What does θλίβω (thlíbō) mean in the Bible?
G2346 means to press, crowd, afflict, or oppress. Its ten attested forms are distributed through ten verses in seven New Testament books.
Greek · G2346
θλίβω
To crowd (literally or figuratively)
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θλίβω G2346
Pronunciation thlíbō
What does θλίβω (thlíbō) mean in the Bible?
G2346 means to press, crowd, afflict, or oppress. Its ten attested forms are distributed through ten verses in seven New Testament books.
Reader summary
Full entry for θλίβω (G2346) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2346?
The BSB source-word alignment has 10 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include afflict (1), are oppressed (1), narrow (1), oppressed (1), suffer persecution (1).
Where does θλίβω (thlíbō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 7:14. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Corinthians (3), 2 Thessalonians (2), 1 Thessalonians (1), 1 Timothy (1).
What This Word Actually Means
G2346 means to press, crowd, afflict, or oppress. Its ten attested forms are distributed through ten verses in seven New Testament books. Mark uses the verb literally for a crowd that might crush Jesus. Matthew's perfect participle describes the narrow way leading to life. The remaining uses describe persons under pressure or the action of causing affliction.
Paul is afflicted for others' comfort, hard pressed without being crushed, pressed by conflicts and fears, and clear that suffering had been foretold. Second Thessalonians speaks both of those who afflict believers and of relief for the afflicted when Jesus is revealed. First Timothy commends relief given to afflicted people, and Hebrews remembers faithful sufferers who were oppressed.
The verb names pressure; context identifies its source, severity, moral responsibility, and promised response.
How the Bible Uses It
G2346 moves from literal crowd pressure and a narrowed way to affliction, oppression, and relief. The passages distinguish pressure endured, pressure imposed, and the people who respond with comfort or care.
- Mat.7.14
But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Narrow describes the way within Jesus' contrast, not a mechanism for earning life through pain.
- Mrk.3.9
Jesus asked His disciples to have a boat ready for Him so that the crowd would not crush Him.
The crowd creates literal physical pressure.
- 2Co.1.6
If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which accomplishes in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we experience.
Paul interprets ministry affliction in relation to comfort and patient endurance without praising affliction by itself.
- 2Co.4.8
We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
The first contrast acknowledges severe pressure while denying its final mastery.
- 2Th.1.6
After all, it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
The verse places the response to persecutors in God's just judgment rather than private retaliation.
- 1Ti.5.10
And well known for good deeds such as bringing up children, entertaining strangers, washing the feet of the saints, imparting relief to the afflicted, and devoting herself to every good work.
Relief for afflicted people is concrete evidence within a larger pattern of good works.
- Heb.11.37
They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were put to death by the sword. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, oppressed, and mistreated.
The verse remembers oppressed witnesses without making their suffering a universal template for every believer.
