σπλάγχνον
splanchnon
Viscera, bowels — the seat of compassion and deep feeling
Etymology
Literally the internal organs (liver, heart, lungs). In Homer, the splanchna are consumed in sacrifice — the gods' portion. In the NT, σπλαγχνίζομαι ("to be moved in one's bowels") becomes the verb for Christ's compassion, the visceral response to another's suffering.
Why splanchnon matters
In Homer the splanchna are consumed at sacrifice before the feast, belonging to the gods because they are the intimate, living core of the animal, the parts that still pulse. This sacrificial identity lodges the term in a register of immediate, boundary-crossing contact between mortal and divine. When the NT verb splagchnizomai becomes the word for Christ's compassion, it inherits this Homeric freight: to be moved in the splanchna is not a gentle sentiment but a visceral disruption — a being-seized at the sacrificial organs, which is why the Gospels reserve the verb exclusively for divine or kingly figures responding to radical human need.
splanchnon in the corpus
Grammatical voice
When splanchnon appears in the middle voice, the subject acts upon or for itself — the grammatical home of interiority.
Which characters in Homer use splanchnon most?
Related terms
Distribution by work
Key passages
Showing 30 of 34 passages containing σπλάγχνον.
ὣς ἔφατʼ εὐχόμενος, τοῦ δʼ ἔκλυε Φοῖβος Ἀπόλλων. αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ εὔξαντο καὶ οὐλοχύτας προβάλοντο, αὐέρυσαν μὲν πρῶτα καὶ ἔσφαξαν καὶ ἔδειραν, μηρούς τʼ ἐξέταμον κατά τε κνίσῃ ἐκάλυψαν δίπτυχα ποιήσαντε...
with a double layer of fat, and laid raw flesh thereon. And the old man burned them on stakes of wood, and made libation over them of gleaming wine; and beside him the young men held in their hands th...
ὣς ἔφατʼ, οὐδʼ ἄρα πώ οἱ ἐπεκραίαινε Κρονίων, ἀλλʼ ὅ γε δέκτο μὲν ἱρά, πόνον δʼ ἀμέγαρτον ὄφελλεν. αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥʼ εὔξαντο καὶ οὐλοχύτας προβάλοντο, αὐέρυσαν μὲν πρῶτα καὶ ἔσφαξαν καὶ ἔδειραν, μηρούς τʼ...
nay, he accepted the sacrifice, but toil he made to wax unceasingly. Then, when they had prayed and had sprinkled the barley grains, they first drew back the victims' heads and cut their throats, and ...
Ἠέλιος δʼ ἀνόρουσε, λιπὼν περικαλλέα λίμνην, οὐρανὸν ἐς πολύχαλκον, ἵνʼ ἀθανάτοισι φαείνοι καὶ θνητοῖσι βροτοῖσιν ἐπὶ ζείδωρον ἄρουραν· οἱ δὲ Πύλον, Νηλῆος ἐυκτίμενον πτολίεθρον, ἷξον· τοὶ δʼ ἐπὶ θινὶ...
And now the sun, leaving the beauteous mere, sprang up into the brazen heaven to give light to the immortals and to mortal men on the earth, the giver of grain; and they came to Pylos, the well-built ...
ὣς ἄρα φωνήσασʼ ἡγήσατο Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη καρπαλίμως· ὁ δʼ ἔπειτα μετʼ ἴχνια βαῖνε θεοῖο. ἷξον δʼ ἐς Πυλίων ἀνδρῶν ἄγυρίν τε καὶ ἕδρας, ἔνθʼ ἄρα Νέστωρ ἧστο σὺν υἱάσιν, ἀμφὶ δʼ ἑταῖροι δαῖτʼ ἐντυνόμενοι κρ...
quickly; but he followed in the footsteps of the goddess; and they came to the gathering and the companies of the men of Pylos. There Nestor sat with his sons, and round about his people, making ready...
