Bible Encyclopedia: Sweat

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

BLOODY SWEAT

(swet hosei thromboi haimatos): Described in Luke 22:44 as a physical accompaniment of our Lord's agony at Gethsemane (on the passage, which is absent in some manuscripts, see Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in Greek). Many old writers take this to mean that the perspiration dropped in the same manner as clots of blood drop from a wound, regarding the Greek word prefixed as expressing merely a comparison as in Matthew 28:3, where leukon hos chion means "white as snow." Cases of actual exudation of blood are described in several of the medieval accounts of stigmatization, and Lefebvre describes the occurrence of something similar in his account of Louise Lateau in 1870. For references to these cases see the article "Stigmatization" in Encyclopedia Britannica (11th edition), XXII, 550. It is perhaps in favor of the older interpretation that the word used by Aeschylus for drops of blood is stagon (Agam. 1122) and by Euripides stalagmos, not thromboi. None of the instances given by Tissot (Traite des nerfs, 279), or Schenck (Observ. med., III, 45:5), can be said to be unimpeachable; but as the agony of our Lord was unexampled in human experience, it is conceivable that it may have been attended with physical conditions of a unique nature.

Alex. Macalister

SWEAT

swet (ze`ah (Genesis 3:19), yeza` (Ezekiel 44:18); hidros (2 Maccabees 2:26; Luke 22:44)): "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread" (Genesis 3:19). Somewhat difficult is the passage, which the Revised Version (British and American) renders: "But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok.... shall have linen tires upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causeth sweat," literally, "they shall not gird themselves with sweat" (Ezekiel 44:15, 18). The idea is evidently that profuse perspiration would make their ministrations unpleasant. The rule was of special importance in the sultry climate of Palestine.

Luke, the physician, describing the agony of the Lord in Gethsemane, says: "His sweat became as it were great drops (thromboi) of blood falling down upon the ground" (Luke 22:44, the Revised Version (British and American), following Codex Sinaiticus (a), Codex Alexandrinus, Codex Vaticanus etc., notes in margin: "Many ancient authorities omit Luke 22:43, 44 "). There are two difficulties of interpretation in this passage, apart from the difficulty which the physiological explanation of the phenomenon presents:

(1) the word (thrombos) translated "drop" means literally, "a clot of blood," "a lump," "a curd," and is nowhere else used in the sense of drop.

(2) It has been generally accepted that the sweat of the brow of Jesus had become bloody in appearance and in character, a symptom called in ancient medicine haimatodes hidros, "bloody sweat."

It must, however, be observed that this translation would make the Greek particle hosei, superfluous, by which, not the identity of the sweat with drops of blood, but a certain similarity or comparison must be intended. Ch. Th. Kuinoel, in his Latin commentary on the historical books of the New Testament (Leipzig, 1809, II, 654), has given all known parallel instances in history and legend, which seem to prove that under certain psychological or physiological conditions, though rarely, haimatodes hidros has occurred.

Olshausen in his Commentary, II, 469, thinks that the following points of comparison might have been in the mind of Luke:

(1) the sweat may have appeared on the forehead of Jesus in heavy drops;

(2) these may have dropped visibly to the ground, just as drops of blood fall from a wound;

(3) in addition, possibly a reddish color may have been noticeable, owing to an exudation of the arteries, though the latter is not directly expressed in the words of the evangelist. See also Dr. Stroud, On the Physical Cause of the Death of Christ, 183; Bynaeus, De morte Christi, II, 33.

The people of Palestine in Greek-Roman times were generally provided with handkerchiefs, used especially to wipe off the perspiration. The fashion was derived from Rome, whence the name of these napkins became soudarion, Latin sudarium. The late legend of Berenice or Veronica, who presented her handkerchief to the Saviour on His way to be crucified, and who found, when it had been returned to her by the Lord, that His features had been imprinted upon the cloth, is a reminiscence of this use. These handkerchiefs were frequently used to tie up small bundles of certain possessions, money, etc. (Luke 19:20). As a rule the dead had their faces covered with one, or had it tied around the head (John 11:44; John 20:7). In Ephesus the handkerchiefs of Paul were carried to the sick, and achieved miraculous cures (Acts 19:12).

The verb hidroo, "to sweat," is found in a rather difficult passage of the Didache (i.6), which is introduced as a quotation, the source of which, however, we do not know: "Let thy alms sweat into (in ?) thy hands, until thou knowest to whom thou givest." The context seems to show that we have here a free repetition of the arguments of Sirach 12:1;. so that the meaning would be: "In giving charity, do not give indiscriminately or thoughtlessly, but consider carefully so that no one who is unworthy receive your benefaction." Still it is not impossible that the text is corrupt in the passage.

H. L. E. Luering

Greek

2402. hidros -- sweat
... sweat. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: hidros Phonetic Spelling:
(hid-roce') Short Definition: sweat, perspiration Definition: sweat ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2402.htm - 6k

4676. soudarion -- a handkerchief, a head cloth (for the dead)
... Of Latin origin; a sudarium (sweat-cloth), ie Towel (for wiping the perspiration
from the face, or binding the face of a corpse) -- handkerchief, napkin. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4676.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

3154. yeza -- sweat
... sweat. Transliteration: yeza Phonetic Spelling: (yeh'-zah) Short Definition: sweat.
Word Origin from an unused word Definition sweat NASB Word Usage sweat (1). ...
/hebrew/3154.htm - 5k

2188. zeah -- sweat
... sweat. Transliteration: zeah Phonetic Spelling: (zay-aw') Short Definition: sweat.
Word Origin from the same as yeza Definition sweat NASB Word Usage sweat (1). ...
/hebrew/2188.htm - 6k

