Let’s read that verse from the King James Version: “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be PITIFUL, be courteous.” The New King James Version, as well as many other translations, uses the word TENDERHEARTED in place of pitiful. The New American Standard Bible renders it KINDHEARTED instead of pitiful. Finally, in Mr. W. E. Vine’s “Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words,” he brings out that the Greek word in this verse is EUSPLANCHNOS which means, “compassionate, tenderhearted, literally ‘of good heartedness.” There is another similar word in the Greek (POLUSPLANCHNOS) which does mean “very pitiful or full of pity.”

It is interesting to note that this same Greek word (EUSPLANCHNOS) is used in Ephesians 4:32 and the Kings James Version translators used the English word TENDERHEARTED instead of PITIFUL. That verse reads, “And be ye kind one to another, TENDERHEARTED, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Instead of being critical of their choice in these two verses, I believe we should see that the main exhortation in both passages (1 Peter 3:8 and Ephesians 4:32) deals with the “heart.” We are to have a “good heart” towards one another, that would lead us to be “sympathetic, affectionate, and compassionate” towards them. This could include the thought of being “full of pity” when we see them going through trials. If we are tenderhearted, we will have, as another has said, “a willingness to bear their burden.”

In closing, we have a similar thought in Psalm 103:13-14, “Like as a father PITIETH his children, so the LORD PITIETH them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust” (KJV). The NASB reads, “Just as a father has COMPASSION his children, so the LORD has COMPASSION on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.” Again, the HEART is in view here. Our heavenly Father has a kind, loving, and COMPASSIONATE heart towards His children. I would like to quote William MacDonald’s commentary on these two verses. “Someone has said that ‘man’s weakness appeals to God’s compassion.’ Just as a human father watches with loving understanding as his little fellow struggles with some man-sized load, so the LORD looks down in PITY on us in our weakness. He knows what we are—that we are made of dust—that we are frail and helpless. Too often we forget what God remembers—that we are dust. This leads to pride, self-confidence, independence, and breakdowns.” If we apply these thoughts to our passages in 1 Peter 3:8 and Ephesians 4:32, we too should realize how WE ARE WEAK and so are all of our brothers and sisters in Christ. If we do remember this, we will have a “tender heart” toward them, knowing that we too, in our weakness, may fail when we are going through a heavy trial. We need each other, brethren and we need to be TENDERHEARTED toward one another!  (DO)  (687.1)