λεῖβε· νέοι δὲ παρʼ αὐτὸν ἔχον πεμπώβολα χερσίν. αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ κατὰ μῆρʼ ἐκάη καὶ σπλάγχνα πάσαντο, μίστυλλόν τʼ ἄρα τἆλλα καὶ ἀμφʼ ὀβελοῖσιν ἔπειραν, ὤπτων δʼ ἀκροπόρους ὀβελοὺς ἐν χερσὶν ἔχοντες. τόφρα...
and beside him the young men held in their hands the five-pronged forks. But when the thigh-pieces were wholly burned, and they had tasted the inner parts, they cut up the rest and spitted and roasted...
δίπτυχα ποιήσαντες, ἐπʼ αὐτῶν δʼ ὠμοθέτησαν. οὐδʼ εἶχον μέθυ λεῖψαι ἐπʼ αἰθομένοις ἱεροῖσιν, ἀλλʼ ὕδατι σπένδοντες ἐπώπτων ἔγκατα πάντα. αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ κατὰ μῆρʼ ἐκάη καὶ σπλάγχνα πάσαντο, μίστυλλόν τʼ ἄρ...
they cut up the rest and spitted it. Then it was that sweet sleep fled from my eyelids, and I went my way to the swift ship and the shore of the sea. But when, as I went, I drew near to the curved shi...
ὣς ἔφατʼ Ἀμφίνομος, τοῖσιν δʼ ἐπιήνδανε μῦθος. ἐλθόντες δʼ ἐς δώματʼ Ὀδυσσῆος θείοιο χλαίνας μὲν κατέθεντο κατὰ κλισμούς τε θρόνους τε, οἱ δʼ ἱέρευον ὄϊς μεγάλους καὶ πίονας αἶγας, ἵρευον δὲ σύας σιάλ...
and men fell to slaying great sheep and fat goats, aye, and fatted swine, and the heifer of the herd. Then they roasted the entrails and served them out, and mixed wine in the bowls, and the swineherd...
καὶ ἐκβληθέντος τοῦ δαιμονίου ἐλάλησεν ὁ κωφός καὶ ἐθαύμασαν οἱ ὄχλοι λέγοντες οὐδέποτε ἐφάνη οὕτως ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ οἱ δὲ Φαρισαῖοι ἔλεγον ἐν τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια Καὶ περιῆγεν ὁ ...
καὶ λυπηθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς διὰ τοὺς ὅρκους καὶ τοὺς συνανακειμένους ἐκέλευσεν δοθῆναι καὶ πέμψας ἀπεκεφάλισεν Ἰωάννην ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ καὶ ἠνέχθη ἡ κεφαλὴ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πίνακι καὶ ἐδόθη τῷ κορασίῳ καὶ ἤνεγκεν τῇ...
ἡ δὲ ἐλθοῦσα προσεκύνει αὐτῷ λέγουσα κύριε βοήθει μοι ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν οὐκ ἔξεστιν λαβεῖν τὸν ἄρτον τῶν τέκνων καὶ βαλεῖν τοῖς κυναρίοις ἡ δὲ εἶπεν ναί κύριε καὶ γὰρ τὰ κυνάρια ἐσθίει ἀπὸ τῶν ψιχ...
πεσὼν οὖν ὁ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος προσεκύνει αὐτῷ λέγων μακροθύμησον ἐπ’ ἐμοί καὶ πάντα ἀποδώσω σοι σπλαγχνισθεὶς δὲ ὁ κύριος τοῦ δούλου ἐκείνου ἀπέλυσεν αὐτόν καὶ τὸ δάνειον ἀφῆκεν αὐτῷ ἐξελθὼν δὲ ὁ δοῦλος ...
