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Bible Lexicons
Old & New Testament Greek Lexical Dictionary Greek Lexicon
Strong's #73 - ἀγών
- Thayer
- Strong
- Mounce
- an assembly,
- a place of assembly: especially an assembly met to see games
- the place of contest, the arena or stadium
- the assembly of the Greeks at their national games
- hence the contest for a prize at their games
- generally, any struggle or contest
- a battle
- an action at law, trial
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ἀγωìν
ἀγών [ ᾰ], ῶνος, ὁ, Aeol. ἄγωνος, ου, ὁ, Alc. 121 (also E.ap.Sch.Il. Oxy. 1087.60); Elean dat. pl. ἀγώνοιρ GDI 1172.26: (ἄγω): — gathering, assembly, ἵζανεν εὐρὺν ἀ. Il. 23.258; λῦτο δ' ἀ. 24.1, cf. Od. 8.200; νεῶν ἐν ἀγῶνι Il. 15.428, cf. Eust. 1335.57: esp. assembly met to see games, freq. in Il. 23; Ὑπερβορέων ἀ. Pi P. 10.30; κοινοὺς ἀ. θέντες A. Ag. 845.
2. place of contest, lists, course, βήτην ἐς μέσσον ἀ. Il. 23.685, cf. 531, Od. 8.260, Hes. Sc. 312, Pi. P. 9.114, and esp. Th. 5.50: prov., ἔξω ἀγῶνος out of the lists or course, i.e. beside the mark, Pi. P. 1.44, Luc. Anach. 21: pl., κατ' ἀγῶνας Od. 8.259. II assembly of the Greeks at the national games, ὁ ἐν Ὀλυμπίῃ ἀ. Hdt. 6.127; ὁ Ὀλυμπικὸς ἀ. Ar. Pl. 583; Ἑλλάδος πρόσχημ' ἀ. S. El. 682, cf. 699: — hence, contest for a prize at the games, ἀ. γυμνικός, ἱππικός, μουσικός, Hdt. 2.91, Pl. Lg. 658a, Ar. Pl. 1163, cf. Th. 3.104; οἱ τῶν λαμπάδων ἀ. Arist. Ath. 57.1; ἀ. τῶν ἀνδρῶν contest in which the chorus was composed of men, opp. to παίδων or ἀγενείων (q.v.), D. 21.18, etc.; ἀ. στεφανηφόρος or στεφανίτης contest where the prize is a crown, Hdt. 5.102, Arist. Rh. 1357a19; ἀ. χάλκεος, where it is a shield of brass, Pi. N. 10.22; ἀ. θεματικός IG 14.739 (Naples); ἀργυρίτης δωρίτης Plu. 2.820d: — hence many phrases, ἀγῶνα καταστῆσαι establish a contest, Isoc. 4.1; τιθέναι Hdt. 5.8; ποιεῖν Th. 3.104; οὐ λόγων τοὺς ἀ. προθήσοντες Id. 3.67; προηγόρευέ τε ἀγῶνας καὶ ἆθλα προυτίθει X. Cyr. 8.2.26; προκαλούμενος ἑαυτὸν εἰς ἀ. Id. Mem. 2.3.17; τοὺς ἀ. νικᾶν ib. 3.7.1; ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσι Isoc. 15.301; of contests in general, εἰς ἀ. λόγων ἀφικέσθαι τινί Pl. Prt. 335a; πρὸς τίν' ἀγῶνας τιθέμεσθ' ἀρετῆς; E. Ion 863 (lyr.); ἀ. σοφίας Ar. Ra. 883. III generally, struggle, πολλοὺς ἀ. ἐξιών, of Hercules, S. Tr. 159; ξιφηφόρος ἀ. A. Ch. 584; εἰς ἀ. τῷδε συμπεσὼν μάχης S. Tr. 20, etc; ὁ Φίλιππος, πρὸς ὀν ἦν ἡμῖν ὁ ἀ. D. 18.67; ποιέειν ἢ παθεῖν πρόκειται ἀ. Hdt. 7.11; ἀληθείην ἀσκέειν ἀ. μέγιστος ib. 209: pl., πραγμάτων ἀγῶνας κεκτημένων Epicur. Sent. 21; ἄπορος ἀ. Lys. 7.2; ὅπλων ἔκειτ' ἀ. πέρι S. Aj. 936; and without περί, τῶν Ἀχιλλείων ὅπλων ἀ. ib. 1240; ψυχῆς ἀ. τὸν προκείμενον πέρι struggle for life and death, E. Or. 847, cf. Ph. 1330; πολλοὺς ἀ. δραμέονται περὶ σφέων αὐτῶν Hdt. 8.102; λόγων γὰρ οὐ.. ἁγών, ἀλλὰ σῆς ψυχῆς πέρι S. El. 1492, cf.infr. 5.
2. battle, action, Th. 2.89, etc.
3. action at law, trial, Antipho 6.21, etc., cf. A. Eu. 677, 744; εἰς ἀγῶνα καθιστάναι ἀνθρώπους Pl. Ap. 24c, R. 494e; περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς εἰς ἀγῶνα καταστῆσαί τινα X. Lac. 8.4.
