Topical Encyclopedia
In the biblical context, the concept of struggle is multifaceted, encompassing both physical and spiritual dimensions. Struggle is an inherent part of the human experience, often depicted in Scripture as a means through which individuals grow in faith, character, and reliance on God.
Old TestamentThe Old Testament is replete with narratives of struggle, both personal and communal. One of the earliest examples is the account of Jacob, who wrestled with a divine being at Peniel. This struggle, described in
Genesis 32:24-30, is emblematic of Jacob's transformation and his new identity as Israel, meaning "he struggles with God." The passage highlights the idea that struggle can lead to blessing and a deeper relationship with God: "Then the man said, 'Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed'" (
Genesis 32:28).
The Israelites' journey from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land is another significant narrative of struggle. Their physical and spiritual challenges in the wilderness, including battles, scarcity, and internal dissent, are chronicled in the books of Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These struggles served as tests of faith and obedience, shaping the identity of the Israelite nation.
Wisdom LiteratureThe Book of Job offers a profound exploration of personal struggle and suffering. Job's trials, including the loss of his family, health, and wealth, raise questions about the nature of suffering and divine justice. Throughout his ordeal, Job maintains his faith, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding of God's sovereignty and wisdom.
Job 23:10 reflects this perseverance: "Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold" .
The Psalms frequently express the struggles of the human heart, capturing the tension between despair and hope.
Psalm 13, for example, begins with a cry of anguish but concludes with a declaration of trust in God's unfailing love: "But I have trusted in Your loving devotion; my heart will rejoice in Your salvation" (
Psalm 13:5).
New TestamentIn the New Testament, the theme of struggle is often linked to the spiritual battle against sin and the forces of evil. The Apostle Paul, in his letters, frequently uses the metaphor of struggle to describe the Christian life. In
Ephesians 6:12, he writes, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world's darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" . This passage underscores the spiritual nature of the Christian's struggle and the need for divine armor to stand firm.
Paul's own life is a testament to enduring struggle for the sake of the Gospel. In
2 Corinthians 11:23-28, he recounts his hardships, including imprisonments, beatings, and shipwrecks, yet he remains steadfast in his mission. His perseverance is encapsulated in
Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" .
The struggle against sin is also a central theme in the New Testament. In
Romans 7:15-25, Paul describes the internal conflict between the desire to do good and the reality of sin at work within him. This passage highlights the ongoing struggle of sanctification, culminating in the assurance of victory through Jesus Christ.
Theological ImplicationsStruggle, from a biblical perspective, is not merely an obstacle to be overcome but a vital component of spiritual growth and maturity. It is through struggle that believers are refined, their faith tested and strengthened.
James 1:2-4 encourages believers to view trials as opportunities for growth: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance" .
Moreover, struggle is an invitation to rely on God's strength rather than one's own. The Apostle Peter exhorts believers to cast their anxieties on God, who cares for them (
1 Peter 5:7). This reliance on divine strength is a recurring theme throughout Scripture, offering hope and assurance in the midst of life's struggles.
Topical Bible Verses
1 Corinthians 10:13There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Topicalbible.orgJohn 8:34
Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin.
Topicalbible.org
Romans 14:1
Him that is weak in the faith receive you, but not to doubtful disputations.
Topicalbible.org
1 Corinthians 6:18
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man does is without the body; but he that commits fornication sins against his own body.
Topicalbible.org
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
v. i.) To strive, or to make efforts, with a twisting, or with contortions of the body.
2. (v. i.) To use great efforts; to labor hard; to strive; to contend forcibly; as, to struggle to save one's life; to struggle with the waves; to struggle with adversity.
3. (v. i.) To labor in pain or anguish; to be in agony; to labor in any kind of difficulty or distress.
4. (n.) A violent effort or efforts with contortions of the body; agony; distress.
5. (n.) Great labor; forcible effort to obtain an object, or to avert an evil.
6. (n.) Contest; contention; strife.
Greek
73. agon -- a gathering, contest,struggle... a gathering, contest,
struggle. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration:
agon Phonetic Spelling: (ag-one') Short Definition: a contest Definition: an
...2610. katagonizomai -- tostruggle against
... tostruggle against. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: katagonizomai Phonetic
Spelling: (kat-ag-o-nid'-zom-ahee) Short Definition: I subdue Definition: I...
75. agonizomai -- to contend for a prize,struggle
... to contend for a prize,struggle. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: agonizomai
Phonetic Spelling: (ag-o-nid'-zom-ahee) Short Definition: I strive, contend...
464. antagonizomai -- tostruggle against
... tostruggle against. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: antagonizomai Phonetic
Spelling: (an-tag-o-nid'-zom-ahee) Short Definition: I resist, strive against...
1264. diamachomai -- tostruggle against
... tostruggle against. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: diamachomai Phonetic
Spelling: (dee-am-akh'-om-ahee) Short Definition: I strive greatly, contend...
3823. pale -- wrestling, generally fight
... generally fight. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: pale Phonetic Spelling:
(pal'-ay) Short Definition: a wrestling,struggle Definition: wrestling...
4865. sunagonizomai -- to strive with
... to strive with. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: sunagonizomai Phonetic Spelling:
(soon-ag-o-nid'-zom-ahee) Short Definition: Istruggle in company with...
74. agonia -- a contest, great fear
... Cognate: 74 (a noun; see also 73 , the noun) -- the brand ofstruggle that emphasizes
pressure, ie experienced in an intensely way (used only in Lk 22:44)....
4875. sunanapauomai -- to lie down to rest with, fig. to be...
... It only occurs in Ro 15:32 in reference to the Roman Christians coming alongside
Paul to "struggle together" against those opposing his important mission to...
