ὠδίν (G5604) — Greek Lexicon

ὠδίν

ōdín

G5604 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ὠδ- pain, pang, spasm, to give birth

Definition

A pain or severe discomfort, especially the intense pains (throes) experienced during childbirth; by extension, an acute anguish or distress, whether physical or emotional. Primary usage denotes the pain that accompanies labor and birth, but the term can also be used more broadly for any intense, convulsive pain or suffering.

Semantic Range

birth pang, labor pain, sharp pain, throe, intense anguish, acute distress, travail

Root / Etymology

From the root ὠδ- (ōd-), related to childbirth and by extension to pain or throes; closely associated with ὀδύνη (“pain, grief, agony”), but specifically applied to the spasms of labor and birth; possibly of pre-Greek origin.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ὠδίν refers most literally to labor pains or birth pangs, emphasizing the sudden, unavoidable, and severe nature of these pains. By metaphor, Greek authors extended the term to severe pains generally (e.g., battle wounds or intense distress). In the Septuagint, ὠδίν often translates Hebrew terms for birth pains (e.g., חֶבֶל chevel) and is used in prophetic contexts as a metaphor for unavoidable calamity or national disaster. In the New Testament, ὠδίν is used both literally (of childbirth: 1 Thessalonians 5:3) and metaphorically (of eschatological distress or tribulation: Matthew 24:8). Standard English translations such as 'pain,' 'anguish,' 'sorrow,' or 'travail' convey aspects of the term, but often obscure its core reference to the pains of childbirth. The metaphorical meaning retains the ideas of inescapability and suddenness. Distinct from ὀδύνη, which can refer to general torment or grief without the specific connotation of birth pangs.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

akin to ὀδύνη; a pang or throe, especially of childbirth:--pain, sorrow, travail.

Root Family

ὠδίν (ōdin) — pain, pang, spasm, birth-throe

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G5604-03`	ὠδίνων	odinon	`N GEN F PL`	of birth pains	of birth pangs	of birth pains	2
`G5604-01`	ὠδὶν	odin	`N NOM F SG`	labor pains	birth pang	birth pang	1
`G5604-02`	ὠδῖνας	odinas	`N ACC F PL`	pains	birth pangs	birth pangs	1

Occurrences in Scripture

4 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G5604-03`	Matthew 24:8	ὠδίνων	odinon	`N GEN F PL`	of birth-pangs	of birth pangs	of birth pangs
`G5604-03`	Mark 13:8	ὠδίνων	odinon	`N GEN F PL`	of birth pains	of birth pangs	of birth pains
`G5604-02`	Acts 2:24	ὠδῖνας	odinas	`N ACC F PL`	pains	birth pangs	birth pangs
`G5604-01`	1 Thessalonians 5:3	ὠδὶν	odin	`N NOM F SG`	labor pains	birth pang	birth pang

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