Library

The Gospel According to Luke.
... 44. And being in an agony, He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat was as
it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.". ...
/.../dionysius/the works of dionysius/ii the gospel according to luke.htm

Explanation of the Phrase: "For I Delight in the Law of God after ...
... was uttered this sentence by the most just Judge: "Cursed is the ground in thy works;
thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and in the sweat of thy ...
/.../cassian/the conferences of john cassian/chapter xi explanation of the.htm

Letters Describing the Experience Preceding Death
... at her bosom. But take thy tears and sweat, drawing them from the fountain
of My divine charity, and cleanse her face. For I promise ...
/.../letters of catherine benincasa/letters describing the experience preceding.htm

What Happened Before the Crucifixion.
... on the Mount of Olives, I gave Myself up to the pangs of cruel death, and when I
felt that he was present before Me, I was bathed in a bloody sweat, because of ...
/.../suso/a little book of eternal wisdom/chapter ii what happened before.htm

Heaven and Hell
... He often wipes the hot sweat from his face, and he wonders whether there
is a land where he shall have to toil no longer. He scarcely ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/heaven and hell.htm

How Peter Told Paul.
... the brook Kidron, arm in arm, and Peter stopped and said, 'Look, Paul, this is the
very spot where He wrestled and where He suffered, and sweat great drops of ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks with world winners/how peter told paul.htm

Looking unto Jesus
... You are the children of toil; with much sweat of your brow you eat your bread; the
heavy yoke of oppression galls your neck; perhaps at this time you are ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/looking unto jesus.htm

The Wounds of Jesus
... There did the Saviour sweat, "as it were great drops of blood." Do you not imagine
that such a wrestling, such a bloody sweat as that, must have had some ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the wounds of jesus.htm

Messiah Unpitied, and Without a Comforter
... formed a dark tremendous storm just ready to break upon His devoted head; and the
prospect filled His soul with unutterable horror, so that His sweat was, as ...
/.../newton/messiah vol 1/sermon xxii messiah unpitied and.htm

Whether the Particular Punishments of Our First Parents are ...
... all, as we have stated with regard to death [3633](A[1]). But all "women's conceptions"
are not "multiplied," nor does "every man eat bread in the sweat of his ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the particular punishments of.htm

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (imp. & p. p.) of Sweat.

2. (v. i.) To excrete sensible moisture from the pores of the skin; to perspire.

3. (v. i.) Fig.: To perspire in toil; to work hard; to drudge.

4. (v. i.) To emit moisture, as green plants in a heap.

5. (v. t.) To cause to excrete moisture from the skin; to cause to perspire; as, his physicians attempted to sweat him by most powerful sudorifics.

6. (v. t.) To emit or suffer to flow from the pores; to exude.

7. (v. t.) To unite by heating, after the application of soldier.

8. (v. t.) To get something advantageous, as money, property, or labor from (any one), by exaction or oppression; as, to sweat a spendthrift; to sweat laborers.

9. (n.) The fluid which is excreted from the skin of an animal; the fluid secreted by the sudoriferous glands; a transparent, colorless, acid liquid with a peculiar odor, containing some fatty acids and mineral matter; perspiration. See Perspiration.

10. (n.) The act of sweating; or the state of one who sweats; hence, labor; toil; drudgery.

11. (v. i.) Moisture issuing from any substance; as, the sweat of hay or grain in a mow or stack.

12. (n.) The sweating sickness.

13. (n.) A short run by a race horse in exercise.

Thesaurus

Sweat (3 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (imp. & pp) of Sweat. 2. (vi) To excrete sensible
moisture from the pores of the skin; to perspire. ...
/s/sweat.htm - 14k

Perspire (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vi) To excrete fluids through the pores of
the skin; to sweat. 2. (vi) To be evacuated or excreted ...
/p/perspire.htm - 7k

Bloody (19 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Bloody sweat: The sign and token of our Lord's great agony
(Luke 22:44). Noah Webster's Dictionary. ... Alex. Macalister. BLOODY SWEAT. ...
/b/bloody.htm - 17k

Napkin (3 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary (Gr. soudarion, John 11:44; 20:7; Lat. sudarium,
a "sweat-cloth"), a cloth for wiping the sweat from the face. ...
/n/napkin.htm - 8k

Agony (20 Occurrences)
... 39-46, and also in Hebrews 5:7, 8) indicates that it was threefold: 1. Physical:
The agony of His soul wrought its pain on His body, until "his sweat became as ...
/a/agony.htm - 18k

Swears (16 Occurrences)

/s/swears.htm - 11k

Sweep (34 Occurrences)

/s/sweep.htm - 19k

Waists (5 Occurrences)
... 44:18 They shall have linen tires on their heads, and shall have linen breeches
on their waists; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causes sweat...
/w/waists.htm - 8k

Intense (13 Occurrences)
... Luke 22:44 while He--an agony of distress having come upon Him--prayed all the more
with intense earnestness, and His sweat became like clots of blood dropping ...
/i/intense.htm - 10k

Intently (16 Occurrences)
... Luke 22:44 And being in conflict he prayed more intently. And his sweat became
as great drops of blood, falling down upon the earth. (DBY). ...
/i/intently.htm - 10k

Bible Concordance

Sweat (3 Occurrences)

Luke 22:44 Being in agony he prayed more earnestly. His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Genesis 3:19 By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 44:18 They shall have linen tires on their heads, and shall have linen breeches on their waists; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causes sweat.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Subtopics

Sweat

Sweat of Great Drops (Like Bleeding)

Sweat: An offense in the Sanctuary

Sweat: General Scriptures Concerning

Related Terms

Perspire (1 Occurrence)

Bloody (19 Occurrences)

Napkin (3 Occurrences)

Agony (20 Occurrences)

Swears (16 Occurrences)

Sweep (34 Occurrences)