Topical Encyclopedia
Misery, as depicted in the Bible, is a state of great distress or discomfort of mind and body, often resulting from sin, suffering, or divine judgment. The Scriptures provide numerous examples and teachings on the nature, causes, and responses to misery, offering both warnings and hope to believers.
Biblical Instances of Misery1.
Job's Suffering: The Book of Job is perhaps the most profound biblical exploration of human misery. Job, a righteous man, experiences intense suffering and loss, prompting him to lament, "Why is light given to the miserable, and life to the bitter of soul?" (
Job 3:20). Job's misery is not a result of his own sin but serves as a test of faith and a demonstration of God's sovereignty.
2.
Israel's Oppression: The Israelites experienced misery during their bondage in Egypt.
Exodus 3:7 records God's acknowledgment of their suffering: "I have surely seen the affliction of My people in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sufferings." This misery led to their eventual deliverance, highlighting God's compassion and intervention.
3.
Consequences of Sin: Misery is often portrayed as a consequence of sin.
Proverbs 13:15 states, "Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the faithless is hard." The Bible frequently associates disobedience to God with a life of hardship and distress, as seen in the curses outlined in
Deuteronomy 28.
Causes of Misery1.
Sin and Disobedience: Sin is a primary cause of misery in the biblical narrative. The fall of man in
Genesis 3 introduced sin into the world, resulting in pain, toil, and death.
Romans 6:23 declares, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
2.
Divine Judgment: Misery can also be a form of divine judgment. The prophets often warned Israel of impending misery due to their idolatry and rebellion. For instance,
Isaiah 47:11 warns Babylon, "But disaster will come upon you; you will not know how to charm it away. A calamity will befall you that you cannot ward off."
3.
Human Wickedness: The actions of others can also bring about misery. The Psalms frequently express the anguish of the righteous suffering at the hands of the wicked.
Psalm 10:14 acknowledges, "But You have seen it, for You observe trouble and grief, to repay it by Your hand."
Responses to Misery1.
Repentance and Turning to God: The Bible encourages those in misery to turn to God in repentance and faith.
Joel 2:12-13 calls for repentance: "Even now," declares the LORD, "return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning."
2.
Trust in God's Deliverance: Believers are urged to trust in God's deliverance and faithfulness.
Psalm 34:17 assures, "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears; He delivers them from all their troubles."
3.
Hope in Christ: The New Testament offers hope through Jesus Christ, who came to bear our sorrows and provide eternal relief from misery.
Revelation 21:4 promises, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away."
ConclusionWhile misery is a reality in the fallen world, the Bible provides a framework for understanding and responding to it. Through repentance, trust in God, and hope in Christ, believers can find comfort and assurance amidst life's trials.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) Great unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind; wretchedness; distress; woe.
2. (n.) Cause of misery; calamity; misfortune.
3. (n.) Covetousness; stinginess; avarice.
Greek
5004. talaiporia -- hard work, hardship, distress... Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: talaiporia Phonetic Spelling:
(tal-ahee-po-ree'-ah) Short Definition: hardship,
misery Definition: hardship
...2561. kakosis -- ill-treatment
... Transliteration: kakosis Phonetic Spelling: (kak'-o-sis) Short Definition: affliction,
ill-treatment Definition: affliction, ill-treatment, oppression,misery....
5005. talaiporos -- distressed, miserable
... bear, undergo" and , "a callous," J. Thayer) -- properly, (beaten-down) from continued
strain, leaving a person literally full of (deepmisery) -- describing a...
4190. poneros -- toilsome, bad
... which is also used substantively, derived from 4192 , "pain, laborious trouble") --
properly, , emphasizing the inevitable agonies (misery) that always go with...
5003. talaiporeo -- to suffer hardship or distress
... endure. From talaiporos; to be wretched, ie Realize one's ownmisery -- be afflicted.
see GREEK talaiporos. (talaiporesate) -- 1 Occurrence. 5002, 5003....
Strong's Hebrew
7463a. raah -- evil,misery, distress, injury... 7463, 7463a. raah. 7463b . evil,
misery, distress, injury. Transliteration:
raah Short Definition: evil. Word Origin from the same
...7451b. ra -- evil, distress,misery, injury, calamity
... 7451a, 7451b. ra. 7452 . evil, distress,misery, injury, calamity.
Transliteration: ra Short Definition: evil. Word Origin from...
7463. re'eh -- evil,misery, distress, injury
re'eh. 7462c, 7463. re'eh. 7463a . evil,misery, distress, injury. Transliteration:
re'eh Phonetic Spelling: (ray-eh') Short Definition: friend. friend...
6040. oniy -- affliction, poverty
... affliction, poverty. Transliteration: oniy Phonetic Spelling: (on-ee') Short Definition:
misery. depression,Misery From anah; depression, ieMisery:...
4788. marud -- restlessness, straying
... cast out,misery. From ruwd in the sense of maltreatment; an outcast; (abstractly)
destitution -- cast out,misery. see HEBREW ruwd. 4787b, 4788. marud. 4789...
