Topical Encyclopedia
The term "laborious" refers to tasks or efforts that require considerable time, effort, and perseverance. In the context of the Bible, laborious work is often seen as a part of the human condition post-Fall, yet it is also portrayed as a means through which individuals can glorify God and fulfill their God-given purposes.
Biblical Context1.
The Curse of Labor: The concept of laborious work is introduced early in the Bible. After the Fall, God pronounces a curse upon the ground, making human labor more toilsome.
Genesis 3:17-19 states, "Cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread until you return to the ground, because out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return." This passage highlights the laborious nature of work as a consequence of sin.
2.
Diligence and Hard Work: Despite the curse, the Bible encourages diligence and hard work.
Proverbs 14:23 states, "There is profit in all labor, but mere talk leads only to poverty." This verse underscores the value of laborious effort, suggesting that it leads to tangible benefits and prosperity.
3.
Work as Service to God: The New Testament further elevates the concept of labor by associating it with service to God.
Colossians 3:23-24 instructs, "Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men, because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Here, laborious work is seen as an act of worship and devotion to God, transforming mundane tasks into spiritual service.
4.
Rest and Balance: While the Bible acknowledges the necessity of laborious work, it also emphasizes the importance of rest. The Sabbath commandment in
Exodus 20:9-10 states, "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God; on it you shall not do any work." This commandment highlights the need for balance between labor and rest, ensuring that work does not become an all-consuming endeavor.
5.
Paul's Example: The Apostle Paul serves as a model of laborious work in the New Testament. In
1 Corinthians 15:10 , Paul writes, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." Paul's tireless efforts in spreading the Gospel demonstrate the importance of laborious work in fulfilling one's divine calling.
Theological ImplicationsLaborious work, from a biblical perspective, is both a consequence of the Fall and a means of participating in God's creative and redemptive purposes. It is through labor that individuals can exercise stewardship over creation, provide for their families, and contribute to the common good. Moreover, when approached with the right heart and attitude, laborious work becomes an opportunity to reflect God's character and bring Him glory.
Practical ApplicationsBelievers are encouraged to approach their work with diligence, integrity, and a sense of purpose, recognizing that their efforts are ultimately for the Lord. By doing so, they can find meaning and fulfillment in even the most laborious tasks, knowing that their labor is not in vain when done for the glory of God.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
a.) Requiring perseverance or sacrifice; toilsome; tiresome.
2. (a.) Devoted to labor; diligent; industrious; as, a laborious mechanic.
Greek
2873. kopos --laborious toil...laborious toil. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: kopos Phonetic
Spelling: (kop'-os) Short Definition: trouble, toil, labor Definition: (a
...4190. poneros -- toilsome, bad
... 4190 (an adjective which is also used substantively, derived from 4192 , "pain,
laborious trouble") -- properly, , emphasizing the inevitable agonies (misery...
3425. mogis -- hardly.
... difficulty; scarcely, hardly. Cognate: 3425 (from , "laborious toil") --
properly, (), ie what happens with . 3425 ("scarcely") also...
3433. molis -- with difficulty
... ie because it is so . [3425 (from , "laborious toil") focuses on the of
a difficulty.]. Word Origin from molos (toil) Definition...
4189. poneria -- iniquity
... Cognate: 4189 (from 4192 , "pain,laborious trouble") -- properly, -ridden evil,
derived from 4192 () which refers to " ()" - resulting in "toil, then drudge...
3449. mochthos -- toil, hardship
... 3449 (from , "laborious toil") -- wearisome, difficult effort (psychologically or
physically); hard work, "implying of energy and effort" (, 1, 42.48)....
Strong's Hebrew
6469. Peulletay -- "laborious," a Levite... 6468, 6469. Peulletay. 6470 . "
laborious," a Levite. Transliteration: Peulletay
Phonetic Spelling: (peh-ool-leh-thah'-ee) Short Definition: Peullethai.
...5656. abodah -- labor, service
... Definition labor, service NASB Word Usage bondage (4), construction (2), construction
work (1), job (2), kind of service (2), labor (9),laborious (12), labors...
Library
Wherefore Christ Undertook a Method of Setting us Free So Painful...
... CHAPTER VIII Wherefore Christ undertook a method of setting us free so painful and
laborious, when a word from Him, or an act of His will, would alone have...
John iv. 54; v. 1
... ten thousand blessings? "But continual prayer is alaborious thing." And
what that belongs to virtue is notlaborious? "In truth...
The Inwardness of Prayer
... Our cooperation with God is our receptivity; but it is an active, alaborious
receptivity, an importunity that drains our strength away if it do not tap the...
Of Contemplation in General; what it Is. ...
... 1. Hitherto the exercises of a devout soul have been exceedinglylaborious, in which
she hath been obliged to use force and constraint (more or less) upon...
Whether Grace is the Principle of Merit through Charity More...
... On the second point: there are two ways in which a work may belaborious and difficult.
It may be so because of its magnitude, which increases its merit....
Of David's Reign and Merit; and of his Son Solomon, and that...
... and held canonical by the Jews, to show what of this kind may be found in them
pertaining to Christ and the Church demands alaborious discussion, which, if...
Doctrinal and Moral Treatises. Index of Subjects.
... his works on Lying of different dates, [449]457; uses a homely style in practical
matters, [450]458; his avocations, [451]481; lifelaborious, (bodily infirmity...
"For to be Carnally Minded is Death; but to be Spiritually Minded...
... But the way of sin in itself is mostlaborious, most difficult.... O how painful
andlaborious is it to fulfil the lusts of the flesh!...
The Supposed Effects of Christianity.
... probity in the transaction of business, if it produce soft and humane manners in
the mass of the community, and occasional exertions oflaborious or expensive...
A Notice of Aetius, Eunomius' Master in Heresy, and of Eunomius...
... quite at his fingers' end, sitting under a goat's-hair tent, with a small hammer,
and a diminutive anvil, and so earned a precarious andlaborious livelihood....
Thesaurus
Laborious (12 Occurrences)... 2. (a.) Devoted to labor; diligent; industrious; as, a
laborious mechanic.
Multi-Version Concordance
Laborious (12 Occurrences).
...Bore (221 Occurrences)
... 4. (vt) To make (a passage) bylaborious effort, as in boring; as, to bore one's
way through a crowd; to force a narrow and difficult passage through....
Laboring (8 Occurrences)
Jacob's (34 Occurrences)
... probably twice as deep. The digging of such a well must have been a very
laborious and costly undertaking. "Unfortunately, the well...
Laboriously (1 Occurrence)
Gasp (5 Occurrences)
... 1. (vi) To open the mouth wide in catching the breath, or inlaborious respiration;
to labor for breath; to respire convulsively; to pant violently....
Toilsome (3 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (a.)Laborious; wearisome; as, toilsome work.
Multi-Version Concordance Toilsome (3 Occurrences). Ecclesiastes...
Tools (3 Occurrences)
... sand. But sawing stone was a verylaborious process, and this was one reason
why the ancients preferred stone in large blocks. These...
Exertion (2 Occurrences)
... alaborious or perceptible effort; as, an exertion of strength or power; an exertion
of the limbs or of the mind; it is an exertion for him to move, to-day....
Encumbrance (2 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) That which encumbers; a burden which impedes action,
or renders it difficult andlaborious; a clog; an impediment....
Resources
Why did God punish women with pain in childbirth (Genesis 3:16)? | GotQuestions.orgWhat value is there in Christian journaling? | GotQuestions.orgLaborious: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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