θλῖψις

Matthew 13:21 θλίψεως tribulation

But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.

Here: Literally crushing pressure. Here it is the hardship and distress that come with following Jesus' message. In the parable's picture, it is the sun beating down on the shallow plant (v. 6).

Matthew 24:9 θλῖψιν tribulation

Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

Here: Literally a pressing or squeezing; here the crushing hardship of arrest, abuse and punishment. No article: 'into affliction', not 'into the Tribulation'.

Matthew 24:21 θλῖψις tribulation

For at that time there will be great tribulation, unseen from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again.

Here: Literally a pressing or crushing. Here it means the crushing distress of war, siege, persecution and famine falling on a people. The word has no article: 'great distress', not 'the Great Tribulation'.

Matthew 24:29 θλῖψιν tribulation

Immediately after the tribulation of those days: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’

Here: Crushing pressure: the persecution, flight and suffering described in vv. 15–28. It is an ordinary word for hardship, not a title.

Mark 4:17 θλίψεως tribulation

But they themselves have no root, and they remain for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

Here: Crushing pressure from outside: hardship, distress, social squeeze. In the parable this is the scorching sun.

Mark 13:19 θλῖψις tribulation

For those will be days of tribulation unseen from the beginning of God’s creation until now, and never to be seen again.

Here: Literally 'pressing, squeezing,' and so crushing hardship. Here it means the combined horrors of war, siege, flight and persecution. It is an ordinary word for distress, not the title of a period.

Mark 13:24 θλῖψιν tribulation

But in those days, after that tribulation: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;

Here: The crushing distress of v. 19 ('such distress as has not been from the beginning of creation'), tied to the 'abomination of desolation' and the flight from Judea (vv. 14–18).

John 16:21 θλίψεως tribulation

A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.

Here: Literally a pressing or crushing, used here for the squeezing agony of labor. A few verses later Jesus uses the same word: 'in the world you have thlipsis' (16:33). So the birth pains point ahead to what the disciples will go through.

John 16:33 θλῖψιν tribulation

I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”

Here: The picture is of being pressed or squeezed. A few verses earlier (16:21) the same word is the anguish of a woman in labour. Here it means the hostility the disciples will face (expulsion and killing, 16:2) and the distress of losing Jesus.

Acts 7:10 θλίψεων tribulations

and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.

Here: Literally 'pressings' or 'crushings', meaning distress and hardship. The plural points to a run of separate ordeals. The word comes back in the next verse as the 'great affliction' of the famine.

Acts 7:11 θλῖψις affliction

Then famine and great suffering swept across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food.

Acts 11:19 θλίψεως tribulation

Meanwhile those scattered by the persecution that began with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message only to Jews.

Here: The crushing pressure put on the Jerusalem believers after Stephen's death: arrests, house raids, imprisonment (8:3). "Persecution" fits this context, but the word itself means affliction or hard pressure.

Acts 14:22 θλίψεων tribulations

strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

Here: Crushing pressures: here mainly the hostility, beatings, expulsions and social pressure the disciples had already seen (13:50; 14:5, 19).

Acts 20:23 θλίψεις tribulations

I only know that in town after town the Holy Spirit warns me that chains and afflictions await me.

Here: Literally "crushings" or "squeezings". It covers the hardships, hostility and distress that will come with arrest. The plural points to many of them.

Romans 2:9 θλῖψις tribulation

There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for the Greek;

Here: Literally crushing or squeezing pressure. Here it means the crushing distress that falls on the wrongdoer on the day of judgment. Coming first in the sentence, with no verb, it reads like a sentence being pronounced.

Romans 5:3 θλίψεσιν θλῖψις tribulations, tribulation

Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

Here: Plural: the various crushing pressures of life, especially hostility and hardship that come from belonging to Christ. The basic picture is being squeezed or pressed hard.

Romans 8:35 θλῖψις Tribulation

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

Here: Literally being pressed or squeezed. It means hardship that bears down from outside. It comes first in the list as the general word, and the more specific trials follow.

Romans 12:12 θλίψει in tribulation

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.

Here: Literally a pressing or crushing. Here it means any hardship that squeezes a person: hostility, poverty, social exclusion, persecution, grief. It is not limited to a future end-times period.

1 Corinthians 7:28 θλῖψιν tribulation

But if you do marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

2 Corinthians 1:4 θλίψει θλίψει tribulation

who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Here: Literally a pressing or squeezing. Here it means the crushing hardship of apostolic work: opposition, danger, and nearly being killed (1:8).

2 Corinthians 1:8 θλίψεως affliction

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.

Here: Crushing pressure from outside. It picks up the 'affliction' of 1:4–6. Here it names one concrete crisis.

2 Corinthians 2:4 θλίψεως affliction

For through many tears I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart, not to grieve you but to let you know how much I love you.

Here: Literally a pressing or crushing. Here it is the weight Paul felt over the broken relationship. It is a key word in 2 Corinthians (1:4, 1:8, 7:4).

2 Corinthians 4:17 θλίψεως affliction

For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.

