To struggle
ἀγωνίζομαιStrong’s G0075agōnizomai
Appears in 8 verses of the New Testament
In short
Agōnizomai is the Greek word usually translated “do strive”, “were fighting” and “is striving”. It appears in 8 verses of the New Testament.
“For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.”
Meaning
Usually translated “do strive”, “were fighting” and “is striving”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.
How it's translated
- do strive 1
- they were fighting 1
- is striving 1
- striving 1
- struggling 1
- strive 1
- do fight 1
- i have fought 1
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Colossians 2
- 1 Timothy 2
- Luke 1
- John 1
- 1 Corinthians 1
- 2 Timothy 1
6 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- 1 Timothy 6:12In contextFight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
- Luke 13:24Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
- John 18:36Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
- 1 Corinthians 9:25And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
- Colossians 1:29Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
- Colossians 4:12Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
Greek dictionary
ἀγωνίζομαι agōnizomai · to struggle
ἀγωνίζομαι (ἀγών), [in LXX: Da TH 6:14 (שׂוּם בָּל), Sir.4:28, I, II, 4Mac .5 * ;] 1. to contend for a prize: 1Co.9:25, 2. to fight, struggle, strive: Jhn.18:36; metaphorically (MM, VGT, see word). Col.1:29 4:12, 1Ti.4:10 6:12, 2Ti.4:7; with inf. (Field, Notes, 66), Luk.13:24 (Cremer, 609) † (AS)
From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “struggle” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
STRUGGLE, verb intransitive
[This word may be formed on the root of stretch, right, etc. which signifies to strain; or more directly on the same elements in Latin, to wrinkle.]
- Properly, to strive, or to make efforts with a twisting or with contortions of the body.
- To use great efforts; to labor hard; to strive; to contend; as, to struggle to save life; to struggle with the waves; to struggle against the stream; to struggle with adversity.
- To labor in pain or anguish; to be in agony; to labor in any kind of difficulty or distress.
All definitions and other forms of “struggle”
STRUGGLE, noun
- Great labor; forcible effort to obtain an object, or to avoid an evil; properly, a violent effort with contortions of the body.
- Contest; contention; strife.
- Agony; contortions of extreme distress.
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.