Reframing AnxietySample

Day 2: Anxiety in Scripture

When you read Scripture passages about anxiety, have you noticed that some translations use the word worry while others say anxiety? Other times, we see the term concern. These various translations come from the Greek word merimnaō, which means “to be anxious about, care, take thought.”* Merimnaō comes from a root word that means to “part,” “distribute,” or “divide."** In the ancient Greco‑Roman world, this term was used in reference to the division of an inheritance or property.*** When we see the mention of anxiety in Scripture, remember the concept of division.

New Testament commentator Frank Thielman notes the words “be anxious” (merimnaō) can refer to being unduly concerned about anything, but it is often used in contexts where persecution is the issue (Matthew 10:19; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11).**** Unduly concerned. Another way of stating this is that anxiety, as referenced in Scripture, refers to being “overly” concerned, “distracted,” or “pulled in different directions.”*****

Let’s consider this idea of being “unduly concerned” with the cultural and historical context of the New Testament in mind. In the ancient Greco‑Roman world, people were dealing with numerous concerns. They were concerned with the basic necessities of life. Food. Clothing. Shelter. They also faced numerous social and political issues. These situations would naturally lend themselves to concern, stress, and anxiety. The threat detection system will take action if a potential threat is present.

Do the concerns listed above sound familiar? Concerns as old as time? Almost. These are concerns as old as the fall. From a Christian perspective, we cannot overlook the impact of the fall. It is at the core of our understanding of anxiety and its relation to faith and Scripture.

I want to bring your attention to a few words in these descriptions: distracted, overly concerned, divided, pulled in different directions. These terms vividly express the description of the mental load of anxiety and worry. If you’ve experienced anxiety, you know how the mind and body can literally feel pulled in different directions, with your attention divided by worries and what ifs.

But wait. The use of merimnaō in the Bible is not limited to statements telling us to avoid feeling overly concerned. The word is also seen in a more positive light. It is used in both positive (acceptable) and negative (to avoid) situations.

So what are some of the positive (acceptable) experiences of merimnaō? Let’s explore that next.

References

*James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Thomas Nelson, 2010) s.v. “G3309.”

**Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, s.v. “G3307”

***Bible Hub, “Strong’s Greek: 3307. Merimnaō (to be anxious, to care for),” accessed April 27, 2025.

****Frank Thielman, Philippians: The NIV Application Commentary (Zondervan, 1995), 219.

*****Bible Hub, “Strong’s Greek: 3309. Merimnaō (to be anxious, to care for, worry about),” accessed April 27, 2025.