Luke 22:44

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.