5999. amal -- trouble, labor, toil
... amal Definition trouble, labor, toil NASB Word Usage anguish (1), fruit of his labor
(1), fruit of my labor (3), labor (16), mischief (9),misery (1), sorry (1...
6001. amel -- a laborer, sufferer
... Definition: labors. that labors, that is amisery, had taken labor, wicked, workman
From amal; toiling; concretely, a laborer; figuratively...
2822. choshek -- darkness, obscurity
... From chashak; the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively,misery, destruction,
death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness -- dark(-ness), night, obscurity....
2825. chashekah -- darkness
... darkness. Or chashekah {khash-ay-kaw'}; from chashak; darkness; figuratively,misery --
darkness. see HEBREW chashak. 2824, 2825. chashekah. 2826 ....
6040a. oni -- affliction, poverty
... Word Origin from anah Definition affliction, poverty NASB Word Usage afflicted*
(1), affliction (33), great pains (1),misery (2). 6040, 6040a. oni. 6040b...
Library
Misery
... The Treasury of Sacred Song. Book First LMISERY. LORD, Let the angels
praise Thy name; Man is a foolish thing, a foolish thing;...
What is theMisery of that Estate Whereinto Man Fell?
... Question 19: What is themisery of that estate whereinto man fell? A19: All
mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under...
Man'sMisery by the Fall
... 4. The fall 4. Man'sMisery By The Fall. Q-19: WHAT IS THEMISERY OF THAT
ESTATE WHEREINTO MAN FELL? A: All mankind by their fall...
The Shortness andMisery of Life.
... Hymns. Book 2. Composed on Divine Subjects. Hymn 2:39. The shortness and
misery of life. 1 Our days, alas! our mortal days Are short...
Meditations of theMisery of a Man not Reconciled to God in Christ...
... THE PRACTICE OF PIETY. MEDITATIONS OF THEMISERY OF A MAN NOT RECONCILED TO
GOD IN CHRIST. O wretched Man!... Consider therefore thymisery"....
The State ofMisery to which Adam's Sin Reduced Mankind, and the...
... Chapter 27."The State ofMisery to Which Adam's Sin Reduced Mankind, and the
Restoration Effected Through the Mercy of God. Thus, then, matters stood....
The Twenty-Second Chapter: Thoughts on theMisery of Man
... BOOK ONE. THOUGHTS HELPFUL IN THE LIFE OF THE SOUL The Twenty-Second Chapter:
Thoughts on theMisery of Man.... Living on earth is truly amisery....
TheMisery of Your Fall Ariseth Naturally from the Greatness of...
... THE SECOND CENTURY 4 Themisery of your fall ariseth naturally from the greatness
of your sin. Themisery of your fall ariseth naturally...
TheMisery of them who have and Prize Not
... THE FIRST CENTURY 49 Themisery of them who have and prize not. Themisery of them
who have and prize not, differeth from others, who prize and have not....
On the Contemplation of HumanMisery
... THE FIRST BOOK. ADMONITIONS PROFITABLE FOR THE SPIRITUAL LIFE CHAPTER XXII
On the contemplation of humanmisery. Thou art miserable...
Thesaurus
Misery (38 Occurrences)... 1. (n.) Great unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind; wretchedness; distress;
woe. 2. (n.) Cause of
misery; calamity; misfortune.
...Misery (38 Occurrences).
...Torment (19 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) Extreme pain; anguish; torture; the utmost degree ofmisery, either of body
or mind. 3. (n.) That which gives pain, vexation, ormisery....
Bitterness (37 Occurrences)
... spheres of application: (1) the physical sense of taste; (2) a figurative meaning
in the objective sense of cruel, biting words; intensemisery resulting from...
Fall (522 Occurrences)
... borrowed from the Apocryphal Book of Wisdom, to express the fact of the revolt of
our first parents from God, and the consequent sin andmisery in which they...
Groan (32 Occurrences)
... by Babylon, the sound being that uttered by a deadly wounded man (Ezekiel 30:24;
similarly in the prophecy of the Persian conquest themisery of Babylon is...
Gnash (12 Occurrences)
... Standard Bible Encyclopedia. GNASH. nash (charaq; brugmos): "Gnash" is used of grinding
or striking together the teeth in rage, pain ormisery of disappointment...
Ruth (19 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) Sorrow for themisery of another; pity; compassion. 2. (v.) That which causes
pity or compassion;misery; distress; a pitiful sight. Int....
Down (12601 Occurrences)
... ascent; from an upright position; to the ground or floor; to or into a lower or
an inferior condition; as, into a state of humility, disgrace,misery, and the...
Mercy (467 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Compassion for the miserable. Its object ismisery.
By the atoning sacrifice of Christ a way is open for...
Pity (165 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) A feeling for the sufferings or distresses of another or others; sympathy
with the grief ormisery of another; compassion; fellow-feeling; commiseration...
Resources
What is the “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” sermon? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the Heidelberg Catechism? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is sadism? What is a sadist? | GotQuestions.orgMisery: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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