Vex, vexation (Hastings' Dictionary)

These Eng. words, as used in AV, express much more than petty annoyance. The following quotations will illustrate their force : Vex — Lk S'" Tind. ' Master, the people thrust the and vexe (dirodXl^ova, Gen. ' tread on,' AV 'press') the, and sayest thou, who touched me ? ' ; 1 S 28-' Cov. ' And the woman went in to Saul, and sawe that he was sore vexed ' (AV ' sore troubled ') ; Mt 9^ Rheni.

' And seing the multi- tudes, he pitied them because the}- were vexed' (fiaav iK\e\v/i^i'oi, AV 'fainted'; edd. ijaav ^ctkvX- IJLivoi., RV 'were distressed'); Elyot, Govemour, ii. 95, 'The first or chiefe porcion of justice (as Tiilli saietli) is to indomage no man, onelas thou be wronglully vexed' (Lat. nisi lacessitus injuria) ; Sliaks. Lear, III. iv. 62, ' Do poor Tom some charity, whom the foul liend vexes.' Vexation — Shaks. Mids. Night's Dream, IV. i.

74 — ' Think no more of this night's accidenta But as the fierce vexation of a dream ' ; Webster, White Devil, v. 2 — ' There's nothing of so infinite vexation As man's own thoughts.' But the force of the words in AV can be best seen by examin- ing the original words so translated. In OT sixteen verbs (and onesubst.) are translated 'vex.' These are— 1. [Ilahal] (Ps 2 62,3. 10)^ which in Picl(ls2'') is usually translated in AV 'trouble,' but means 'ilismay'or 'terrify'; in Niph. (!3 62.a.

iy)be dis- turbed,' 'dismayed.' In his Par. i'.sa/f. Driver has uniformly • dismay ' or ' be dismayed ' 2. [Ddhak] (Jg 2'^), elsewhere only Jl 2S of the crowding, thrusting of locusts, but common in .\ramaic. 3. Iliimam (2 Ch IS'), to make a noise, and so 'discomfit,' 'distress,' as in Ex 14, , where 'the Lord troubled (UV 'die- comliled') the host of the Egyptians.' 4. Zia' (Hab 27), t« tremble (as an old man shakes, Ec 12') : here it is Pilp.

, and Davidson translates ' shall violently shake thee ' ; it is used figuratively of the foes of Babylon as the instruments of Jehovah's judgments. 5. [Vwjah] {Job 19^) in Hipb. means to cause grief, I)avi<ison 'atiJict, who adds, 'the words suggest the cnishing effect which the friends' insinuations of wickedness had on Job's spirit.' 6. I Vunih] (Ex fZ" UV ' wrong ' ; Lv 19M RV 'do wrong' ; Ezk 22? RV ' wrong "■2)= 'oppress,' 'maltreat,' esp.

the stranger [see Ger] or the poor b\' the wealthy and powerful. 7. A a' of (Ezk 32^) in Hiph. = * provoke,' as Peniunah provoked Hannah (1 S 1^, but esp. used of provoking Jehtvah to anger. 8. Marar{ Job 272) in Qal ' to be bitter,' as 2 K 4" ' her soul, it is bitter to her ' : here lliph. = ' embitter,' ' Shaddai who hath embittered my soul" (Ox/. Ueb. Lex.) Of. Ru 1» 'The .Mmighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.' 9.tAz<i''h] (Is 63'" KV ' grieve ') in Piel = ' cause pain.' 10.

Zarar (Lv IS", Nu 2.i"- 18 33", 2 S 132. I9 uls, Neh 9"). This verb is to press (perhaps lit. in Lv 1818 though RV ' to be a rival '), press together, then fig. to oppress, persecute. In Neh 9^ (Hiph.) to afHict (RV ' distress ') on the part of enemies. 11. \K<t!\ (Is 7»)= fear, herein Hipb. = put in fear, of a city by besieging it. Of. 1 Mac 16H. 1'2. [Kiizir](3g le'"). lit. ' be short,' hereof one's spirit, i.e.

to have one's patience exhausted, AV and RV ' His soul was vexed unto death,' Gen. ' His soul was peined unto the death.' 13. yiifa (Nu 2011S) n Hiph. to 'do evil,' to 'evil entreat' (so KV VILE VILLAGE 867 here, »» AV In Ex 6=2, Dt 268, Amcr. EV ' deal ill with '). 14. P^ r,\p'J dtah ra' (2 S 12i»)='do evil," AVm 'do hurt,' here to oneself by grief. 15. Rti'a: (Jg 105) — ' Tliey ve,\ed and oppressed the children of Israel,' Moore 'they broke and crushed."

