# in labor, labor pains, birth pains, pains of childbirth

## Definition:

A woman who is “in labor” is experiencing the pains that lead up to the birth of her child. These are called “labor pains.”

* In his letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul used this term figuratively to describe his own intense striving to help his fellow believers become more and more like Christ.
* The analogy of labor pains is also used in the Bible to describe how disasters in the last days will happen with increasing frequency and intensity.

(See also: [labor](../other/labor.md), [last day](../kt/lastday.md))

## Bible References:

* [1 Samuel 4:19-20](rc://en/tn/help/1sa/04/19)
* [Galatians 4:19](rc://en/tn/help/gal/04/19)
* [Isaiah 13:8](rc://en/tn/help/isa/13/08)
* [Jeremiah 13:21](rc://en/tn/help/jer/13/21)
* [Psalms 48:6](rc://en/tn/help/psa/048/06)
* [Romans 8:22](rc://en/tn/help/rom/08/22)

## Word Data:

* Strong’s: H2342, H3018, H3205, H5999, H6887, G34490, G49440, G56040, G56050