Bible Dictionaries
Grievous, Grievously

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

denotes "heavy, burdensome;" it is always used metaphorically in the NT, and is translated "heavy" in Matthew 23:4 , of Pharisaical ordinances; in the comparative degree "weightier," Matthew 23:23 , of details of the law of God; "grievous," metaphorically of wolves, in Acts 20:29; of charges, Acts 25:7; negatively of God's commandments, 1 John 5:3 (causing a burden on him who fulfills them); in 2 Corinthians 10:10 , "weighty," of Paul's letters. See HEAVY , WEIGHTY.

"painful, bad," is translated "grievous" in Revelation 16:2 , of a sore inflicted retributively. See BAD.

"hard to be borne" (from dus, an inseparable prefix, like Eng. "mis---," and "un---," indicating "difficulty, injuriousness, opposition," etc., and bastazo, "to bear"), is used in Luke 11:46 and, in some mss., in Matthew 23:4 , "grievous to be borne;" in the latter the RV marg. has "many ancient authorities omit."

"hard," signifies (a) "hard to deal with," Matthew 8:28 (see FIERCE); (b) "hard to bear, grievous," 2 Timothy 3:1 , RV , "greivous" (AV, "perilous"), said of a characteristic of the last days of this age. See FIERCE.

Notes: (1) For the noun lupe, "grievous," in Hebrews 12:11 , see GRIEF. (2) In Philippians 3:1 , the adjective okneros, "shrinking," or "causing shrinking," hence, "tedious" (akin to okneo, "to shrink"), is rendered "irksome" in the RV (AV, "grievous"); the Apostle intimates that, not finding his message tedious, he has no hesitation in giving it. In Matthew 25:26; Romans 12:11 , "slothful."

akin to deos, "fear," signifies (a) "terribly," Matthew 8:6 , "grievously (tormented);" (b) "vehemently," Luke 11:53 . See VEHEMENTLY.

"badly, ill," is translated "grievously (vexed)," in Matthew 15:22 . See AMISS , EVIL , MISERABLY , SORE.

Notes: (1) In Mark 9:20; Luke 9:42 , the RV renders the verb susparasso "tare (him) grievously," the adverb bringing out the intensive force of the prefix su--- (i.e., sun); the meaning may be "threw violently to the ground." (2) In Matthew 17:15 , the idiomatic phrase, consisting of No. 2 (above) with echo, "to have," (lit., "hath badly"), is rendered "suffereth grievously," RV (AV, "is ... sore vexed").