It is the same verb that in Jg 9W is translated ' and all to brake his •kull.' 16. Uiieha' (I S 14'), lit. ' be wicked ' ; here Iliph. = ' de- clare wicked,' ' condemn, punish,' if the text is correct, which is doubtful, see Driver's note. Anier. RV ' put them to the worse. The subst. in^hOmah^ * vexation,' is translated by the verb in Ezk 22^ AV 'much vexed,' UV 'full of tumult.' Besides mfhumah (Dt 28'-i', 2 Ch li'), ' vexation ' is the tr.

of (2) zfwau/i (Is 2819) ; (3) shebtr f Is dS') ; (4) rrulh (Ec l" 2U. 17. ai 44. 0 c9), and (J) ra'!/()n (1^0 1" 22 4i<'). KV gives tor (1) 'discomfiture' in Lft 26'^>, retaining ' vexation ' in 2 Ch 15^ ; for (2) ' terror' ; for (3) it retains 'vexation ' ; for (4) and (5) gives 'striving.' In Apocr. and NT we find thirteen different Or. words ren- dered in AV by the verb to vex ('vexation' does not occur). 1. S«-«».C* (2 P2'0, which is tr.

'torment elsewhere except Mt 14'« ('tossed, KV 'distressed'). Mis 6* ('toiling,' ItV 'dis- tressed'), Rev 122 ('paine<l,' RV 'in pain'). The verb means originally to test metals by the touchstone (Saravcf). 2. iatiMti^ou^u 1 Mt 15'— n ttt/yetrr,p fiAu xaxMf 3txjUtf,,^iTa/, 'my daughter is grievously vexed with a deviL' The verb means to be possessed by a demon. 3.

iXx-^>iu ; Wis 171^ ripxciw iiAA</f*To ^t-Ttur/jLuTatf, ' were vexed with monstrous appari- tions, UV 'haunted: in I6I the same word is tr. 'persecuted, BV 'chased. 4. &A.3 ; 1 Mac 151 'he vexed the city by land and by sea. Cf. Mt "l* T»^r>j/x,iier»i ^ Ho; k ktoLycv^a Lt Ti)» C«», lit. 'a compressed (hemmed in, straitened) way is that which leads to life.' 6. jucxiw : 2 Mac 5—, Ac 12i RV, in both ■ alUict.'

The word means to do harm (jtaxa,) to, as Ac I810 ' No man shall set on thee to hurt (RV ' harm ) thee.' 6. x«7ixt«v(w ; 2 P 27, lit. 'to exhaust w-ith labour (TcVcf). Found also in Ac ?■" EV ' oppress.' 7. Xyria/ ; Bar 218 ' the soul that is greatly vexed, KvxK^uiyi, lit. grieved,' ' made sorrowful. 8. oj^Xi : Lk 6i», Ac 618, i,oth ' vexed with evil spirits. In Luke edd. read ji«;i^X0juitoi, RV • troubled. The word means lit. to rouse a mob (ovXf) against one.

rhe same verb is used in To 0'' of ' a devil or evil spirit troubling one. 9. frapopyisoi : .Sir 43 yMp^:a.9 wttpt^irfAiYnt, 'a heart that is vexed (RV 'provoked,' as X\' in Eo lO'S, Eph 8<). 10. ^icy.ii : Mt IT'S xaxSs srio-vii, ' he is sore vexed'; RV 'sufTereth grievously.' 11. xipiirva.a> : Sir 4J2 ''u 0«ratri, XdcA« 0-01/ . . T^ Tf^jrTA'Ufiw 9rl^# vayTArv, ' tO him tll^lt iS vexed with (RV 'distracted about') all thincrs.'

In NT the verb occurs only Lk 1040 'Martha was cumbered (RVni 'distracted') about much serving. 12. rttptteiru; 1 Mac 35, UV 'trouble, as the word is often tr. in AV in the Gospels and 1 P 31. In the Identical phrase (ei letpuirnvri; to >jt6) m 1 .Mac 722 the word is tr. troubled. 13. rf^x^uatt : Wis 1111, RV distress ; elsewhere Id Bibl. Greek only Hi-, AV 'afflicted, UV 'worn.* J. Hastings.