κοπιάω

Matthew 6:28 κοπιῶσιν do they labor

And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin.

Here: Hard, wearying labour, the kind that leaves a person exhausted. The KJV's "toil" catches this better than a flat "work."

Matthew 11:28 κοπιῶντες toiling

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Here: 'Toiling', 'working yourselves to exhaustion.' The present tense pictures labor still going on: these people are still at it and worn out by it.

Luke 5:5 κοπιάσαντες having toiled

“Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.”

Here: 'Having toiled hard.' This is work that wears you out, not just working. The tense presents the night's effort as a finished whole, already behind them.

Luke 12:27 κοπιᾷ do they labor

Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.

John 4:6 κεκοπιακὼς already wearying

Since Jacob’s well was there, Jesus, weary from His journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

Here: A perfect-tense participle: 'having become worn out'. It describes a lasting condition, so he arrived exhausted and stayed that way. The verb means tiredness from hard work, not just mild fatigue.

John 4:38 κεκοπιάκατε· κεκοπιάκασιν, have toiled for;, have toiled,

I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the hard work, and now you have taken up their labor.”

Here: 'Have toiled', in the perfect tense: work finished with lasting results. It is the same verb used of Jesus in 4:6, 'wearied from the journey'. The disciples are not the ones who wore themselves out for this crop.

Acts 20:35 κοπιῶντας straining

In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Here: Hard, tiring work. Here it means physical, money-earning labour (Paul's leather and tent work), not only ministry effort. The present tense pictures an ongoing way of life.

Romans 16:6 ἐκοπίασεν toiled

Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you.

Romans 16:12 κοπιώσας ἐκοπίασεν toiling, toiled

Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, women who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet my beloved Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 4:12 κοπιῶμεν we toil

We work hard with our own hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;

Here: Work hard enough to wear yourself out. The present tense means it is still going on: Paul is doing this while he writes. He uses the same verb elsewhere for his work as an apostle (15:10), so physical labour and ministry get described with one word.

1 Corinthians 15:10 ἐκοπίασα, I toiled,

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

Here: 'I toiled', meaning hard work that wears you out. Paul uses the same word for his manual trade and his missionary work. The past tense sums up his whole career so far.

1 Corinthians 16:16 κοπιῶντι.¶ laboring.

to submit to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer.

Here: 'Who toils', meaning hard, tiring work. Paul's regular word for the grinding labor of gospel work and caring for a community. The present participle describes an ongoing pattern.

Galatians 4:11 κεκοπίακα I have toiled

I fear for you, that my efforts for you may have been in vain.

Here: Perfect tense: work done in the past whose results should still be standing. That is exactly what Paul fears may have been undone. κοπιάω means hard, wearying work, and it is Paul's regular word for the grind of missionary and pastoral labor.

Ephesians 4:28 κοπιάτω he should toil

He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

Here: 'Let him labour hard, to the point of weariness.' This is a stronger word than plain 'work'. It means effort that tires you out, the same word Paul uses for his own hard manual labour.

Philippians 2:16 ἐκοπίασα. toil.

as you hold forth the word of life, in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

Here: 'I toiled.' This is hard, wearing labor, the word for manual work. Paul uses it often for his work as an apostle. It also echoes the Servant's lament in Isaiah 49:4.

Colossians 1:29 κοπιῶ I toil

To this end I also labor, striving with all His energy working powerfully within me.

Here: The main verb, in the present tense: 'I keep toiling'. It means work that wears you out, not simply having a job. Paul is admitting that the work exhausts him.

1 Thessalonians 5:12 κοπιῶντας toiling

But we ask you, brothers, to acknowledge those who work diligently among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.

Here: Hard, tiring work. It is the same family of words Paul used for his own night-and-day manual labor in Thessalonica (2:9). This comes first: these people are known by their exhausting work before anything else.

1 Timothy 4:10 κοπιῶμεν we toil

To this end we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of everyone, and especially of those who believe.

Here: Hard, tiring work, the kind that leaves you spent. The present tense means it is ongoing. Paul often uses this word for the work of ministry.

1 Timothy 5:17 κοπιῶντες straining

Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

Here: Hard, tiring work, the word for labour that wears you out. Paul uses it often for ministry. The form describes continuing, habitual toil.

2 Timothy 2:6 κοπιῶντα hardworking

The hardworking farmer should be the first to partake of the crops.

Here: Present participle, 'the one who keeps on toiling'. In Greek it comes before the noun, which stresses it: the claim to the harvest belongs to the farmer who actually wore himself out. Paul uses this same verb again and again for the work of ministry.