Definition and Usage in Scripture:

The term "birth-pangs" is used metaphorically in the Bible to describe intense suffering or distress that precedes a significant event or transformation. It is often associated with the end times, the coming of the Messiah, or the establishment of God's kingdom. The imagery of birth-pangs conveys both the inevitability and the intensity of the process leading to a new beginning.

Old Testament References:

In the Old Testament, birth-pangs are used to describe the anguish and travail of a nation or people undergoing judgment or transformation. For example, in Isaiah 26:17-18 , the prophet compares the suffering of Israel to a woman in labor: "As a pregnant woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in Your presence, O LORD. We were with child; we writhed in pain, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth, nor have the inhabitants of the world been born."

Similarly, in Jeremiah 4:31 , the prophet uses the imagery of birth-pangs to describe the distress of Jerusalem: "I hear a cry like a woman in labor, a groan like one bearing her first child—the cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands: 'Woe is me, for my soul faints before the murderers!'"

New Testament References:

In the New Testament, Jesus uses the metaphor of birth-pangs to describe the signs of the end times. In Matthew 24:8 , He states, "All these are the beginning of birth pains." This passage is part of the Olivet Discourse, where Jesus outlines the events that will precede His second coming. The birth-pangs signify the onset of tribulation and upheaval that will ultimately lead to the establishment of God's kingdom.

The Apostle Paul also employs this metaphor in Romans 8:22 , where he writes, "We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time." Here, Paul speaks of the entire creation eagerly awaiting redemption and the revealing of the children of God. The birth-pangs symbolize the current suffering and anticipation of future glory.

Theological Significance:

The concept of birth-pangs in Scripture underscores the idea that suffering and tribulation are often precursors to divine intervention and renewal. It reflects the biblical theme that God brings about new life and transformation through periods of intense struggle. This metaphor reassures believers that, despite present hardships, God's purposes are being fulfilled, and a new creation is on the horizon.

Practical Implications for Believers:

For Christians, the imagery of birth-pangs serves as a reminder to remain steadfast and hopeful amid trials. It encourages believers to trust in God's sovereign plan and to anticipate the ultimate fulfillment of His promises. The metaphor also calls for vigilance and preparedness, as the birth-pangs signal the nearness of Christ's return and the consummation of His kingdom.5605. odino -- to have birth pangs, to travail
... to have birth pangs, to travail. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: odino Phonetic
Spelling: (o-dee'-no) Short Definition: I am in travail, suffer birth ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5605.htm - 7k

5604. odin -- a birth pang
... Word Origin akin to odune Definition a birth pang NASB Word Usage agony
(1), birth pangs (2), labor pains (1). pain, sorrow, travail. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5604.htm - 7k

Antichrist in Jeremiah
... as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her which bringeth forth her first
child, the voice of the daughter of Zion." It is the "birth-pangs" of Matt.24 ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/2 antichrist in jeremiah.htm

Saint Maura. AD 304
... True! true! well spoken, hero! Oh they snapped, Those words, my madness, like the
angel's voice Thrilling the graves to birth-pangs. All was clear. ...
/.../kingsley/andromeda and other poems/saint maura a d 304.htm

John ix. 34-36
... [1604] He who came by the same birth pangs with thee, (the spiritual birth pangs
I mean,) is perishing with hunger, and thou art bursting with fullness: thy ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily lix john ix 34-36.htm

The Impending Judgment
... the Judge standeth at the door. The "birth pangs" of which Jesus spoke have
never been entirely stilled. And the march of time has ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 13 8-16 the impending judgment.htm

Eighth Tractate. Nature Contemplation and the One.
... now take the matter up to the higher Soul; we find that the Contemplation pursued
by this, its instinct towards knowing and enquiring, the birth pangs set up ...
/.../plotinus/the six enneads/eighth tractate nature contemplation and.htm

Against those who Say that Demons Govern Human Affairs, and who ...
... and encompassed with so great horrors, he lashed out into such great wickedness,
as to ignore nature, and to forget one born from the same birth pangs, and to ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/homily i against those who.htm

1 Cor. xiii. 8
... It is enough for thine affection towards them that ye were the fruit of the same
birth-pangs, and that the others are in a different relation to thee. ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily xxxiv 1 cor xiii.htm

Christ Bringing a Sword.
... hostile demonstrations were only the last struggles of that ancient power of death,
from which He was just redeeming men, the decisive birth-pangs of that new ...
/.../selected sermons of schleiermacher/xvii christ bringing a sword.htm

We Arrive Now at a Branch of Our Subject Upon which the Lord's ...
... In the light of such scriptures as Micah 5:3, Matt.24:8 ("sorrows" literally means
"birth-pangs"), etc., there can be no room for doubt as to the time to which ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/we arrive now at a.htm

The Last Farewell in the Presence of the one Hundred and Fifty ...
... aside the utterly misguided"some keep their piety entirely secret and hidden within
themselves, some are not far from the birth pangs, avoiding impiety, yet ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xlii the last farewell.htm

Birth-pangs (2 Occurrences)
Birth-pangs. Birth-pains, Birth-pangs. Birth-place . Multi-Version
Concordance Birth-pangs (2 Occurrences). Matthew ...
/b/birth-pangs.htm - 6k

Birth-pains (10 Occurrences)
Birth-pains. Birth-day, Birth-pains. Birth-pangs . Multi-Version Concordance ...
(BBE). Birth-day, Birth-pains. Birth-pangs . Reference Bible.
/b/birth-pains.htm - 9k

Birth-place (1 Occurrence)
Birth-place. Birth-pangs, Birth-place. Birthright . Multi-Version Concordance ...
(BBE). Birth-pangs, Birth-place. Birthright . Reference Bible.
/b/birth-place.htm - 6k

What is the Olivet Discourse? | GotQuestions.org

Are we living in the end times? | GotQuestions.org

What does it mean that all creation groans (Romans 8:22)? | GotQuestions.org

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