay Rheims

Look down from heaven and see from Your lofty home – holy and beautiful. Where is Your Zeal and Your might? Your yearning (the agitation of your inward parts – according to the translation’s notes) and Your compassion² are withheld from me. Holman Christian Standard Bible

Verses in the bible Jesus was moved with deep compassion¹¹: Matthew 9;36 -14;14 – 15;32 – 20;34 Mark 1;42 – 6;34 -8;2 Luke 15;20.

Verses in the bible the word says we should act in compassion towards one another¹²: Luke 10;25-37, Philippians 2;1 and Colossians 3;12.

 

 

Moved with deep compassion Hebrew and Greek original words and its interpretation.

HEBREW:

RACHAM  (H7356): Compassion (in the plural), by extension the womb (as cherishing the fetus), by implication a maiden – bowels, compassion, damsel, tender love, mercy, pity, womb. Strong Definition.

From RÂCHAM(H7355): To love, love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate, have tender affection, have compassion. BDB Definition.

KÂMAR (H3648): To yearn, be kindled, be black (hot), grow warm and tender, be or grow hot, become hot, become emotionally agitated – to grow warm and tender, to be or grow hot. BDB Definition.

A primitive root; properly to intertwine or contract, that is, by implication to shrivel(as with heat), figuratively to be deeply affected with passion, love or pity. Be black, be kindled, yearn. Strong Definition.

MÊ’EH (H4578): Internal organs, inward parts, bowels, intestines, belly. BDB Definition – (H4578 the meaning of this word is the inward parts, bowels and from the point of view of a cultural understanding it means the place of emotions or distress or love in the human being, what could be for us nowadays the heart).

Now the Greek words for the same expression.

G4698 – splagchnon: bowels, intestines. 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 tender affections, especially kindness, benevolence, compassion. A heart in which mercy resides. Thayer Definition.

G4697 – splagchnizomai: to be moved as to one’s bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity. Thayer Definition.

Strong’s Definition: Have the bowels yearn, that is figuratively feel sympathy, to pity, be moved with compassion.