The term "miserable" in the biblical context often refers to a state of deep distress, wretchedness, or unhappiness. It is used to describe both physical and spiritual conditions that are devoid of joy and contentment. The Bible addresses the concept of misery in various passages, highlighting the causes and consequences of such a state, as well as offering hope and redemption through faith in God.

Old Testament References

In the Old Testament, misery is frequently associated with the consequences of sin and disobedience to God. The Israelites experienced misery as a result of their rebellion against God, leading to oppression and suffering. For example, in Deuteronomy 28:65-67, God warns the Israelites of the misery that will come upon them if they fail to obey His commandments: "Among those nations you will find no repose, not even a resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a despairing soul."

The Book of Job provides a profound exploration of human misery. Job, a righteous man, experiences intense suffering and misery despite his faithfulness. His lament in Job 3:20-26 captures the depth of his anguish: "Why is light given to the miserable, and life to the bitter of soul, who long for death that does not come, and search for it more than for hidden treasure?"

New Testament References

In the New Testament, the concept of misery is often linked to the spiritual condition of those who are separated from God. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, describes the wretched state of humanity under the power of sin. In Romans 7:24, he exclaims, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" This expression of misery highlights the struggle against sin and the need for deliverance through Jesus Christ.

The church in Laodicea is described as "wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked" in Revelation 3:17. This depiction of spiritual misery serves as a warning to believers about the dangers of complacency and self-reliance, urging them to seek true riches and healing from Christ.

Causes of Misery

Biblical texts identify several causes of misery, including sin, disobedience, and separation from God. The pursuit of worldly pleasures and material wealth often leads to a sense of emptiness and dissatisfaction. Ecclesiastes 2:11 reflects on the futility of such pursuits: "Yet when I considered all the works that my hands had accomplished and what I had toiled to achieve, I found everything to be futile, a chasing after the wind; there was no profit under the sun."

Hope and Redemption

Despite the reality of misery, the Bible offers hope and redemption through faith in God. The Psalms frequently express a cry for deliverance from misery, coupled with trust in God's unfailing love and mercy. Psalm 34:17-18 assures believers, "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears; He delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit."

The ultimate remedy for spiritual misery is found in Jesus Christ, who offers forgiveness, peace, and eternal life. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invites those who are weary and burdened to find rest in Him: "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Through repentance and faith, believers can experience the joy and contentment that come from a restored relationship with God, overcoming the misery that sin and separation bring.1. (a.) Very unhappy; wretched.

2. (a.) Causing unhappiness or misery.

3. (a.) Worthless; mean; despicable; as, a miserable fellow; a miserable dinner.

4. (a.) Avaricious; stingy; miserly.

5. (n.) A miserable person.

5005. talaiporos -- distressed, miserable
... distressed, miserable. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: talaiporos Phonetic
Spelling: (tal-ah'-ee-po-ros) Short Definition: wretched, afflicted ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5005.htm - 7k

1652. eleeinos -- pitiable
... of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: eleeinos Phonetic Spelling: (el-eh-i-nos')
Short Definition: merciful, pitiful Definition: merciful, pitiful, miserable. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1652.htm - 6k

5003. talaiporeo -- to suffer hardship or distress
... or distress. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: talaiporeo Phonetic Spelling:
(tal-ahee-po-reh'-o) Short Definition: I am miserable, distressed Definition: I ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5003.htm - 6k

5004. talaiporia -- hard work, hardship, distress
... distress, toil. Cognate: 5004 -- literally, a (miserable) condition; resulting
from ongoing, intense affliction. See 5005 (). Word ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5004.htm - 6k

622. apollumi -- to destroy, destroy utterly
... destruction, ie to cancel out (remove); "to die, with the implication of ruin and " (,
1, 23.106); cause to be ( perish) by experiencing a miserable end. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/622.htm - 10k

2552. kakopatheia -- affliction
... Cognate: 2552 -- to experience affliction that bad (miserable) perspective but
in actuality is to accomplish His () . Word Origin from a comp. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2552.htm - 6k

5355. phthonos -- envy
... akin to 5351 , "decay, break-down, corrupt") -- properly, strong feeling (desire)
that , due to the influence of sin; (figuratively) the miserable trait of ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5355.htm - 7k

850. auchmeros -- to boast
... dust (parched dirt); (figuratively) , filled with extraneous filth () which
impede vision; " . funereal' " (Souter); dirty, miserable. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/850.htm - 6k

7052. qeloqel -- contemptible, worthless
... 7051, 7052. qeloqel. 7053 . contemptible, worthless. Transliteration: qeloqel
Phonetic Spelling: (kel-o-kale') Short Definition: miserable. ...
/hebrew/7052.htm - 6k

7451a. ra -- bad, evil
... 3), evil men (4), evil things (4), evildoer (1), evildoers* (1), evils (1), great
(1), grievous (4), harm* (1), harmful (3), man (1), miserable (1), misfortune ...
/hebrew/7451a.htm - 6k

5999. amal -- trouble, labor, toil
... Of body or mind -- grievance(-vousness), iniquity, labour, mischief, miserable(-
sery), pain(-ful), perverseness, sorrow, toil, travail, trouble, wearisome ...
/hebrew/5999.htm - 6k

Psalm 1 the Saint Happy, the Sinner Miserable.
... THE PSALMS OF DAVID PSALM 1 The saint happy, the sinner miserable. SM The
saint happy, the sinner miserable. The man is ever blessed. ...
/.../watts/the psalms and hymns of isaac watts/psalm 1 the saint happy.htm

Of Vows. The Miserable Entanglements Caused by Vowing Rashly.
... 13. OF VOWS. THE MISERABLE ENTANGLEMENTS CAUSED BY VOWING RASHLY. OF VOWS.
THE MISERABLE ENTANGLEMENTS CAUSED BY VOWING RASHLY. This ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 13 of vows the.htm

Being Swallowed up Therefore in the Miserable Gulf of Idle Talk ...
... THE THIRD CENTURY 14 Being swallowed up therefore in the miserable gulf of idle
talk and worthless vanities. Being swallowed up therefore ...
/.../traherne/centuries of meditations/14 being swallowed up therefore.htm

The Miserable State of Men Before the Coming of the Word.
... Chapter VIII."The miserable state of men before the coming of the Word. For,
who of men at all understood before His coming what God is? ...
/.../the epistle of mathetes to diognetus/chapter viii the miserable state of.htm

How the Demons Can Mediate Between Gods and Men if they have ...
... 13."How the Demons Can Mediate Between Gods and Men If They Have Nothing in Common
with Both, Being Neither Blessed Like the Gods, Nor Miserable Like Men. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 13 how the demons can.htm

Of Decius, Valerian, and Aurelian, who Experienced a Miserable End ...
... emperor constantine, which he addressed "to the assembly of the saints." Chapter
XXIV."Of Decius, Valerian, and Aurelian, who experienced a Miserable End in ...
/.../pamphilius/the life of constantine/chapter xxiv of decius valerian and.htm

But what Life Wouldst Thou Lead? and by what Laws Wouldst Thou ...
... For none are so miserable as the lawless and disobedient. But what life wouldst
thou lead? ... For none are so miserable as the lawless and disobedient. ...
/.../traherne/centuries of meditations/71 but what life wouldst.htm

To Love one Person with a Private Love is Poor and Miserable: to ...
... THE FOURTH CENTURY 69 To love one person with a private love is poor and
miserable: to love all is glorious. To love one person with ...
/.../traherne/centuries of meditations/69 to love one person.htm

Psalm 1:2. SM The Saint Happy, the Sinner Miserable.
... THE Psalms of David, In Metre. Psalm 1:2. SM The saint happy, the sinner
miserable. 1 The man is ever blest Who shuns the sinner's ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watts/the psalms of david/psalm 1 2 s m the.htm

A Poor but Happy Boy.
... as his own; yet there seemed to be little hopes of doing good upon him, for he was
a very monster of wickedness, and a thousand times more miserable and vile ...
/.../wesley/stories of boys and girls who loved the saviour/a poor but happy boy.htm

Miserable (11 Occurrences)
... 2. (a.) Causing unhappiness or misery. 3. (a.) Worthless; mean; despicable; as,
a miserable fellow; a miserable dinner. ... 5. (n.) A miserable person. ...
/m/miserable.htm - 10k

Wretched (14 Occurrences)
... 1. (a.) Very miserable; sunk in, or accompanied by, deep affliction or distress,
as from want, anxiety, or grief; calamitous; woeful; very afflicting. ...
/w/wretched.htm - 10k

Miserably (3 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (adv.) In a miserable; unhappily; calamitously; wretchedly;
meanly. Multi-Version Concordance Miserably (3 Occurrences). ...
/m/miserably.htm - 7k

Mercy (467 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Compassion for the miserable. Its object is misery.
By the atoning sacrifice of Christ a way is open for ...
/m/mercy.htm - 43k

Hittites (39 Occurrences)
... Among the cities which he took he names Carchemish, and among his captives were
"the miserable king of the Chatti, a living prisoner," and the "miserable king ...
/h/hittites.htm - 55k

Vineyard (69 Occurrences)
... Matthew 21:41 They told him, "He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and
will lease out the vineyard to other farmers, who will give him the fruit in ...
/v/vineyard.htm - 29k

Unhappy (17 Occurrences)
... 2. (a.) In a degree miserable or wretched; not happy; sad; sorrowful; as,
children render their parents unhappy by misconduct. 3 ...
/u/unhappy.htm - 11k

Lamentable (1 Occurrence)
... 3. (a.) Miserable; pitiful; paltry; -- in a contemptuous or ridiculous sense.
Multi-Version Concordance Lamentable (1 Occurrence). ...
/l/lamentable.htm - 7k

Lease (2 Occurrences)
... Matthew 21:41 They told him, "He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and
will lease out the vineyard to other farmers, who will give him the fruit in ...
/l/lease.htm - 7k

Glorious (91 Occurrences)
... as it is used in Wycliffe, Tyndale and Bacon, and once or twice in Shakespeare,
as in Cymbeline, I, 7, in the first speech of Imogen, "Most miserable is the ...
/g/glorious.htm - 34k

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