Compassion moves you from observing someone’s pain to entering into it with them. It’s more than pity observed from a distance or sympathy that acknowledges suffering without engagement. True compassion feels the weight of another person’s burden and responds with action. When you see someone struggling, you don’t just feel bad for them; you do something about it. You encounter brokenness, and instead of walking past, you stop and help carry the load.
The Bible reveals a God whose compassion defines His character and shapes His interactions with humanity. God’s compassion moved Him to deliver Israel from slavery, to send prophets when people wandered, and ultimately to send His Son to rescue a broken world. Jesus embodied compassion perfectly, moved with gut-level concern for the sick, the hungry, the grieving, and the lost. His compassion wasn’t a passive emotion, but an active engagement that healed bodies, fed crowds, and ultimately led Him to the cross.
These verses challenge us to reflect God’s compassion to a world desperate for people who care enough to act, who see suffering and refuse to look away.
Bible Verses About Compassion
1. Colossians 3:12 – Clothe Yourselves with Compassion
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
New International Version (NIV)
2. Psalm 103:13 – As a Father Has Compassion on His Children
As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
3. Lamentations 3:22 – Because of the Lord’s Great Love
Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.
New King James Version (NKJV)
4. Matthew 9:36 – When He Saw the Crowds, He Had Compassion
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
New Living Translation (NLT)
5. 1 Peter 3:8 – Be Sympathetic, Love One Another
Finally, all of you should be like-minded and sympathetic, should love believers, and be compassionate and humble.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
6. Psalm 145:8-9 – The Lord Is Gracious and Compassionate
The LORD is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
7. Luke 10:33 – But a Samaritan, as He Traveled, Came
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.
King James Version (KJV)
8. Zechariah 7:9 – Show Mercy and Compassion
Thus says the LORD of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
9. Matthew 14:14 – Jesus Had Compassion on Them
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
The Message (MSG)
10. Psalm 86:15 – But You, Lord, Are Compassionate
But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth and faithfulness.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11. Isaiah 49:13 – For the Lord Comforts His People
Shout for joy, O sky! Rejoice, O earth! Let the mountains give a joyful shout! For the LORD consoles his people and shows compassion to the oppressed.
New English Translation (NET)
12. Mark 6:34 – He Had Compassion on Them
So as He stepped ashore, He saw a huge crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then He began to teach them many things.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13. Matthew 20:34 – Jesus Had Compassion on Them
Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. At once they could see, and they became his followers.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
14. Exodus 34:6 – The Compassionate and Gracious God
The LORD passed in front of Moses and called out, “I am the LORD, the LORD. I am a God who is tender and kind. I am gracious. I am slow to get angry. I am faithful and full of love.
New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)
15. Ephesians 4:32 – Be Kind and Compassionate
And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
New King James Version (NKJV)
16. Psalm 116:5 – The Lord Is Gracious and Righteous
The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
New International Version (NIV)
17. James 5:11 – The Lord Is Full of Compassion and Mercy
Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
English Standard Version (ESV)
18. Psalm 111:4 – The Lord Is Gracious and Full of Compassion
He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; The LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
New King James Version (NKJV)
19. Luke 15:20 – His Father Saw Him and Was Filled with Compassion
So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.
New Living Translation (NLT)
20. Isaiah 54:7-8 – With Deep Compassion I Will Bring You Back
“I deserted you for a brief moment, but I will take you back with great compassion. I hid my face from you for a moment in a surge of anger, but I will have compassion on you with everlasting love,” says the LORD your Redeemer.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
21. Nehemiah 9:17 – But You Are a God of Forgiveness
They refused to listen, And did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You had performed among them; So they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But You are a God of forgiveness, Gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness; And You did not forsake them.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
22. Joel 2:13 – Rend Your Heart and Not Your Garments
And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
King James Version (KJV)
23. Deuteronomy 30:3 – The Lord Will Have Compassion on You
then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you, gathering you again from all the peoples among whom the LORD your God has scattered you.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
24. Isaiah 30:18 – He Rises to Show You Compassion
But the LORD still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion.
The Message (MSG)
25. 2 Corinthians 1:3 – The Father of Compassion
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement).
Amplified Bible (AMP)
26. Psalm 78:38 – Yet He Was Compassionate
Yet he is compassionate. He forgives sin and does not destroy. He often holds back his anger, and does not stir up all his fury.
New English Translation (NET)
27. Jonah 4:2 – You Are a Gracious and Compassionate God
So he prayed to the LORD: “Please, LORD, isn’t this what I said while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place. I knew that You are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to become angry, rich in faithful love, and One who relents from sending disaster.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
28. Micah 7:19 – You Will Again Have Compassion on Us
Once more you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet. You will throw all our sins into the bottom of the sea.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
29. Hebrews 5:2 – He Can Deal Gently with Those Who Are Ignorant
He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness.
New International Version (NIV)
30. Psalm 112:4 – Gracious, Compassionate and Righteous
Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
English Standard Version (ESV)
31. Isaiah 63:9 – In His Love and Mercy He Redeemed Them
In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the Angel of His Presence saved them; In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; And He bore them and carried them All the days of old.
New King James Version (NKJV)
32. Psalm 103:8 – The Lord Is Compassionate and Gracious
The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
New Living Translation (NLT)
33. 1 John 3:17 – If Anyone Has Material Possessions
If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer in need but withholds compassion from him—how does God’s love reside in him?
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
34. Hosea 11:8 – How Can I Give You Up?
How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned over within Me, All My compassions are kindled.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
35. Matthew 15:32 – I Have Compassion for These People
Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.
King James Version (KJV)
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Compassion
Compassion is woven throughout Scripture as an essential attribute of God’s character. It’s not peripheral to who He is but central to how He relates to His people. God’s compassion moved Him to action throughout history, delivering the oppressed, forgiving the repentant, and ultimately sending His Son to rescue humanity. When we’re called to be compassionate, we’re being invited to reflect the very heart of God to a hurting world.
What challenges me most about biblical compassion is that it’s never passive. Jesus didn’t just feel bad for hungry crowds; He fed them. He didn’t merely pity the sick, He healed them. The Good Samaritan didn’t express sympathy from a distance; he stopped, helped, and paid for the wounded man’s care. Compassion in Scripture always translates into action, moving from emotion to engagement, from observation to intervention.
The most encouraging aspect of God’s compassion is how consistently it’s offered to us. His mercies are new every morning. His compassions never fail. Even when we wander, rebel, or fail, His compassion remains available to those who turn to Him. That inexhaustible well of divine compassion should overflow into how we treat others, especially the vulnerable, the hurting, and those society overlooks.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your compassion that never fails, for mercies that are new every morning, and for love that pursues me even when I wander. You see my brokenness and respond with tenderness rather than condemnation. Help me to extend that same compassion to others.
Open my eyes to see people the way You see them. When I encounter suffering, give me a heart that’s moved to action rather than just feeling sympathy from a distance. Help me to stop when others would walk past, to engage when it would be easier to ignore, and to help carry burdens that aren’t mine to bear.
Make me an instrument of Your compassion in this world. Use me to bring comfort to the hurting, help to the struggling, and hope to the despairing. Let my life reflect Your compassionate heart so clearly that people encounter Your love through how I treat them.
Forgive me for the times I’ve been calloused, judgmental, or indifferent to others’ pain. Soften my heart and make me more like Jesus, who was moved with compassion and acted on it.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.