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θλῖψις

thlipsis · trouble, affliction

Greek word · Strong’s number G2347 · appears 45 times in the Bible

What is the Strong number?Strong’s number identifies this word: use it to find the same word in other study tools.

What it means

thlipsis (θλῖψις) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “trouble, affliction”.

Affliction, distress, pressure.

How to say it

thlip·sis

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

  1. A hard trouble or suffering, often for the faith.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

Affliction: being pressed, oppressed by circumstances or by others. It comes from the verb θλίβω, ‘press, afflict’. In the New Testament it is the trial that goes with those who follow Jesus and the great distress announced for the end.

How we translate it

Always “affliction” (35 times) or “afflictions” (10), as this edition’s glossary sets it for thlipsis, with no deviations, also in Matthew 24:21, 29 and in Revelation 7:14 (“the great affliction”).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

  • affliction ×35
  • afflictions ×10

Related words

Comes from

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

  • Matthew 13:21

    yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived; and when affliction or persecution comes on account of the word, at once he falls away.

  • Matthew 24:9

    Then they will hand you over to affliction and will kill you, and you will be hated by all the nations because of my name.

  • Matthew 24:21

    For then there will be great affliction, such as has not happened from the beginning of the world until now, and never will.

  • Matthew 24:29

    And at once after the affliction of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

  • Mark 4:17

    and they have no root in themselves, but are short-lived; then, when affliction or persecution comes on account of the word, at once they fall away.

  • Mark 13:19

    For those days will be a time of affliction such as has not happened from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be.

  • Mark 13:24

    But in those days, after that affliction, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,

  • John 16:21

    A woman, when she is giving birth, has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she has borne the child, she no longer remembers the affliction because of the joy that a human being has been born into the world.

  • John 16:33

    I have spoken these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have affliction; but take courage: I have overcome the world.”

  • Acts 7:10

    and rescued him from all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household.

  • Acts 7:11

    Then a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers were not finding food.

  • Acts 11:19

    So those who had been scattered because of the affliction that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except only Jews.

  • Acts 14:22

    strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to remain in the faith, and saying that through many afflictions we must enter into the kingdom of God.

  • Acts 20:23

    except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city, saying that chains and afflictions await me.

  • Romans 2:9

    There will be affliction and distress upon every soul of a human being who does evil, of both the Jew first and the Greek;

  • Romans 5:3

    And not only that, but we also boast in afflictions, knowing that affliction produces perseverance,

  • Romans 8:35

    Who will separate us from the love of the Messiah? Affliction, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

  • Romans 12:12

    in hope, rejoicing; in affliction, enduring; in prayer, persevering;

  • 1 Corinthians 7:28

    But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if the virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such people will have affliction in the flesh, and I would spare you.

  • 2 Corinthians 1:4

    who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

  • 2 Corinthians 1:8

    For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that came about in Asia: that we were weighed down utterly, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living.

  • 2 Corinthians 2:4

    For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you through many tears, not so that you would be grieved but so that you would know the love that I have especially for you.

  • 2 Corinthians 4:17

    For our momentary light affliction is producing for us beyond all measure an eternal weight of glory,

  • 2 Corinthians 6:4

    but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God: in great perseverance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,

  • 2 Corinthians 7:4

    Great is my boldness toward you, great is my boasting about you; I am filled with comfort, I am overflowing beyond measure with joy in all our affliction.

  • 2 Corinthians 8:2

    that in a great test of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty have overflowed into the wealth of their generosity.

  • 2 Corinthians 8:13

    For this is not so that there may be relief for others and affliction for you, but out of equality:

  • Ephesians 3:13

    So I ask you not to lose heart at my afflictions for you, which is your glory.

  • Philippians 1:17

    but those proclaim the Messiah out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking to stir up affliction in my chains.

  • Philippians 4:14

    Nevertheless, you did well by sharing in my affliction.

  • Colossians 1:24

    Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking of the afflictions of the Messiah for the sake of his body, which is the assembly,

  • 1 Thessalonians 1:6

    And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Spirit,

  • 1 Thessalonians 3:3

    so that no one would be unsettled by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are appointed for this.

  • 1 Thessalonians 3:7

    for this reason, brothers, we were comforted about you in all our distress and affliction through your faith;

  • 2 Thessalonians 1:4

    so that we ourselves boast about you in the assemblies of God for your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.

  • 2 Thessalonians 1:6

    if indeed it is righteous with God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,

  • Hebrews 10:33

    sometimes being publicly exposed to reproaches and afflictions, and sometimes becoming partners with those who were treated that way.

  • James 1:27

    Religion pure and undefiled before God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

  • Revelation 1:9

    I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction and kingdom and endurance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

  • Revelation 2:9

    I know your affliction and poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy from those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

And 5 more times.