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ταλαιπωρία

talaipōría

G5004 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A state of wretchedness or suffering, often the result of hardship, distress, or misfortune. In Koine usage, typically denotes the experience of misery or affliction, whether physical, emotional, or circumstantial. May refer in context to external calamity, inward distress or an ongoing state of being afflicted.

Semantic Range

wretchedness, misery, affliction, calamity, state of suffering, distress

Root / Etymology

Derived from ταλαίπωρος (talaipōros, 'wretched, miserable'), itself probably composed from ταλα- (enduring, suffering) and πῶρος (hard, callous); thus, denoting one who has endured hardship.

Historical & Contextual Notes

ταλαιπωρία is a relatively rare noun formation found more commonly in later Greek (post-classical and Koine) than in earlier authors. In classical Greek, emphasis lay on related adjectives or participles, such as ταλαίπωρος. In Koine Greek—including New Testament usage—the term refers more specifically to the state or experience of wretched misery, often with a nuance of suffering caused by external circumstances or inner anguish, but does not intrinsically describe moral failure. Unlike English 'misery,' it does not necessarily imply depression or abject poverty, but any kind of affliction or misfortune endured. Used both in describing individual experience and broader calamity. English translations such as 'misery' or 'calamity' convey the basic sense, but may narrow the term's broader range in Greek, where it retains emphasis on the process or state of enduring hardship.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ταλαίπωρος; wretchedness, i.e. calamity:--misery.

Root Family

ταλαιπωρία (talaipōria) — wretchedness, misery, affliction, enduring hardship

Root ταλαίπωρ- suffering hardship, enduring affliction

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G5004-02 ταλαιπωρίαις talaiporiais N DAT F PL miseries to afflictions afflictions 1
G5004-01 ταλαιπωρία talaiporia N NOM F SG misery wretched suffering wretched suffering 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G5004-01 Romans 3:16 ταλαιπωρία talaiporia N NOM F SG misery wretched suffering wretched suffering
G5004-02 James 5:1 ταλαιπωρίαις talaiporiais N DAT F PL miseries to afflictions afflictions
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