A cause of great trouble or suffering; a state of great affliction, oppression, or persecution. Tribulation often implies prolonged hardship that tests one's character or faith.
From Latin 'tribulatio,' meaning 'a pressing or threshing,' from 'tribulum' (a threshing sledge). The metaphor comes from separating grain from chaff under pressure, suggesting that tribulation separates what is valuable from what is worthless.
Think 'TRIB-ulation' like being in a difficult tribe that tests your loyalty! Tribulation isn't just suffering—it's the kind of prolonged hardship that either breaks you or makes you stronger, like grain being separated from chaff.
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