Passage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It afflict 1× 2 Thessalonians 1:6
are oppressed 1× 2 Thessalonians 1:7
narrow 1× Matthew 7:14
oppressed 1× Hebrews 11:37
suffer persecution 1× 1 Thessalonians 3:4
to the afflicted 1× 1 Timothy 5:10
we are afflicted 1× 2 Corinthians 1:6
We are hard pressed 1× 2 Corinthians 4:8
we were pressed 1× 2 Corinthians 7:5
would not crush 1× Mark 3:9
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 7:14 τεθλιμμένη to narrow Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Feminine Singular Mark 3:9 θλίβωσιν to would not crush Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Plural 2 Corinthians 1:6 θλιβόμεθα to we are afflicted Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 1st Person Plural 2 Corinthians 4:8 θλιβόμενοι to We are hard pressed Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural 2 Corinthians 7:5 θλιβόμενοι to we were pressed Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural 1 Thessalonians 3:4 θλίβεσθαι to suffer persecution Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive 2 Thessalonians 1:6 θλίβουσιν to afflict Verb - Present Participle Active - Dative Masculine Plural 2 Thessalonians 1:7 θλιβομένοις to are oppressed Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Dative Masculine Plural 1 Timothy 5:10 θλιβομένοις to to the afflicted Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Dative Masculine Plural Hebrews 11:37 θλιβόμενοι to oppressed Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 7:14
Aligned rows 10
Books represented 7
Matthew 1 Mark 1 2 Corinthians 3 1 Thessalonians 1 2 Thessalonians 2 1 Timothy 1 Hebrews 1
Source forms
θλιβόμενοι 3x thlibomenoi 2 Corinthians 4:8, 2 Corinthians 7:5, Hebrews 11:37
θλιβομένοις 2x thlibomenois 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 1 Timothy 5:10
θλίβεσθαι 1x thlibesthai 1 Thessalonians 3:4
θλιβόμεθα 1x thlibometha 2 Corinthians 1:6
θλίβουσιν 1x thlibousin 2 Thessalonians 1:6
θλίβωσιν 1x thlibōsin Mark 3:9
τεθλιμμένη 1x tethlimmenē Matthew 7:14
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural 3x 2 Corinthians 4:8, 2 Corinthians 7:5, Hebrews 11:37
Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Dative Masculine Plural 2x 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 1 Timothy 5:10
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Feminine Singular 1x Matthew 7:14
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 1st Person Plural 1x 2 Corinthians 1:6
Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive 1x 1 Thessalonians 3:4
Verb - Present Participle Active - Dative Masculine Plural 1x 2 Thessalonians 1:6
Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x Mark 3:9
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Name the source and kind of pressure before moving to endurance or application.
- Join teaching about perseverance to practical relief and protection for people under pressure.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim G2346 means to press onward in personal ambition.
- Do not claim affliction automatically proves faithfulness.
- Do not claim believers may repay persecutors themselves.
- Do not use the narrow way to glorify abuse or avoid preventable care.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. To press or squeeze literally; metaphorically to oppress or afflict through external pressure or hardship.
Strong's G2346
Lexical occurrences 10 verses Greek text appearances 10 times Word forms 4 forms 10 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Mark 3:9 Source Gloss
to crowd (literally or figuratively)
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
To press or squeeze literally; metaphorically to oppress or afflict through external pressure or hardship.
to press: with accusative of person(s), Mrk.3:9; ὁδὸς τεθλιμμένη, a narrow (compressed) way, Mat.7:14. Metaphorical (as frequently in LXX), to oppress, afflict, distress: with accusative of person(s), 2Th.1:6; pass. (Vg., tribulor, tribulation em patior), 2Co.1:6 4:8 7:5, 1Th.3:4, 2Th.1:7, 1Ti.5:10, Heb.11:37 (cf. ἀπο-, συν-θλίβω).
