Anguish
Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words [1]
see Affliction (No. 4).
lit., "narrowness of place" (stenos, "narrow," chora, "a place"), metaphorically came to mean the "distress arising from that condition, anguish." It is used in the plural, of various forms of distress, 2—Corinthians 6:4; 12:10 , and of "anguish" or distress in general, Romans 2:9; 8:35 , RV, "anguish" for AV, "distress." The opposite state, of being in a large place, and so metaphorically in a state of joy, is represented by the word platusmos in certian Psalms as, e.g., Psalm 118:5; see also 2—Samuel 22:20 . See Distress.
lit., "a holding together, or compressing" (sun, "together," echo, "to hold"), was used of the narrowing of a way. It is found only in its metaphorical sense, of "straits, distress, anguish," Luke 21:25 , "distress of nations," and 2—Corinthians 2:4 , "anguish of heart." See Distress.
Luke 21:23 1—Thessalonians 3:7 2—Corinthians 6:4 12:10
akin to A, No. 2, lit., "to crowd into a narrow space," or, in the Passive Voice "to be pressed for room," hence, metaphorically, "to be straitened," 2—Corinthians 4:8; 6:12 (twice), is found in its literal sense in two places in the Sept., in Joshua 17:15; Isaiah 49:19 , and in two places in its metaphorical sense, in Judges 16:16 , where Delilah is said to have pressed Samson sore with her words continually, and to have "straitened him," and in Isaiah 28:20 . See Distress , Straitened.
akin to A, No. 3, lit., "to hold together," is used physically of being held, or thronged, Luke 8:45; 19:43; 22:63; of being taken with a malady, Matthew 4:24; Luke 4:38; Acts 28:8; with fear, Luke 8:37; of being straitened or pressed in spirit, with desire, Luke 12:50; Acts 18:5; Philippians 1:23; with the love of Christ, 2—Corinthians 5:14 . In one place it is used of the stopping of their ears by those who killed Stephen. See Constrain , Hold , Keep , Press , SICK (lie), Stop , Strait (be in a), Straitened , Take , Throng.
in the Middle and Passive Voices, signifies "to suffer pain, be in anguish, be greatly distressed" (akin to odune, "pain, distress"); it is rendered "sorrowing" in Luke 2:48; in Luke 16:24,25 , RV, "in anguish," for AV, "tormented;" in Acts 20:38 , "sorrowing." See Sorrow , Torment.
King James Dictionary [2]
AN'GUISH, n. L. angustia, narrowness, from pressure. See Anger.
Extreme pain, either of body or mind. As bodily pain, it may differ from agony, which is such distress of the whole body as to cause contortion, whereas anguish may be a local pain as of an ulcer, or gout. But anguish and agony are nearly synonymous. As pain of the mind, it signifies any keen distress from sorrow, remorse, despair and kindred passions.
And they hearkened not to Moses, for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. Exodus 6 .
AN'GUISH, To distress with extreme pain or grief.
Webster's Dictionary [3]
(1): (n.) Extreme pain, either of body or mind; excruciating distress.
(2): (v. t.) To distress with extreme pain or grief.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [4]
aṇ´gwish : Extreme distress of body, mind or spirit; excruciating pain or suffering of soul, e.g. excessive grief, remorse, despair. Chiefly expressed in Old Testament, by four derivatives of צוּק , cūḳ , "straitened," "pressed," and צר , car , and two derivatives signifying "straitness," "narrowness," hence distress; also שׁבץ , shābhāc , "giddiness," "confusion of mind"; חוּל , ḥūl "to twist" with pain, "writhe." So in the New Testament, θλῖψις , thlı̄́psis , "a pressing together," hence affliction, tribulation, στενοχωρία , stenochōrı́a , "narrowness of place," hence extreme affliction; συνοχή , sunochḗ , "a holding together," hence distress. The fundamental idea in these various terms is pressure - being straitened, compressed into a narrow place, or pain through physical or mental torture. Used of the physical agony of child-birth ( Jeremiah 4:31; Jeremiah 6:24; Jeremiah 49:24; Jeremiah 50:43; John 16:21 ); of distress of soul as the result of sin and wickedness ( Job 15:24; Proverbs 1:27; Romans 2:9 ); of anguish of spirit through the cruel bondage of slavery ( Exodus 6:9 ) and Assyrian oppression ( Isaiah 8:22 ); of the anxiety and pain of Christian love because of the sins of fellow-disciples ( 2 Corinthians 2:4 ).
