Lexical Summary molis: With difficulty, scarcely, hardly Original Word: μόλις Strong's Exhaustive Concordance with difficultyProbably by variation for mogis; with difficulty -- hardly, scarce(-ly), + with much work. see GREEK mogis HELPS Word-studies 3433 mólis (from mogos, "toil) – properly, something happening with great difficulty, i.e. hardly ("scarcely"). 3433 /mólis ("what barely happens") emphasizes the slight margin by which something comes to pass, i.e. because it is so difficult. [3425 /mógis (from mogos, "laborious toil") focuses on the prolonged nature of a difficulty.] NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom molos (toil) Definition with difficulty NASB Translation difficulty (4), hardly (1), only with difficulty (1), scarcely (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3433: μόλιςμόλις (μολος toil); an adverb used by post-Homeric writings indiscriminately with μόγις; a. with difficulty, hardly (cf. Wis. 9:16, where μετά πόνου corresponds to it in the parallel member): (Luke 9:39 Tr marginal reading WH (others μόγις, which see)); Acts 14:18; Acts 27:7f, 16; 1 Peter 4:18. b. not easily, i. e. scarcely, very rarely: Romans 5:7. Strong’s Greek 3433 appears six times in the New Testament, each occurrence stressing how close an event came to failing, or how narrowly a goal was reached. The term expresses a razor-thin margin between success and disaster, righteousness and condemnation, or life and death. Narrative Settings in Acts • Acts 14:18 – After Paul healed the man in Lystra, the crowd tried to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods. “Even with these words, they could hardly restrain the people from sacrificing to them.” The adverb heightens the tension: human adulation almost crosses into idolatry. Doctrinal Emphasis in Romans and 1 Peter • Romans 5:7 – “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.” The word “very rarely” (μόλις) frames the contrast between human reluctance and God’s freely given love in the next verse: “But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Paul’s argument builds on the frailty of human devotion to exalt the certainty of divine grace. Contextual Nuances 1. Human Limitation: In every passage the adverb points to the inadequacy of human strength, foresight, or morality. Historical Background Luke’s maritime detail in Acts 27 reflects technical nautical vocabulary common to first-century maritime logs. The repetition of the adverb matches classical usage in sea diaries, emphasizing the near-impossibility of safe navigation during the winter months. Paul's survival authenticated his apostolic authority in Rome and encouraged the early Church that no circumstance, however perilous, frustrates God’s mission. Pastoral and Practical Implications • Evangelism: The “hardly” of salvation for the righteous (1 Peter 4:18) challenges complacency. If even the godly are saved through refining trials, the urgency to reach the ungodly intensifies. Summary Strong’s 3433 highlights the knife-edge on which human endeavors balance—whether physical survival, moral resolve, or eternal destiny. Scripture uses the term to magnify God’s faithfulness in circumstances where human effort barely suffices, directing believers to rely wholly on sovereign grace while laboring earnestly in worship, witness, and perseverance. Englishman's Concordance Acts 14:18 AdvGRK: ταῦτα λέγοντες μόλις κατέπαυσαν τοὺς NAS: these things, with difficulty they restrained KJV: sayings scarce restrained they INT: these things saying hardly they stopped the Acts 27:7 Adv Acts 27:8 Adv Acts 27:16 Adv Romans 5:7 Adv 1 Peter 4:18 Adv |
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