Abarim Publications' online Biblical Greek Dictionary
αδω
The verb αδω (ado) means to sing, chant or recite: to sound the voice. It's a contraction of the verb αειδω (aeido), which in the classics could apply to the human voice but also to that of crowing or hooting birds, croaking frogs, the whistling wind and even objects such as a twanging bow string or a ringing rock when struck. The pedigree of this verb is unclear, although it's generally thought to relate to αυδη (aude), voice or speech, which in turn appears to relate to the Sanskrit noun vada, speech. These words' similarity to the familiar Latin audio, which ultimately stems from the Proto-Indo-European root "au-", to perceive, appears to be accidental.
Our verb αδω (ado) evidently emphasizes the human voice, and thus the text-part of a song. This in contrast to the noun ψαλλω (psallo), which rather emphasizes the string-strumming side of it. Closer akin αδω (ado) than ψαλλω (psallo), noun υμνος (humos) describes a song with a specific ceremonial function, particularly one to do with binding parties together. The Hebrew equivalent of our verb plus noun is שיר (shir), meaning both song and to sing.
Our verb αδω (ado), to sing, occurs 5 times in the New Testament, see full concordance, and from it derives:
- The noun ωδη (ode), meaning song or chant, or rather a long and informative or explanatory song: an ode. In the classics, odes could be sad dirges or joyful songs of lengthy praise. Rather strikingly, our word "tragedy" combines our noun ωδη (ode) with τραγος (tragos), goat, making a tragedy an "ode to goat" (and see our article on the noun τραγος, tragos, for a quick look at why an ode-to-goat equals a tragedy). Our noun ωδη (ode) occurs 7 times in the New Testament; see full concordance
ωδιν
The noun ωδιν (odin) means anguish or sorrow or declarations thereof. In the classics, this noun is used most often to describe the pangs or throes of childbirth, but could also describe travail caused by love, confusion or mental exertion. This noun is curiously, albeit (probably) accidentally, similar to the Norse theonym Odin, which relates to Wodan (and the Dutch noun woede) and derives from the PIE root "weh-", to be exited.
Like the previous, this word too is of unclear origin, and the -ιν (-in) termination points toward a non-Greek pedigree, but still, it's clearly not dissimilar to the previous noun, ωδη (ode), which emphasizes the informative use of a human voice, and particularly to expresses a tragedy.
In Acts 2:24, our word is part of the term "the odines of death", which appears to be a play on the idiom "the cords of Sheol" (2 Samuel 22:6) or "the cords of death" (Psalm 18:4-5). This word play is based on the similarity between the Hebrew noun חבל (hebel), meaning cord, and חבל (hebel), pang, writhe or travail (Psalm 7:14, Song of Solomon 8:5).
Our noun is used 4 times in the New Testament, see full concordance, and from it derive:
- The verb ωδινω (odino), meaning to travail or be in pain, specifically but not exclusively labor-pain (Galatians 4:19, 4:27 and Revelation 12:2 only). Note that the Greeks considered literary works to be the "children" of poets, which were brought forth via much pain and travail. Those who have ever written a sonnet might subscribe to this idea, but not necessarily those who have also given birth to an actual physical baby. Still, Jesus earthly profession was that of τεκτων (tekton), or "assembler", whereas the noun τεκνον (teknon) means child, or rather one-woven-in-the-womb (after Psalm 139:13). From this verb in turn comes:
- Together with the preposition συν (sun), meaning together or with: the verb συνωδινω (sunodino), meaning to travail together, to jointly or collectively travail — but, importantly, to collectively travail in order to bring forth a child or children, in this case the sons of God (Romans 8:22 only). Paul unequivocally paints the rather Hellenistic picture of the Father God who impregnates Mother Creation, who then carries and ultimately gives birth to their common Offspring.