Greek word · G34

ἀγέλη

agelē

herd

A herd (of cattle, horses, swine), or more broadly a group driven or kept together. It comes from ἄγω, 'to drive, lead.'

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἀγέλη, -ης, ἡ

(ἄγω), [in LXX chiefly for עֵ֫דֶר ;]

a herd: Matthew 8:30-32, Mark 5:11, 13, Luke 8:32,33.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Matthew 8:30

Range of meaning

A herd (of cattle, horses, swine), or more broadly a group driven or kept together. It comes from ἄγω, 'to drive, lead.'

Against the English

'Herd' is exact. The BSB's 'large herd' moves 'many' from the pigs to the herd, which comes to the same thing.

Used elsewhere in the period

Classical and Hellenistic Greek used it for herds of cattle and horses. In the Septuagint, e.g., Job 1:3 has herds of oxen and Song 4:1–2 flocks of goats. In the New Testament it appears only in the Gadarene/Gerasene story (Matt 8:30–32; Mark 5:11, 13; Luke 8:32–33).

Where it appears

Matthew · 3

  1. Matthew 8:30 ἀγέλη a herd

    In the distance a large herd of pigs was feeding.

    Here: A herd of animals driven or grazed together. In the New Testament the word appears only in this story (Matthew, Mark and Luke). It pictures a single mass of animals, which matters when the whole herd rushes off together in verse 32.

  2. Matthew 8:31 ἀγέλην herd

    So the demons begged Jesus, “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

    Here: A herd of grazing animals. Verse 30 calls it a large herd. In the New Testament the word is used only of this herd of pigs.

  3. Matthew 8:32 ἀγέλη herd

    “Go!” He told them. So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the waters.

    Here: A herd of grazing animals, treated as one unit. It is the singular subject of 'rushed'.

Mark · 2

  1. Mark 5:11 ἀγέλη a herd

    There on the nearby hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding.

  2. Mark 5:13 ἀγέλη herd

    He gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the water.

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 8:32 ἀγέλη a herd

    There on the hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding. So the demons begged Jesus to let them enter the pigs, and He gave them permission.

  2. Luke 8:33 ἀγέλη herd

    Then the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.