ESTUDIO DE LA PALABRA GRIEGA
Ochlos (ὄχλος) — Meaning & Usage in the Bible
ὄχλος (ochlos) primarily denotes a moving crowd or multitude of people, and secondarily the common populace in contrast to rulers or officials.
Significado de la palabra
ὄχλος is a masculine noun rendered in the KJV as 'company, multitude, number (of people), people, press.' At its core it pictures a throng of people being carried along together, hence the basic sense of a crowd or gathered multitude.
Beyond the neutral sense of a large group, ὄχλος can stand for the populace or common people as a social class, often contrasted with δῆμος (the organized assembly) or with leaders and rulers. In this usage it can carry a faintly contemptuous tone, describing the untaught masses rather than an informed citizenry.
The word is also used in weakened or figurative senses, such as 'a great number' belonging to a category (e.g., a multitude of disciples or names) and, by extension, even a riotous commotion stirred up by such a gathering.
Uso en las Escrituras
ὄχλος is overwhelmingly a term of the Gospels and Acts, fittingly so since it is the crowds that follow Jesus, listen to his teaching, and witness his miracles. Matthew repeatedly notes that 'great multitudes' (ὄχλοι πολύ or ὄχλοι πολλοί) followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and beyond the Jordan (Matthew 4:25), and that he ascended the mountain 'when he saw the multitudes' (Matthew 5:1).
La palabra en detalle
- G3793 The lemma ὄχλος is the standard NT word for a crowd or large gathering of people. It can be neutral (a mere multitude), sociological (the common populace, sometimes with contempt), or extended to mean a riot stirred up by such a crowd. The KJV glosses capture the range: 'company, multitude, number (of people), people, press.'
Versículos de ejemplo
- Matthew 5:1 ὄχλους here is the crowd that gathers around Jesus before the Sermon on the Mount, illustrating the basic sense of a large gathering of people pressing in to hear him.
- Matthew 9:23 ὄχλον describes the crowd making a tumult at the ruler's house, showing the word's slightly extended sense of a noisy, agitated gathering.
- Matthew 9:36 ὄχλους refers to the multitudes Jesus sees with compassion because they are 'distressed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd,' a key Gospel portrait of the crowd as objects of pastoral mercy.
- Matthew 12:46 ὄχλοις marks the audience as 'the multitudes' Jesus is still addressing, underscoring the public, non-private setting of his ministry.
Preguntas frecuentes
Is ὄχλος always a large crowd?
Usually yes. The basic sense is a moving crowd or multitude (e.g., Matthew 4:25; 5:1). The word can also be used for a category of people (the common populace) and, by extension, for the riot such a crowd may stir up.
Does ὄχλος ever carry a negative or contemptuous sense?
Yes. In passages such as John 7:49 ὄχλος refers to the populace or common people with a faintly contemptuous edge, contrasting them with the educated or the authorities. In most Gospel contexts, however, it is a neutral description of the crowds around Jesus.
How many times does ὄχλος appear in the New Testament?
Based on the data provided, ὄχλος occurs 156 times in 151 distinct verses, concentrated in the Gospels and Acts.