Greek word · G3729

ὁρμάω

hormaō

to stampede

To set in motion, and then (as here, intransitive) to rush, charge, or surge forward impulsively. The related noun hormē means 'impulse, onset, violent rush' (compare Acts 14:5, the 'attempt' of a mob to stone Paul).

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ὁρμάω, -ῶ

(ὁρμή), [in LXX for שׁוּב, etc. ;]

1. causal, to set in motion, urge on.

2. Intrans., to hasten on, rush: before εἰς, Matthew 8:32, Mark 5:13, Luke 8:33, Acts 19:29; ἐπί, with accusative, Acts 7:57.†

(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 Acts 19:29

Range of meaning

To set in motion, and then (as here, intransitive) to rush, charge, or surge forward impulsively. The related noun hormē means 'impulse, onset, violent rush' (compare Acts 14:5, the 'attempt' of a mob to stone Paul).

Against the English

'Rushed' (KJV, WEB, YLT, BSB) is good. What English can miss is the herd-like, uncontrolled feel the word has in the New Testament.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the NT it appears only five times. Three are the pigs at Gerasa stampeding into the lake (Matt 8:32; Mark 5:13; Luke 8:33). One is the Jerusalem council members who 'rushed together (hōrmēsan homothymadon) at him' to stone Stephen (Acts 7:57). The fifth is this verse. The wording in Acts 7:57 and 19:29 is nearly identical.

From the study of Acts 7:57

Range of meaning

To set oneself in rapid motion: to rush, dash, charge, surge. It is often used of attacks and of animals or crowds moving on impulse. The related noun hormē means 'impulse, onrush, violent attempt' (Acts 14:5, of a plot to stone Paul).

Against the English

KJV 'ran upon him' is too mild and sounds archaic. 'Rushed at him' (BSB, ESV, NIV) is accurate. 'Stampede' (the gloss in the supplied data) shows how herd-like the word can be.

Used elsewhere in the period

It appears five times in the NT: three times of the demon-driven pigs rushing over the cliff (Matt 8:32; Mark 5:13; Luke 8:33), here, and of the Ephesian riot (Acts 19:29). In classical Greek it is common for armies charging.

From the study of Matthew 8:32

Range of meaning

To set in rapid motion, rush or charge, often with violent or hostile force. Classical Greek uses it of armies charging and of impulses that drive someone on.

Against the English

KJV's 'ran violently' keeps the violence. 'Rushed' (BSB, WEB, ESV, NASB) and NLT's 'plunged' are fine. None quite conveys the sense of a herd suddenly driven, as if by an outside force.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the NT it appears only in the three accounts of this event (Matt 8:32; Mark 5:13; Luke 8:33) and in Acts, where the crowd rushes at Stephen (7:57) and the Ephesian mob rushes into the theatre (19:29). Both of those are mob violence.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 8:32 ὥρμησεν rushed

    “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 sudden headlong rush, the kind of word used for a charge or a stampede. The past tense presents it as one single surge.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 5:13 ὥρμησεν rushed

    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 · 1

  1. Luke 8:33 ὥρμησεν rushed

    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.

Acts · 2

  1. Acts 7:57 ὥρμησαν rushed

    At this they covered their ears, cried out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him.

    Here: A sudden, violent rush forward. Luke uses the same verb for the pigs stampeding down the bank (Luke 8:33) and for the Ephesian mob surging into the theater (Acts 19:29).

  2. Acts 19:29 ὥρμησάν they rushed

    Soon the whole city was in disarray. They rushed together into the theatre, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.

    Here: A sudden headlong rush, a surge. The Gospels use the same verb for the pigs stampeding down the slope. Luke uses it, with the same next word, for the mob that charged Stephen (Acts 7:57).

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