denotes "heavy, burdensome;" it is always used metaphorically in the NT, and is translated "heavy" in Mat 23:4, of Pharisaical ordinances; in the comparative degree "weightier," Mat 23:23, of details of the law of God; "grievous," metaphorically of wolves, in Act 20:29; of charges, Act 25:7; negatively of God's commandments, 1Jo 5:3 (causing a burden on him who fulfills them); in 2Co 10:10, "weighty," of Paul's letters. See HEAVY, WEIGHTY.
"painful, bad," is translated "grievous" in Rev 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 Luk 11:46 and, in some mss., in Mat 23:4, "grievous to be borne;" in the latter the RV marg. has "many ancient authorities omit." "hard," signifies (a) "hard to deal with," Mat 8:28 (see FIERCE); (b) "hard to bear, grievous," 2Ti 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 Heb 12:11, see GRIEF. (2) In Phi 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 Mat 25:26, Rom 12:11, "slothful." akin to deos, "fear," signifies (a) "terribly," Mat 8:6, "grievously (tormented);" (b) "vehemently," Luk 11:53. See VEHEMENTLY. "badly, ill," is translated "grievously (vexed)," in Mat 15:22. See AMISS, EVIL, MISERABLY, SORE. Notes: (1) In Mar 9:20, Luk 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 Mat 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").
