ὠδίν
A pang or throe, especially of childbirth
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
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What does ὠδίν (ōdín) mean in the Bible?
ὠδίν (ōdín) is a Greek word meaning "a pang or throe, especially of childbirth". ὠδίν (late form of ὠδίς), -ῖνος, ἡ [in LXX for חֵבֶל חֶבֶל (and wrongly for חֶבֶל חֶבֶל, cf. Indicates beginning stage of eschatological events. This term runs through the canonical themes of Creation.
Meaning
Intense suffering likened to childbirth pangs; NT metaphor for end-times tribulation and death's grip.
(late form of ὠδίς), -ῖνος, ἡ [in LXX for חֵבֶל חֶבֶל (and wrongly for חֶבֶל חֶבֶל, cf. Ac, l.with), חִיל, etc. ;] a birth pang, travail pain: 1Th.5:3; metaphorically, of extreme suffering, Mat.24:8, Mrk.13:8; ὠδῖνες θανάτου (Psa.18:4 מָוֶת חֶבֶל), Act.2:24.
Why This Word Matters
Indicates beginning stage of eschatological events.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Additional Occurrences
New Testament Witnesses
Word Pictures (Robertson)
A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain