Bible Lexicons

ὠδίν, ἡ, v. ὠδίς.

ὠδίς

(A. Ch. 211, Pl. 313a), ῖνος, ἡ: dat. pl. ὠδίνεσσι h.Ap. 92, Theoc. 17.61, etc.: later nom. ὠδίν LXX Isaiah 37:3; : —

mostly in pl., pangs or throes of childbirth, πικρὰς ὠδῖνας ἔχουσαι Il. 11.271; τέκε.. ἐν μόναις ὠδῖσιν.. διδύμων σθένος υἱῶν at a single birth, Pi. P. 9.85; πόνους ἐνεγκοῦσ' ἐν ὠδῖσι E. Supp. 920 (lyr.); ἐν ὠδίνων λοχίαις ἀνάγκαισι Id. Ba. 89 (lyr.), cf. Ion 452 (lyr.); αἱ δἰ ὠδίνων γοναί Id. Ph. 355: also in sg., Pi. O. 6.43, N. 1.36, S. OC 533 (lyr.); γυνὴ φεύγει πικρὰν ὠδῖνα παίδων Id. Fr. 932.

2. in sg. also, that which is born amid throes, child, παῖδα, φιλτάτην ἐμοὶ ὠδῖνα A. Ag. 1418, cf. Pi. O. 6.31, E. Ion 45; θαλλὸν ἱερὸν ἐλαίας, Λατοῦς ὠδῖνα (fort. ὠδῖνι) φίλαν Id. IT 1102 (lyr.); ἄπτερον ὠδῖνα τέκνων, of young birds, Id. HF 1040: pl., children, AP 7.549 (Leon. Alex.); ὀρταλίχων ἁπαλὴ ὠδίς, of eggs, Nic. Al. 165; τοῦ ᾠοῦ ἐν ὠδῖνι ὄντος Arist. HA 560b22; ὠ. Θαλάσσας, of Aphrodite, AP 9.386; ὠδὶς μελίσσης, of honey, Nonn. D. 5.228, al.

II metaph., travail, anguish, A. Ch. 211, Supp. 770 (both sg.): also in pl., of love, ἐμοὶ πικρὰς ὠδῖνας αὑτοῦ προσβαλὼν ἀποίχεται S. Tr. 42, cf. Pl. R. 574a, Phdr. 251e: freq. in LXX, Exodus 15:14, al., Matthew 24:8.

2. fruit of the mind's travail, τῆς ἐμῆς ὠ. Luc. Dem.Enc. 25; λόγων ὠδῖνες Him. Or. 18.3; ἐπέων Tryph. 117.

3. ὠδῖνες θανάτου, ᾅδου, the bonds of death, LXX 2 Kings 22:6, Psalms 17:5-6(18).5, 6 (due to confusion of Heb. [hudot ]çbel 'pang' with [hudot ]èbel 'cord'), cf. Acts 2:24.