Strong’s Greek 2794 depicts situations in which life, liberty, or faith stand under urgent threat. Scripture uses the term for both concrete physical jeopardy (storms, robbers, hostility) and for hostile conditions that test the believer’s steadfastness. The word, therefore, gathers into one idea every circumstance that exposes a servant of God to loss, suffering, or death.

Occurrences in the New Testament

Nine times the Spirit-inspired writers employ the term, eight of them in the apostle Paul’s autobiographical catalogue of hardships (2 Corinthians 11:26) and once in his theological triumph song (Romans 8:35). Although the concentration in 2 Corinthians traces one arduous ministry journey after another, the Roman reference lifts the thought to the security believers enjoy in union with Christ.

Perils in Paul’s Ministry

2 Corinthians presents the most extensive personal narrative of apostolic danger in the New Testament. Paul sketches a missionary geography marked by every imaginable threat:

• “in perils of rivers” – unpredictable torrents while fording flooded wadis or rafting coastal estuaries;
• “in perils of robbers” – banditry along the notoriously unsafe roads between Galatia, Pisidia, and the Cilician Gates;
• “in perils among my countrymen … among Gentiles” – persecution that followed him from synagogue to agora;
• “in perils in the city … in the wilderness … on the sea” – whether urban riots (Acts 19), lonely deserts, or shipwrecks (Acts 27);
• “in perils among false brothers” – betrayal inside the professing church (Galatians 2:4).

By repeating the same word, Paul testifies that every arena—natural, social, political, or ecclesiastical—became an arena of mortal risk for the gospel.

Romans 8:35: Peril and the Love of Christ

In Romans 8 Paul raises the stakes: even when believers face “danger,” the covenant love of Christ holds them fast. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (Romans 8:35). The catalogue escalates to the edge of martyrdom, yet concludes that nothing in all creation can sever the union of the believer with the Savior (Romans 8:39).

Historical Background

Travel in the first-century Mediterranean world was far riskier than most modern readers imagine. Seasonal floods could sweep away travelers; pirates preyed upon sea lanes; Zealots and other insurgents robbed pilgrims on Judaean roads; civic unrest erupted without warning in Hellenistic cities. Roman authority provided limited protection outside military highways, and early Christian itinerant preachers enjoyed no legal status. Paul’s list of κινδύνοις is therefore historically credible and underscores the raw courage required of frontier evangelism.

Theology of Suffering and Deliverance

1. Peril reveals the frailty of human strength and presses the servant of God to rely on divine power (2 Corinthians 1:8–10).
2. Peril authenticates the messenger: “so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:11).
3. Peril cannot nullify God’s plan but rather advances it (Philippians 1:12–14, where imprisonment spreads the gospel).
4. Ultimate deliverance lies not in the removal of danger but in the presence of Christ amid danger (Acts 18:9–10; 23:11).

Christ the Pattern and Protector

The incarnate Son Himself moved continually in peril—from Herod’s murderous decree (Matthew 2:13) to the storm-tossed Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:37) and finally to the cross. His resurrection establishes the paradigm: peril leads to triumph under God’s sovereign hand. Consequently, Christian endurance in danger participates in Christ’s sufferings and anticipates His glory (1 Peter 4:13).

Practical Application for the Church

• Missions: Churches that remember these texts intercede earnestly for modern workers facing “perils” in restricted regions, recognizing that gospel advance is still purchased at cost.
• Discipleship: Believers learn to interpret personal crises—health scares, legal threats, vocational loss—as arenas where Christ’s sufficiency is proved.
• Encouragement: Romans 8 anchors assurance; no peril, however acute, can dissolve the believer’s union with Jesus.
• Watchfulness: Paul’s mention of “false brothers” cautions congregations to guard sound doctrine lest internal compromise become the most subtle danger of all.

Summary

Strong’s 2794 gathers into a single word the precarious edge along which the early church advanced. In Christ, peril is neither denied nor glamorized; it is faced with unshakable confidence that the same Lord who calls His servants into risky obedience also secures them with a love from which no danger can separate them.