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
10 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 7:14 Verb Perfect Passive Participle Nominative Singular Feminine
τεθλιμμένη teqlimmenh
I make narrow, persecute, press hard
Read verse Mark 3:9 Verb Third Person Plural Present Active Subjunctive
θλίβωσιν qlibwsin
I make narrow, persecute, press hard
Read verse 2 Corinthians 1:6 Verb First Person Plural Present Passive Indicative
θλιβόμεθα, qlibomeqa
I make narrow, persecute, press hard
Read verse 2 Corinthians 4:8 Verb Present Passive Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
θλιβόμενοι, qlibomenoi
I make narrow, persecute, press hard
Read verse 2 Corinthians 7:5 Verb Present Passive Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
θλιβόμενοι· qlibomenoi
I make narrow, persecute, press hard
Read verse 1 Thessalonians 3:4 Verb Present Passive Infinitive
θλίβεσθαι, qlibesqai
I make narrow, persecute, press hard
Read verse 2 Thessalonians 1:6 Verb Present Active Participle Dative Plural Masculine
θλίβουσιν qlibousin
I make narrow, persecute, press hard
Read verse 2 Thessalonians 1:7 Verb Present Passive Participle Dative Plural Masculine
θλιβομένοις qlibomenoiv
I make narrow, persecute, press hard
Read verse 1 Timothy 5:10 Verb Present Passive Participle Dative Plural Masculine
θλιβομένοις qlibomenoiv
I make narrow, persecute, press hard
Read verse Hebrews 11:37 Verb Present Passive Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
θλιβόμενοι, qlibomenoi
I make narrow, persecute, press hard
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 4 Aligned forms 10 Tenses Present, Perfect Voices Passive, Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 7×
Present Passive 2 Cor 4:8 · 2 Cor 7:5 · Heb 11:37 · 2 Thess 1:7 · 1 Tim 5:10 5×
Perfect Passive Matt 7:14 1×
Present Active 2 Thess 1:6 1×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 1×
Present Active Mark 3:9 1×
Indicative states a fact or reality 1×
Present Passive 2 Cor 1:6 1×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 1×
Present Passive 1 Thess 3:4 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 9 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 9
Voice
passive 7 active 2
Mood
participle 6 infinitive 1 indicative 1 subjunctive 1
NT Occurrences
Mark 3:9 θλίβωσιν present active subjunctive subjunctive 2 Corinthians 1:6 θλιβόμεθα present passive indicative ongoing 2 Corinthians 4:8 θλιβόμενοι present passive participle participle 2 Corinthians 7:5 θλιβόμενοι present passive participle participle 1 Thessalonians 3:4 θλίβεσθαι present passive infinitive infinitive 2 Thessalonians 1:6 θλίβουσιν present active participle participle 2 Thessalonians 1:7 θλιβομένοις present passive participle participle 1 Timothy 5:10 θλιβομένοις present passive participle participle Hebrews 11:37 θλιβόμενοι present passive participle participle
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
literal pressing or crowding of people around someone
compressed or confined way, path that is cramped and difficult
metaphorical suffering or distress experienced by believers
persecution and affliction of believers, contrasted with relief
suffering and persecution endured by faithful figures in history
Showing 5 selected witnesses from 10 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
θλίβω is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
G2346 does not ask teachers to praise pressure. It asks them to name it accurately and follow the passage's response. A crowd can crush. A way can be narrow. Ministers can be hard pressed, churches can suffer persecution, oppressors can cause affliction, and vulnerable people can need relief. Scripture neither denies these realities nor grants them final authority.
Paul can say “not crushed” while admitting pressure on every side. Second Thessalonians places judgment in God's hands and promises relief with Christ's revelation. First Timothy makes relieving afflicted people a visible good work. Faithful preaching should therefore resist two distortions: suffering is not proof of superior holiness, and comfort is not permission to ignore injustice.
The church names harm, accompanies sufferers, provides relief, refuses retaliation, and entrusts final judgment to God.
Anchor passage
2Co.4.8
Doctrinal connections
- Mat.7.13-14 - the narrow way belongs to Jesus' two-ways contrast.
- Mrk.3.9 - literal crowd pressure preserves the verb's concrete force.
- 2Co.1.3-7 - affliction and comfort move through a shared ministry.
- 2Co.4.7-12 - treasure in jars of clay frames pressure, life, and death.
- 2Th.1.6-7 - God repays afflicters and grants relief when Jesus is revealed.
- 1Ti.5.10 - relieving afflicted people is a commendable good work.
- Heb.11.35-38 - oppressed witnesses are remembered within faith's testimony.
Seven morphological patterns appear among the ten attested verbs. Present passive forms predominate in descriptions of people being pressed or afflicted, while Matthew uses a perfect passive participle and Mark a present active subjunctive for literal crowd pressure.
From Old to New Testament
The passages themselves supply the main controls. Wider biblical teaching on oppression and justice should distinguish God's judgment, human care for sufferers, and prohibitions against personal vengeance.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain