Word

θλῖψις

thlîpsis · G2347 · Greek · 45 occurrences

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Meanings

trouble and suffering, suffering, persecution

Trouble involving direct suffering

Examples
Matthew 13:21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately he falls away.
Matthew 24:9 “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.
Matthew 24:21 “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again.

How it’s used In 8 roles

Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.

the word studied the word it goes with

Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive

14 occurrences in 6 groups

ἐγώI, we 7
ἡμέραday 2
αὐτόςhe, she, it, same 2
μέγαςgreat, large 1
σύyou 1
ΧριστόςChrist, Messiah 1

Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles

8 occurrences in 4 groups

μέγαςgreat, large 3
πολύςmany 3
ἐκεῖνοςthat, that one, there 1
οὗτοςthis 1

Named alongside itApposition

6 occurrences in 3 groups

γίνομαιto become, to happen, to be 6
εἰμίto be 1
ἀνέχομαιto bear with, to endure 1

What it doesIt is the subject

5 occurrences in 4 groups

γίνομαιto become, to happen, to be 2
εἰμίto be 1
κατεργάζομαιto work out, to produce 1
μένωto remain, to stay, to abide 1

What is done to itIt is the object

8 occurrences in 6 groups

ἔχωto have 3
ἐγείρωto raise, to get up 1
εἴδωto know 1
μνημονεύωto remember, to recall, to think about again 1
παρακαλέωto plead for, to appeal to, to encourage 1
ἀνταποδίδωμιto repay 1

What is said to be itIt is the predicate

1 occurrences in 1 groups

ἡμέραday 1

After prepositionsPrepositional phrases

22 occurrences in 8 groups

ἐνin 14
ἐκfrom 6
ἐπίon 6
μετάwith, after 4
εἰςto 3
διάthrough 2

In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive

3 occurrences in 3 groups

δοκιμήproof, character, testing 1
ἐλαφρόςlight 1
ὑστέρημαwhat is lacking 1

When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.

MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.

In the other Testament 5 words

צָרָה tsârâh · H6869 · trouble, distress, anguish: Hebrew צָרָה is the direct Septuagint translation equivalent of Greek θλῖψις, both denoting pressure, distress, or tribulation in literal or figurative contexts.
צַר tsar · H6862 · narrow, small: Greek θλῖψις denotes pressure/tribulation as abstract affliction; Hebrew צַר encompasses both the concrete state of distress and the adversary causing it, functioning as both noun (distress/trouble) and adjective (narrow/tight) with etymological root in spatial constraint that metaphorically extends to affliction—LXX translators regularly employed θλῖψις to render צַר's affliction sense-domain.
בַּצֹּרֶת batstsôreth · H1226 · drought: θλῖψις (thlîpsis, G2347) θλῖψις denotes pressure/tribulation broadly (literal or figurative distress), while בַּצֹּרֶת (batstsôreth, H1226) בַּצֹּרֶת specifically denotes drought/dearth as a concrete form of agricultural distress; the correspondence reflects drought as a historical instance of tribulation in biblical contexts.
לַחַץ lachats · H3906 · oppression, affliction: Greek θλῖψις denotes pressure/affliction in both literal and figurative contexts, while Hebrew לַחַץ specifically emphasizes oppression and affliction as experienced distress.
צוּק tsûwq · H6693 · to nag, to pester, to oppress: θλῖψις (thlîpsis, G2347) θλῖψις denotes pressure/tribulation as both literal constraint and metaphorical affliction (broad register), while צוּק (tsûwq, H6693) צוּק specifically emphasizes being pressed in, hemmed in, or distressed under constraint (narrower physical/spatial pressure)—both share the core semantic field of constrictive pressure leading to distress.

Semantic domains 1 entry

Trouble and suffering, suffering, persecution22.2: In Romans 5:3, Paul writes, “we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance,” using this word for suffering and affliction endured.

Word family 4 words

Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.

θλίβω thlíbō · G2346 · to press against, to crowd against, to cause trouble to · 10×θλῖψιςthlîpsis · G2347συνθλίβω synthlíbō · G4918 · to press in, to crowd around · 2×ἀποθλίβω apothlíbō · G598 · to press against, to crowd against · 1×

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon or θλῖψις (so L Tr) (cf. Winers Grammar, § 6, 1 e.; Lipsius, Grammat. Untersuch., p. 35),…

or θλῖψις (so L Tr) (cf. Winers Grammar, § 6, 1 e.; Lipsius, Grammat. Untersuch., p. 35), θλίψεως, ἡ (θλίβω), properly, a pressing, pressing together, pressure (Strabo, p. 52; Galen); in Biblical and ecclesiastical writings, a Greek metaphor, oppression, affliction, tribulation, distress, straits; Vulg.tribulatio, also pressura (2 Cor 1:4b; (Jn 16:21),33; (Phm 1:16 (17); and in Col 1:24 passio)); (the Sept. for צָרָה, also for צַר, לַחַץ, etc.): Mt 24:9; Acts 7:11; Acts 11:19; Rom 12:12; 2 Cor 1:4, 2 Cor 1:8; 2 Cor 4:17; 2 Cor 6:4; 2 Cor 7:4; 2 Cor 8:2; 2 Thess 1:6; Rev 1:9; Rev 2:9, Rev 2:22; Rev 7:14; joined with στενοχωρία (cf. Trench, § lv.), Rom 2:9; Rom 8:35 (Deut 28:53f; Isa. (); ); with ἀνάγκη, 1 Thess 3:7; with διωγμός, Mt 13:21; Mk 4:17; 2 Thess 1:4; of the afflictions of those hard pressed by siege and the calamities of war, Mt 24:21, Mt 24:29; Mk 13:19, Mk 13:24; of the straits of want, 2 Cor 8:13; Phm 4:14 (here others give the word a wider reference); Jas 1:27; of the distress of a woman in childbirth; Jn 16:21. θλῖψιν ἔχω (equivalent to θλίβομαι), Jn 16:33; 1 Cor 7:28; Rev 2:10; θλῖψις ἐπί τινα ἔρχεται, Acts 7:11; ἐν θλίψει, 1 Thess 1:6. plural: Acts 7:10; Acts 14:22; Acts 20:23; Rom 5:3; Eph 3:13; 1 Thess 3:3; Heb 10:33; τοῦ Χριστοῦ, the afflictions which Christ had to undergo (and which, therefore, his followers must not shrink from), Col 1:24 (see ἀνταναπληρόω); θλῖψις τῆς καρδίας (καί συνοχή), anxiety, burden of heart, 2 Cor 2:4; θλῖψιν ἐπιφέρειν (L T Tr WH ἐγείρειν, see ἐγείρω, 4 c.) τοῖς δεσμοῖς τίνος, to increase the misery of my imprisonment by causing me anxiety, Phm 1:16 (17).

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (1889), public domain

Topical studies with this word 1 entry

Trouble, Hardship, Distress45 occurrences

Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.

Sources

eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0