Greek word · G1278
διαπονέω
diaponeō
be vexed
Built from 'through' and 'toil, labour'. In the active voice it means to work something out with effort. In the passive it means to be worn out, strained, troubled, and so to be greatly annoyed or exasperated. The sense is pressure that has built up, not grief.
Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
δια-πονέω, -ῶ
[in LXX: Ecclesiastes 10:9 (עָצַב ni.), 2Ma.2:28; in Aq.: Genesis 6:6, 1 Samuel 20:3 * ;]
to work out with labour. Pass., to be worn out, sore troubled: Mark 14:4 (WH, mg.), Acts 4:2 16:18.†
(AS)
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
Built from 'through' and 'toil, labour'. In the active voice it means to work something out with effort. In the passive it means to be worn out, strained, troubled, and so to be greatly annoyed or exasperated. The sense is pressure that has built up, not grief.
- Against the English
Most modern versions say 'greatly annoyed', 'aggravated' or 'exasperated'. The KJV and YLT say 'grieved'. In 1611 'grieve' could still mean 'to vex, harass, trouble', but today it means sorrow or mourning.
- How it drifted
The English word 'grieve' narrowed over time. Its older sense of 'trouble, vex' faded, leaving mainly 'feel sorrow'. The Latin Vulgate's 'dolens' ('pained') also pointed English readers toward an emotional reading.
- Used elsewhere in the period
In the NT it appears only twice, both times in Acts. In Acts 4:2 the priests and Sadducees are 'diaponoumenoi', irritated that the apostles were teaching the people, and the KJV there also says 'being grieved'. The Sadducees were plainly not sorrowful, which shows what the KJV meant by the word. BDAG gives 'be greatly disturbed, annoyed'. The word appears occasionally in the Septuagint (e.g. Ecclesiastes 10:9) and in classical Greek for being worn down by toil.
- Range of meaning
The active verb in classical Greek means to work something out with great effort. The middle/passive means to be worn down or troubled, and from that, to be vexed, exasperated, thoroughly annoyed. BDAG glosses it 'be (greatly) disturbed, annoyed'. The prefix dia- strengthens it: annoyed through and through.
- Against the English
KJV and YLT say 'grieved'. Modern versions say 'greatly disturbed' (BSB, NIV, NASB), 'greatly annoyed' (ESV) or 'upset' (WEB). 'Annoyed' and 'exasperated' are closest. 'Grieved' now suggests sadness.
- How it drifted
The Latin Vulgate has dolentes ('feeling pain, aggrieved'), and early English versions from Tyndale through the KJV followed with 'grieved'. In 1611 'grieved' could mean 'aggrieved, offended, vexed'. Today it mostly means 'mourning', so readers picture the leaders as sad rather than angry.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Rare. Apart from this verse, the only New Testament use is Acts 16:18, where Paul is 'greatly annoyed' by the slave girl who keeps shouting after him for days. That is plainly exasperation, not sorrow. In the Greek Old Testament it appears in Ecclesiastes 10:9 (the one who splits logs 'will be hurt/endangered' by them), which keeps the sense of strain and trouble.
Where it appears
Acts · 2
-
Acts 4:2 διαπονούμενοι being distressed
greatly disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.
Here: Describes the priests, the temple captain and the Sadducees from 4:1. The present tense shows a state that kept going: they were worked up and exasperated. This is irritation and alarm, not sorrow.
-
Acts 16:18 διαπονηθεὶς Having been distressed
She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And the spirit left her at that very moment.
Here: Paul had been worn down to exasperation. The word carries strain and irritation built up over time. It is the same word Luke uses for the temple leaders' annoyance in Acts 4:2. It does not mean sorrow.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.