In the Bible, pity is often associated with compassion and mercy towards those who are suffering or in need. It reflects a deep empathetic response to the plight of others, as seen in passages like Psalm 103:13, which describes God having compassion on those who fear Him.
Scripture
16 And you shall consume all the peoples that the Lord your God will give over to you. Your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.
17 If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’
18 you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt,
Biblical Definition of Pity
Pity in the Bible transcends mere sympathy; it embodies an active, compassionate response to the suffering of others, inviting individuals to engage in acts of mercy and kindness. This concept is eloquently expressed in passages such as Matthew 9:36, where Jesus, upon seeing the crowds, is moved with compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. This indicates that pity compels one towards proactive love and support, mirroring God’s character and fostering community. It serves as a reminder that true compassion is not simply feeling sorry for someone, but rather taking action to alleviate their burdens, as highlighted in James 2:15-16, which admonishes believers not to simply offer kind words without accompanying those words with tangible help.
Moreover, the biblical notion of pity reflects the understanding that all humans are created in the image of God and are deserving of dignity and care. Proverbs 14:21 warns that “whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor,” emphasizing that to pity others is to live in accordance with Divine compassion. In a broader sense, biblical pity, or compassion, serves as a call to social responsibility, urging believers to advocate for justice and respond to the needs of the vulnerable within society. In doing so, followers of Christ not only emulate the character of God but also fulfill the command to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Mark 12:31), marking an essential aspect of the Christian faith that seeks to reflect the transformative love of God in a broken world.
The biblical definition of pity extends beyond merely feeling sorry for others; it encompasses a deeper moral obligation that involves empathy, understanding, and a commitment to take meaningful action. This principle is deeply rooted in the teachings of the Old Testament, where God’s commands repeatedly exhort His people to care for those who are marginalized, such as orphans, widows, and foreigners. For instance, in Exodus 22:22-24, God instructs the Israelites to not oppress the widow or the fatherless, highlighting that His own pity towards the vulnerable should be a model for their behavior. The act of extending compassion becomes a relational bond, where individuals are called to reflect God’s heart through their deeds and lifestyle choices.
Furthermore, the theme of pity as active compassion runs through the Psalms, where the psalmist often appeals to God’s mercy and pity in pleading for deliverance from distress or enemy oppression. For example, Psalm 103:13 uses the metaphor of a father’s compassion toward his children to illustrate God’s pity towards those who fear Him, suggesting that divine pity is both nurturing and protective. The instruction to embody such compassion found in scripture emphasizes a continuity between divine empathy and human responsibility, urging believers to cultivate a spirit of generosity and kindness that challenges societal indifference towards suffering. This transformative view of pity thus becomes a critical lens through which believers can understand their role in promoting justice and mercy, ultimately reflecting their love for God through their love for others.
Compassion as a Divine Attribute
In the Bible, pity is often associated with the compassion that God shows towards humanity. This divine attribute reflects God’s deep concern for the suffering and plight of His creation. Pity, in this sense, is not merely an emotional response but an active engagement that leads to mercy and assistance. It emphasizes the importance of empathy and understanding in the relationship between God and His people, encouraging believers to mirror this compassion in their own lives.
The Call to Action
Pity in the biblical context is not limited to feeling sorry for someone; it is a call to action. When individuals experience pity, it should compel them to respond to the needs of others. This response can manifest in various forms, such as providing for the poor, comforting the grieving, or advocating for justice. The biblical understanding of pity thus emphasizes that true compassion is demonstrated through tangible acts of kindness and support, reinforcing the idea that faith is active and requires a commitment to serve others.
The Interconnectedness of Humanity
Another broader meaning of pity in the Bible highlights the interconnectedness of humanity. Pity serves as a reminder that we are all part of a larger community and that the suffering of one affects the whole. This perspective encourages believers to cultivate a sense of solidarity with those who are marginalized or in distress. By recognizing our shared humanity, the biblical definition of pity fosters a spirit of unity and collective responsibility, urging individuals to care for one another as members of the same family.
How to Embrace Compassion and Live Mercifully as a Christian
Embracing compassion and living mercifully as a Christian is a beautiful journey that begins with a heart open to the needs of others. It’s about seeing the world through the eyes of Christ, who exemplified perfect love and mercy. Start by cultivating a spirit of empathy—take time to listen to those around you, understanding their struggles and joys. Remember the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37); it teaches us that mercy knows no boundaries and calls us to act, even when it’s inconvenient. Engage in acts of kindness, whether big or small, and let your actions reflect the love of Jesus. Pray for a heart that breaks for what breaks His, and seek opportunities to serve those who are marginalized or suffering. As you practice compassion, you’ll find that it not only transforms the lives of others but also deepens your own faith and connection to God.
Bible References to the Definition of Pity:
Deuteronomy 13:6-9: 6 “If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, you or your fathers,
7 Some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other,
8 you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him.
9 But you shall kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.
Deuteronomy 19:11-13: 11 But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities,
12 then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die.
13 Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you.
Deuteronomy 25:11-12: 11 “When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts,”
12 then you shall cut off her hand. Your eye shall have no pity.
1 Samuel 15:32-33: 32 Then Samuel said, “Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully. Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
33 And Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
2 Samuel 12:1-6: 1 And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.
2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds,
3 But the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him.
4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
5 Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die,
6 He shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
Job 6:14-21: 14 “He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
15 My brothers are treacherous as a torrent-bed,
as torrential streams that pass away,
16 which are black by reason of the ice, and in which the snow hides itself;
17 What use is the strength of their hands to me, men whose vigor is gone?
18 The paths of their way wind away; they go up into nothing and perish.
19 The caravans of Tema look, the travelers of Sheba hope.
20 They are ashamed because they were confident;
they come there and are disappointed.
21 For now you have become nothing; you see my calamity and are afraid.
Psalm 103:8-14: 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
Proverbs 19:17: 17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.
Proverbs 28:13: 13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Isaiah 49:13-16: 13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me.”
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
Jeremiah 13:14: 14 And I will dash them one against another, fathers and sons together, declares the Lord. I will not pity or spare or have compassion, that I should not destroy them.’”
Ezekiel 9:4-6: 4 And the Lord said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.”
5 And to the others he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity.
6 Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house.
Ezekiel 16:4-6: 4 And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.
5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.
6 “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’”
Hosea 2:21-23: 21 “And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord,
I will answer the heavens,
and they shall answer the earth,”
22 and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel,
23 And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’”
Matthew 9:35-38: 35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;”
38 Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
Matthew 18:21-35: 21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.
24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’
27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.
28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’
29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’
30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.
31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.
32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’
34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.
35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Luke 7:11-15: 11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him.
12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.
13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”
14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”
15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Luke 10:30-37: 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Romans 9:14-18: 14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!
15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
1 Corinthians 13:1-7: 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Ephesians 4:31-32: 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Philippians 2:1-4: 1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Colossians 3:12-14: 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Hebrews 4:14-16: 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
James 2:13-17: 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
1 Peter 3:8-9: 8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
1 John 3:16-18: 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Reverend Ogunlade is a seasoned Church Minister with over three decades of experience in guiding and nurturing congregations. With profound wisdom and a serene approach, Reverend Ogunlade has carried out various pastoral duties, including delivering uplifting sermons, conducting religious ceremonies, and offering sage counsel to individuals seeking spiritual guidance. Their commitment to fostering harmony and righteousness within their community is exemplified through their compassionate nature, making them a beloved and trusted figure among the congregation.