Enochleo (ἐνοχλέω) means to trouble, vex, or cause difficulty to someone — to be a source of ongoing annoyance or burden. Composed of en (in) and ochleo (to mob, disturb), it describes a persistent or pressing kind of trouble. The word appears twice in the New Testament: in Luke 6:18 where crowds came to be healed of those 'troubled by impure spirits,' and in Hebrews 12:15 as a warning against any 'bitter root' that 'grows up and causes trouble [enochleo].'
The Hebrews 12:15 usage is particularly rich. The 'bitter root' that enochleo-s (troubles/defiles) many is drawn from Deuteronomy 29:18 — a warning about idolatry spreading corruption through the community. Unresolved bitterness, unforgiveness, and spiritual compromise function like a root that sends up poisonous shoots, disturbing and defiling those around it. This is both personal psychology and community spirituality: individual sin left unchecked becomes corporate contamination. The antidote is the grace of God (Hebrews 12:15a) — receiving grace is what prevents the bitter root from forming.