4. speech delivered in court or before an assembly or ruler, πρεσβευτικοὶ ἀ. Plb. 9.32.4; τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους εἰρηκότος ἀ. τούς τε δικανικοὺς καὶ τοὺς δημηγορικούς D.H. Amm. 1.3, cf. OGI 567 (Attalia, ii A.D.); ἀ. ἐσχηματισμένοι D.H. Rh. 8.1, al. Rhet., main argument of a speech (opp. προοίμιον, ἐπίλογος), in pl., Syr. in Hermog. 2.111, 170R., cf. Proll. Hermog. ap. Rh. 4.12 W.
5. metaph., οὐ λόγων ἔθ' ἁγών now is not the time for words, E. Ph. 588; οὐχ ἕδρας ἀ. 'tis no time for sitting still, Id. Or. 1291; ἀ. πρόφασιν οὐ δέχεται the crisis admits no dallying, Ar. Fr. 331, cf. Pl. Cra. 421d, Lg. 751d; μέγας ὁ ἀ... τὸ χρηστὸν ἢ κακὸν γενέσθαι the issue is great.., Id. R. 608b, cf. E. Med. 235; οὐ περί τινος ὁ ἀ. the question is not about.., Th. 3.44.
6. mental struggle, anxiety, Th. 7.71, Plb. 4.56.4, Colossians 2:1 : in pl., τρόμοι καὶ ἀ. Plu. So 7 of speakers, vehemence, power, Longin. 15.1, cf. 26.3. personified, Ἀγών, divinity of the contest, Paus. 5.26.3.
ἀγών, ἀγῶνος, ὁ (ἄγω);
1. a place of assembly (Homer, Iliad 7, 298; 18, 376); specifically, the place in which the Greeks assembled to celebrate solemn games (as the Pythian, the Olympian); hence,
2. a contest, of athletes, runners, charioteers. In a figurative sense,
a. in the phrase (used by the Greeks, see τρέχω, b.) τρέχειν τόν ἀγῶνα, Hebrews 12:1, that is to say 'Amid all hindrances let us exert ourselves to the utmost to attain to the goal of perfection set before the followers of Christ'; any struggle with dangers, annoyances, obstacles, standing in the way of faith, holiness, and a desire to spread the gospel: 1 Thessalonians 2:2; Philippians 1:30; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7.
b. intense solicitude, anxiety: περί τίνος, Colossians 2:1 (cf. Euripides, Ph. 1350; Polybius 4, 56, 4). On the ethical use of figures borrowed from the Greek Games cf. Grimm on Wis. 4:1; (Howson, Metaphors of St. Paul, Essay iv.; Conyb. and Hows. Life and Epistles of St. Paul, chapter xx.; McClintock and Strong's Cyclopaedia
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ἀγών -ῶνος , ὁ
(<ἅγω ),
[in LXX: Isaiah 7:13 (H3811), Ezra 4:17, Wisdom of Solomon 4:2 Wisdom of Solomon 10:12; 2Mac.6, 4Mac.5*;]
1. a gathering, esp. for games.
2. a place of assembly.
3. a contest, struggle, trial; metaph. (MM, VGT, s.v.),
(a) of the Christian life as a contest and struggle: Philippians 1:30, 1 Thessalonians 2:2, 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7, Hebrews 12:1;
(b) solicitude, anxiety: Colossians 2:1.†
Copyright © 1922 by G. Abbott-Smith, D.D., D.C.L.. T & T Clarke, London.
The ethical meaning of ἀγών is requent in late Greek, e.g. P Flor I. 36.26 (iv/A.D.) τ [ὸ ]ν ̣ περὶ ψυχῆς ἀγῶ [ν ]α. In Colossians 2:1, however, Field (Notes, p. 195) prefers to think of outward, rather than of inward, conflict, and compares Plut. Vit. Flam. XVI. πλεῖστον δ᾽ ἀγῶνα καὶ πόνον αὐτῷ παρεῖχον αἱ περὶ Χαλκιδέων δεήσεις πρὸς τὸν Μάνιον, where Langhorne translates, ";but he had much greater difficulties to combat, when he applied to Manius in behalf of the Chalcidians."; In a petition of B.C. 5, BGU IV. 1139.17, we find διὸ ἀξιοῦμέν [σε ] τὸν πάντων σωτῆρα καὶ ἀντιλήμπτορα ὑπὲρ σπλάγχνου τὸν ἀγῶνα ποιούμενοι to compel restitution of a stolen daughter. For the literal meaning, see Syll 524 where various τῶν τε παίδων καὶ τῶν ἐφήβω [ν ] . . . ἀγῶνες in reading, music, etc., are enumerated; BGU IV. 1074.16 (iii/A.D.) of great games at Oxyrhynchus, etc., etc.
Copyright © 1914, 1929, 1930 by James Hope Moulton and George Milligan. Hodder and Stoughton, London.
Derivative Copyright © 2015 by Allan Loder.
