Luke 22:44

Καὶ γενόμενος ἐν ἀγωνίᾳ, ἐκτενέστερον προσηύχετο. Ἐγένετο δὲ ὁ ἱδρὼς αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ θρόμβοι αἵματος καταβαίνοντες ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν.

RBT Greek Interlinear:

Strongs 2532; kai; καὶ; and; Conj

Strongs 1096; genomenos; γενόμενος; he who has become; V-APM-NMS

Strongs 1722; en; ἐν; within; Prep

Strongs 74; agōnia; ἀγωνίᾳ; contest/struggle for victory; N-DFS

Strongs 1617; ektenesteron; ἐκτενέστερον; more eagerly; Adv-C

Strongs 4336; prosēucheto; προσηύχετο; He was praying; V-IIM/P-3S

Strongs 2532; kai; καὶ; and; Conj

Strongs 1096; egeneto; ἐγένετο; has become; V-AIM-3S

Strongs 3588; ho; ὁ; the; Art-NMS

Strongs 2402; hidrōs; ἱδρὼς; sweat; N-NMS

Strongs 846; autou; αὐτοῦ; himself; PPro-GM3S

Strongs 5616; hōsei; ὡσεὶ; as if; Adv

Strongs 2361; thromboi; θρόμβοι; lumps/clots; N-NMP

Strongs 129; haimatos; αἵματος; blood; N-GNS

Strongs 2597; katabainontes; καταβαίνοντες; those who are stepping down; V-PPA-NMP

Strongs 1909; epi; ἐπὶ; upon; Prep

Strongs 3588; tēn; τὴν; the; Art-AFS

Strongs 1093; gēn; γῆν; an earth; N-AFS

RBT Hebrew Literal:

"And the Sons are crushing themselves within her inner person..." Gen. 25:22

And he who has become within a contest was more eagerly offering prayers, and the Sweat of himself became as if clots/lumps of blood, those who are disembarking/stepping down upon the Earth.⁷⁹

Julia Smith Literal 1876 Translation:
And being in a violent struggle, he prayed more intently: and his sweat was as clots of blood coming down upon the earth.

LITV Translation:
And being in an agony, He prayed more intently. And His sweat became as drops of blood falling down onto the earth.

ESV Translation:
And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Footnotes

79

The Greek noun ἀγωνία (from ἀγών, “contest, struggle”) originally denoted a physical struggle or contest, especially in athletic or martial contexts such as wrestling (Xen. Cyr. 2.3.15; Plat. Men. 94b). Over time, its usage broadened to include any form of exertion or effort, both physical and mental, and in later authors it came to signify mental anguish, anxiety, or distress (Arist. Probl. 2.26; Dem. 236.19). Thus, depending on context, ἀγωνία may indicate either a literal contest or a metaphorical struggle, preserving its core semantic value of intense effort and conflict.

The Greek verb καταβαίνω does not mean "falling." It primarily denotes descent in physical space, as in coming down from a mountain (Il. 13.17), dismounting from a horse (Xen. Cyr. 5.5.6), stepping down from a public platform (Dem. 375.20), descend a ladder Odyssey 1.330, κλίμακα κατεβήσετο ("he descended the ladder") or to disembark on land, Pind. N. 4, 63; figuratively, to reach the goal, to attain the objective, Pind. N. 3, 73.

The verb regularly takes a genitive when indicating the point of origin (e.g., ἀπὸ τοῦ βήματος) and an accusative for the goal of the descent (e.g., εἰς πεδίον). In rhetorical or figurative contexts, it can describe descending into a contest (e.g., “descending into the arena”) or transitioning to a new phase in discourse (e.g., Hdt. 1.116). In later Greek, the verb also takes on extended metaphorical senses, such as yielding position, ceasing a speech, or even reaching a terminus.