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ὀδύνη

odýnē

G3601 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Pain—primarily physical pain or torment; also, deep distress, anguish, or sorrow, especially of an intense or tormenting kind. In medical, philosophical, and figurative contexts, denotes both physical agony and mental or emotional suffering. Semantic range includes literal physical pain, especially with a sense of sharp or acute suffering, and metaphorical application to anguish or profound distress in the soul or spirit.

Semantic Range

physical pain, bodily agony, sharp distress, acute anguish, torment, sorrow, grief, mental suffering, emotional agony

Root / Etymology

Derived from the Greek verb οδυνάω (to cause pain, distress, or torment), from the root ὀδύν- (odyne). The precise origin of the root is uncertain but attested in early Greek; some relate it tentatively to δεύω/δυω (to enter or sink), but the connection is speculative. The form ὀδύν- is primarily associated with words denoting pain or suffering.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ὀδύνη refers largely to intense physical pain or mortal agony (cf. Homeric epics), but is also used for mental pain—anguish, grief, or deep sorrow, especially in tragic literature. In medical writers, distinguished from general πόνος ('toil,' 'labor') and ἄλγος/λύπη ('pain,' 'sorrow'), ὀδύνη expresses a more acute or excruciating pain. In the Hellenistic and Koine periods, including the Septuagint and New Testament, the word often denotes emotional distress or anxiety as well as physical torment, signifying an agonizing or crushing form of suffering. Standard English translations typically render it as "pain," "anguish," or "agony," but sometimes as "sorrow" or "grief" when the context is clearly emotional. The semantic field overlaps with λύπη ('grief'), but ὀδύνη tends to express a sharper or more wrenching sense of distress.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from δύνω; grief (as dejecting):--sorrow.

Root Family

ὀδύν- (odýnē) — pain, torment, anguish

Root ὀδύν- pain, torment, anguish

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3601-01 ὀδύναις odunais N DAT F PL sorrows pains with pains 1
G3601-02 ὀδύνη odune N NOM F SG grief acute pain pain 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3601-02 Romans 9:2 ὀδύνη odune N NOM F SG grief acute pain pain
G3601-01 1 Timothy 6:10 ὀδύναις odunais N DAT F PL sorrows pains with pains
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