λέγουσιν αὐτῷ κύριε ἵνα ἀνοιγῶσιν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν σπλαγχνισθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἥψατο τῶν ὀμμάτων αὐτῶν καὶ εὐθέως ἀνέβλεψαν καὶ ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ
καὶ σπλαγχνισθεὶς ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἥψατο καὶ λέγει θέλω καθαρίσθητι καὶ εὐθὺς ἀπῆλθεν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ ἡ λέπρα καὶ ἐκαθερίσθη καὶ ἐμβριμησάμενος αὐτῷ εὐθὺς ἐξέβαλεν αὐτόν καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὅρα μηδενὶ μη...
καὶ εἶδον αὐτοὺς ὑπάγοντας καὶ ἐπέγνωσαν αὐτοὺς πολλοί καὶ πεζῇ ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν πόλεων συνέδραμον ἐκεῖ καὶ προῆλθον αὐτούς Καὶ ἐξελθὼν εἶδεν πολὺν ὄχλον καὶ ἐσπλαγχνίσθη ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ὅτι ἦσαν ὡς πρόβατα μ...
Ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις πάλιν πόλλου ὄχλου ὄντος καὶ μὴ ἐχόντων τί φάγωσιν προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς μαθητὰς λέγει αὐτοῖς σπλαγχνίζομαι ἐπὶ τὸν ὄχλον ὅτι ἤδη ἡμέραι τρεῖς προσμένουσίν μοι καὶ οὐκ ἔχουσιν ...
καὶ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ εἷς ἐκ τοῦ ὄχλου διδάσκαλε ἤνεγκα τὸν υἱόν μου πρὸς σέ ἔχοντα πνεῦμα ἄλαλον καὶ ὅπου ἐὰν αὐτὸν καταλάβῃ ῥήσσει καὶ ἀφρίζει καὶ τρίζει τοὺς ὀδόντας καὶ ξηραίνεται καὶ εἶπα τοῖς μαθητα...
ὅρκον ὃν ὤμοσεν πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ τὸν πατέρα ἡμῶν τοῦ δοῦναι ἡμῖν ἀφόβως ἐκ χειρὸς ἐχθρῶν ῥυσθέντας λατρεύειν αὐτῷ ἐν ὁσιότητι καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἡμῶν καὶ σὺ δέ παιδίον προφήτης ὑ...
ἀκούσας δὲ ταῦτα ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐθαύμασεν αὐτόν καὶ στραφεὶς τῷ ἀκολουθοῦντι αὐτῷ ὄχλῳ εἶπεν λέγω ὑμῖν οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ τοσαύτην πίστιν εὗρον καὶ ὑποστρέψαντες εἰς τὸν οἶκον οἱ πεμφθέντες εὗρον τὸν δοῦλον ...
Σαμαρίτης δέ τις ὁδεύων ἦλθεν κατ’ αὐτὸν καὶ ἰδὼν ἐσπλαγχνίσθη καὶ προσελθὼν κατέδησεν τὰ τραύματα αὐτοῦ ἐπιχέων ἔλαιον καὶ οἶνον ἐπιβιβάσας δὲ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ ἴδιον κτῆνος ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς πανδοκίον καὶ...
εἰς ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἐλθὼν ἔφη πόσοι μίσθιοι τοῦ πατρός μου περισσεύουσιν ἄρτων ἐγὼ δὲ λιμῷ ὧδε ἀπόλλυμαι ἀναστὰς πορεύσομαι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου καὶ ἐρῶ αὐτῷ πάτερ ἥμαρτον εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἐνώπιόν σου οὐκ...
ὅτι κατηριθμημένος ἦν ἐν ἡμῖν καὶ ἔλαχεν τὸν κλῆρον τῆς διακονίας ταύτης οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἐκτήσατο χωρίον ἐκ μισθοῦ τῆς ἀδικίας καὶ πρηνὴς γενόμενος ἐλάκησεν μέσος καὶ ἐξεχύθη πάντα τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ ὃ κ...
