Greek word · G464

ἀνταγωνίζομαι

antagōnizomai

to struggle

To contend against an opponent in an athletic contest, a battle or a lawsuit. Built from anti ('against') and agōnizomai ('to compete, struggle'), from agōn ('contest, games, struggle').

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἀντ-αγωνίζομαι depon.,

[in LXX: 4Ma.17:14 * ;]

to struggle against: before πρός, with accusative, Hebrews 12:4.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Hebrews 12:4

Range of meaning

To contend against an opponent in an athletic contest, a battle or a lawsuit. Built from anti ('against') and agōnizomai ('to compete, struggle'), from agōn ('contest, games, struggle').

Against the English

'Striving' (KJV, WEB, YLT) and 'struggle' (BSB, NIV, ESV) both lose the sense of a named opponent and the link to 12:1's 'race' (agōn). 'Contending against' would keep more of it.

Used elsewhere in the period

4 Maccabees uses this exact verb for the tyrant Antiochus who 'contended against' the martyred mother and her seven sons in a 'divine contest' (4 Macc 17:11–16). That is the same mix of athletics and martyrdom that Hebrews uses. Elsewhere it is used of rival athletes and armies.

Where it appears

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 12:4 ἀνταγωνιζόμενοι struggling

    In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

    Here: An athletes' word: to compete against an opponent. Its root (agōn, 'contest') picks up 'the race (agōn) set before us' from 12:1. The present tense shows a contest still going on.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.