Here: Crushing pressure from outside: persecution, danger, hardship. It picks up 'we are pressed (thlibomenoi) on every side' in 4:8 and the near-fatal 'affliction in Asia' of 1:8.

2 Corinthians 6:4 θλίψεσιν, tribulations,

Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships, and calamities;

Here: Plural: 'pressures, afflictions'. The image is of being squeezed or crushed. It is a general word for the troubles that come with being Christ's messenger.

2 Corinthians 7:4 θλίψει affliction

Great is my confidence in you; great is my pride in you; I am filled with encouragement; in all our troubles my joy overflows.

Here: The literal sense is crushing pressure. Here it means the hardships of Paul's mission. Verse 5 picks up the verb form: "pressed (thlibomenoi) from every direction".

2 Corinthians 8:2 θλίψεως of tribulation

In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity.

Here: Crushing pressure, here the persecution and hardship the Macedonian believers suffered. The genitive tells us what the test consisted of: a test made of affliction.

2 Corinthians 8:13 θλῖψις, affliction,

It is not our intention that others may be relieved while you are burdened, but that there may be equality.

Ephesians 3:13 θλίψεσίν tribulations

So I ask you not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

Here: Plural: the crushing pressures Paul is under as a prisoner. These are concrete present hardships (chains, confinement, loss of freedom and standing), not a future end-times period.

Philippians 4:14 θλίψει. affliction.

Nevertheless, you have done well to share in my affliction.

Here: Literally "pressing, crushing", used for hardship that bears down on someone. Here it is Paul's custody and its hardships (cf. 1:7, 13, 17), not an end-times event.

Colossians 1:24 θλίψεων tribulations

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, which is the church.

Here: Literally 'crushing pressure'. Paul uses it for the hardships and persecution God's people suffer, especially in the end-time conflict. The New Testament never uses it for Jesus' atoning death.

1 Thessalonians 1:6 θλίψει tribulation

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord when you welcomed the message with the joy of the Holy Spirit, in spite of your great suffering.

Here: Literally 'squeezing, crushing pressure'. Here it means the real hostility new believers in Thessalonica faced: suffering at the hands of their own countrymen (2:14), the mob violence described in Acts 17, and the loss of social standing.

1 Thessalonians 3:3 θλίψεσιν tribulations

so that none of you would be shaken by these trials. For you know that we are destined for this.

Here: Plural: repeated crushing pressures. In context these are the hostility, social penalties and harassment the converts were suffering from their own fellow citizens (2:14). Paul had suffered the same (v. 4; Acts 17:5–10).

1 Thessalonians 3:7 θλίψει tribulation

For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and persecution, we have been reassured about you, because of your faith.

Here: Crushing pressure. In this letter it usually means hostility suffered for the faith (1:6; 3:3–4). Here it is Paul's own hardship, matching what the Thessalonians had suffered.

2 Thessalonians 1:4 θλίψεσιν tribulations

That is why we boast among God’s churches about your perseverance and faith in the face of all the persecution and affliction you are enduring.

Here: Literally crushing pressure. It covers the distress that results from persecution: social, economic and emotional. The word comes back in verses 6–7, where God repays 'affliction' to those who afflict them.

2 Thessalonians 1:6 θλῖψιν with affliction

After all, it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,

Here: The noun from the same root as the verb just used, placed last for punch: the pressers get pressure. The wordplay states the measure-for-measure principle in sound as well as sense.

Hebrews 10:33 θλίψεσιν by tribulations

Sometimes you were publicly exposed to ridicule and persecution; at other times you were partners with those who were so treated.

Here: Literally 'squeezing'. Here it means concrete hardship inflicted by others: harassment, violence, imprisonment, and the loss of property mentioned in v. 34. It is not a technical end-times term here.

James 1:27 θλίψει tribulation

Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Here: Literally being squeezed or crushed. Here it is the hardship of having lost a husband or father: poverty, exposure and being pushed aside.

Revelation 1:9 θλίψει tribulation

I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance that are in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and my testimony about Jesus.

Here: Crushing pressure: hardship, harassment and distress that believers are under now. In this verse it is a present condition John already shares with his readers, not a future era.

Revelation 2:9 θλῖψιν tribulation

I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.

Here: Literally being pressed or squeezed. Here it means the hostile pressure the believers in Smyrna face from society and the authorities, which will soon get worse ("tribulation for ten days", 2:10).

Revelation 2:10 θλῖψιν tribulation

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Here: The crushing pressure of persecution. It is the same word as "your affliction" in verse 9, so the coming trouble continues what they already endure.

Revelation 2:22 θλῖψιν tribulation

Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds.

Here: Crushing distress. Here it is a punishment for her partners, not the persecution the faithful suffer. It has no article: 'great affliction,' not 'the Great Tribulation.'

Revelation 7:14 θλίψεως tribulation

“Sir,” I answered, “you know.” So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Here: Crushing pressure: the persecution and distress faithful people suffer. John has already said he shares 'the affliction' with his readers (1:9).