Word study

Persecution

1 Hebrew and 4 Greek words behind this English word

The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: persecution, persecutions. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.

At a glance

How often each original word is translated “persecution” or one of its forms.

Compare the Greek words side by side

Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)

Greek words (New Testament)

  • διωγμός diōgmóspersecutiontranslated this way 10 times of its 10 uses · Strong’s G1375Noun  ·  Translated: persecution 6, persecutions 4

    Matthew 13:21 But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.

    Mark 4:17 But they themselves have no root, and they remain for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

    Full study and all 9 verses →
  • θλῖψις thlîpsispersecution, affliction, distresstranslated this way 3 times of its 45 uses · Strong’s G2347Noun  ·  Translated: tribulation 9, affliction 6, trouble 5, troubles 5

    Acts 11:19 Meanwhile those scattered by the persecution that began with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message only to Jews.

    1 Thessalonians 3:7 For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and persecution, we have been reassured about you, because of your faith.

    Full study and all 43 verses →
  • διώκω diṓkōI pursue, persecutetranslated this way 1 time of its 45 uses · Strong’s G1377Verb  ·  Translated: persecute 13, persecuted 11, pursue 7, persecuting 4

    Galatians 6:12 Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. They only do this to avoid persecution for the cross of Christ.

    Full study and all 44 verses →
  • θλίβω thlíbōI make narrow, persecute, press hardtranslated this way 1 time of its 10 uses · Strong’s G2346Verb  ·  Translated: afflicted 2, oppressed 2

    1 Thessalonians 3:4 Indeed, when we were with you, we kept warning you that we would suffer persecution; and as you know, it has come to pass.

    Full study and all 10 verses →
How to study a word well
  1. Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
  2. Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
  3. Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
  4. Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
  5. See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
  6. Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
  7. Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.

What the Bible says about persecution: passages by topic →

Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.