1864. epagonizomai -- to contend with or for
... earnestly contend. From epi and agonizomai; tostruggle for -- earnestly contend
foreign. see GREEK epi. see GREEK agonizomai. (epagonizesthai) -- 1 Occurrence....
Strong's Hebrew
5327b. natsah -- tostruggle... 5327a, 5327b. natsah. 5327c . to
struggle. Transliteration: natsah Short
Definition: contended. Word Origin a prim. root Definition
...7712. shedar -- tostruggle, strive
... shedar. 7713 . tostruggle, strive. Transliteration: shedar Phonetic Spelling:
(shed-ar') Short Definition: exerting. Word Origin (Aramaic) a prim....
7533. ratsats -- to crush
... break, bruise, crush, discourage, oppress,struggle together. A primitive
root; to crack in pieces, literally or figuratively -- break...
5319. naphtulim -- wrestlings
... wrestling. From pathal; properly, wrestled; but ued (in the plural) transitively,
astruggle -- wrestling. see HEBREW pathal. 5318, 5319. naphtulim. 5320 ....
6617. pathal -- to twist
... A primitive root; to twine, ie (literally) tostruggle or (figuratively) be (morally)
tortuous -- (shew self) froward, shew self unsavoury, wrestle....
6635. tsaba -- army, war, warfare
... 1), combat (1), conflict (1), forced to labor (1), hardship (1), host (30), hosts
(292), hosts is the army (1), most (1), service (10),struggle (1), trained (1...
Library
Ep. Cv. The Time is Swift, theStruggle Great, and My Sickness...
... Division III. Miscellaneous Letters. Ep. CV. The time is swift, thestruggle
great, and my sickness severer? The time is swift...
A Nation'sStruggle for a Home and Freedom.
... STUDY XII A NATION'SSTRUGGLE FOR A HOME AND FREEDOM.... Paton, Early Hist. of Syria
and Pal., 157-60; Maspero,Struggle of the Nations, 111-208; Encyc. Bib....
Of the Fact that DevilsStruggle with Men not Without Effort on...
... II. Second Conference of Abbot Moses. Chapter XXI. Of the fact that devils
struggle with men not without effort on their part. But...
Of theStruggle into which we must Enter against Our Faults, when...
... II. Second Conference of Abbot Moses. Chapter XIV. Of thestruggle into which
we must enter against our faults, when they attack us....
Gethsemane: the Strange, LoneStruggle. Matthew 26:36-46. Mark 14...
... III. The Great Experiences of Jesus' Life. 4. Gethsemane: The Strange, LoneStruggle.
Matthew 26:36-46. Mark 14:32-42. Luke 22:39-46. Hebrews 5:7....
With Freedom is ThyStruggle, O Evil One: it Can Cast on Thee a...
... Hymn LVI. With Freedom is thystruggle, O Evil One: it can cast on thee
a muzzle, if it so please. 1. With Freedom is thystruggle...
TheStruggle in America, 1762-1857.
... BOOK THREE. The Rule of the Germans. CHAPTER VI. THESTRUGGLE IN AMERICA,
1762-1857. For nearly a century the Moravians in America...
M. Bulfinch.Struggle.
... THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 319. 7s. M. Bulfinch.Struggle. 1 There's a strife we all must
wage, From life's entrance to its close; Blest the bold who dare engage!...
How Our FirstStruggle must be against the Spirit of Gluttony, IE...
... Prolegomena. Chapter III. How our firststruggle must be against the spirit
of gluttony, ie the pleasures of the palate. And so...
TheStruggle for Life
... CHAPTER VI THESTRUGGLE FOR LIFE. MATTHEW... This is how birds live, and this is
how birds are made. They are the children ofStruggle. Beak...
Thesaurus
Struggle (16 Occurrences)... 2. (vi) To use great efforts; to labor hard; to strive; to contend forcibly; as,
to
struggle to save one's life; to
struggle with the waves; to
struggle with
...Agony (20 Occurrences)
... and suffering. Anguish is the reflection on evil that is already past, while
agony is astruggle with evil at the time present. It...
Fight (265 Occurrences)
... 2. (vi) To act in opposition to anything; tostruggle against; to contend; to strive;
to make resistance.... 7. (n.) Astruggle or contest of any kind....
Wrestle
... skillfully. 2. (vt) Hence, tostruggle; to strive earnestly; to contend. 3.
(vt) To wrestle with; to seek to throw down as in wrestling....
Medes (15 Occurrences)
... Kyaxares warred for 5 years (590-585 BC) with the Lydians, thestruggle being ended
in May, 585, by the total eclipse of the sun foretold by Thales (Herodotus i...
Eleloheisrael (1 Occurrence)
... called it the altar of El, the God of Israel." The peculiar phrase is best and most
readily understood in its close connection with thestruggle at Peniel...
El-elohe-Israel (1 Occurrence)
... called it the altar of El, the God of Israel." The peculiar phrase is best and most
readily understood in its close connection with thestruggle at Peniel...
Dispute (37 Occurrences)
... 4. (vt) To strive or contend about; to contest. 5. (vt) Tostruggle against; to
resist.... 7. (vi) Contest;struggle; quarrel. Multi-Version Concordance...
Possessors (14 Occurrences)
... Mark 10:23 Then looking round on His disciples Jesus said, "With how hard astruggle
will the possessors of riches enter the Kingdom of God!" (WEY)....
Conflict (18 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) A strife for the mastery; hostile contest; battle;struggle; fighting. 3.
(vi) To strike or dash together; to meet in violent collision; to collide....
Resources
Why do so many people struggle with a lack of faith? | GotQuestions.orgWhy was the worship of Baal and Asherah a constant struggle for the Israelites? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the key to victory when struggling with sin? | GotQuestions.orgStruggle: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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