ὡς ἀγνοούμενοι καὶ ἐπιγινωσκόμενοι ὡς ἀποθνῄσκοντες καὶ ἰδοὺ ζῶμεν ὡς παιδευόμενοι καὶ μὴ θανατούμενοι ὡς λυπούμενοι ἀεὶ δὲ χαίροντες ὡς πτωχοὶ πολλοὺς δὲ πλουτίζοντες ὡς μηδὲν ἔχοντες καὶ πάντα κατέχ...
νῦν χαίρω οὐχ ὅτι ἐλυπήθητε ἀλλ’ ὅτι ἐλυπήθητε εἰς μετάνοιαν ἐλυπήθητε γὰρ κατὰ θεόν ἵνα ἐν μηδενὶ ζημιωθῆτε ἐξ ἡμῶν ἡ γὰρ κατὰ θεὸν λύπη μετάνοιαν εἰς σωτηρίαν ἀμεταμέλητον ἐργάζεται ἡ δὲ τοῦ κόσμου ...
Παῦλος καὶ Τιμόθεος δοῦλοι Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ πᾶσιν τοῖς ἁγίοις ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν Φιλίπποις σὺν ἐπισκόποις καὶ διακόνοις χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ Εὐχα...
Εἴ τις οὖν παράκλησις ἐν Χριστῷ εἴ τι παραμύθιον ἀγάπης εἴ τις κοινωνία πνεύματος εἴ τις σπλάγχνα καὶ οἰκτιρμοί πληρώσατέ μου τὴν χαρὰν ἵνα τὸ αὐτὸ φρονῆτε τὴν αὐτὴν ἀγάπην ἔχοντες σύνψυχοι τὸ ἓν φρον...
μὴ ψεύδεσθε εἰς ἀλλήλους ἀπεκδυσάμενοι τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον σὺν ταῖς πράξεσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐνδυσάμενοι τὸν νέον τὸν ἀνακαινούμενον εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν κατ’ εἰκόνα τοῦ κτίσαντος αὐτόν ὅπου οὐκ ἔνι Ἕλλην καὶ Ἰου...
Παῦλος δέσμιος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ Τιμόθεος ὁ ἀδελφὸς Φιλήμονι τῷ ἀγαπητῷ καὶ συνεργῷ ἡμῶν καὶ Ἀπφίᾳ τῇ ἀδελφῇ καὶ Ἀρχίππῳ τῷ συστρατιώτῃ ἡμῶν καὶ τῇ κατ’ οἶκόν σου ἐκκλησίᾳ χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θε...
διὰ τὴν ἀγάπην μᾶλλον παρακαλῶ τοιοῦτος ὢν ὡς Παῦλος πρεσβύτης νυνὶ δὲ καὶ δέσμιος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ παρακαλῶ σε περὶ τοῦ ἐμοῦ τέκνου ὃν ἐγέννησα ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς Ὀνήσιμον τόν ποτέ σοι ἄχρηστον νυνὶ δὲ καὶ...
εἰ οὖν με ἔχεις κοινωνόν προσλαβοῦ αὐτὸν ὡς ἐμέ εἰ δέ τι ἠδίκησέν σε ἢ ὀφείλει τοῦτο ἐμοὶ ἐλλόγα ἐγὼ Παῦλος ἔγραψα τῇ ἐμῇ χειρί ἐγὼ ἀποτίσω ἵνα μὴ λέγω σοι ὅτι καὶ σεαυτόν μοι προσοφείλεις ναί ἀδελφέ ...
ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν Πυθώναδʼ, ἐν θυμῷ πιέσαις χόλον οὐ φατὸν ὀξείᾳ μελέτᾳ, ᾤχετʼ ἰὼν μαντευσόμενος ταύτας περʼ ἀτλάτου πάθας. ἁ δὲ φοινικόκροκον ζώναν καταθηκαμένα κάλπιδά τʼ ἀργυρέαν, λόχμας ὑπὸ κυανέας τίκτε...
Explore splanchnon in the texts
34 passages across Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, and the New Testament contain splanchnon.
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