Original Word: μόλις
Part of Speech: Adverb
Transliteration: molis
Pronunciation: MOH-lis
Phonetic Spelling: (mol'-is)
Definition: With difficulty, scarcely, hardly
Meaning: with difficulty, hardly, scarcely.

Word Origin: Derived from a root word meaning "with difficulty" or "hardly."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for "molis," the concept of difficulty or struggle can be found in Hebrew words like "קָשֶׁה" (qasheh), meaning "hard" or "difficult."

Usage: The adverb "molis" is used in the New Testament to convey the idea of something being achieved with great difficulty or effort. It often implies a sense of struggle or challenge in accomplishing a task or reaching a goal. The term suggests that the action or event is not easily attained and requires significant effort or perseverance.

Cultural and Historical Background: In the Greco-Roman world, the concept of achieving something "with difficulty" was well understood, as many aspects of life, from travel to labor, required considerable effort. The use of "molis" in the New Testament reflects the challenges faced by early Christians in living out their faith amidst persecution and societal pressures. It underscores the reality that following Christ often involves trials and perseverance.

3433 mólis (from mogos, "toil) – properly, something happening with great difficulty, i.e. hardly ("scarcely").

3433 /mólis ("what barely happens") emphasizes the slight margin by which something comes to pass, i.e. because it is so difficult.

[3425 /mógis (from mogos, "laborious toil") focuses on the prolonged nature of a difficulty.]

Word Origin
from molos (toil)
Definition
with difficulty
NASB Translation
difficulty (4), hardly (1), only with difficulty (1), scarcely (1).

STRONGS NT 3433: μόλις

μόλις (μολος toil); an adverb used by post-Homeric writings indiscriminately with μόγις;

a. with difficulty, hardly (cf. Wis. 9:16, where μετά πόνου corresponds to it in the parallel member): (Luke 9:39 Tr marginal reading WH (others μόγις, which see)); Acts 14:18; Acts 27:7f, 16; 1 Peter 4:18.

b. not easily, i. e. scarcely, very rarely: Romans 5:7.

with difficulty

Probably by variation for mogis; with difficulty -- hardly, scarce(-ly), + with much work.

see GREEK mogis

μόγις μολις μόλις mogis mógis molis mólisInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts