Greek word · G3730

ὁρμή

hormē

impulse

A forward rush or onset. It can be physical (the charge of an army, the rush of a river, a sudden attack) or mental (the inner drive toward action, an impulse, an eager intent, a resolve).

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ὁρμή, -ῆς, ἡ

[in LXX: Proverbs 3:25 (שׁוֹא), etc. ;]

1. a violent movement, impulse: James 3:4;

2. a hostile movement, onset, assault. Acts 14:5.†

(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 14:5

Range of meaning

A forward rush or onset. It can be physical (the charge of an army, the rush of a river, a sudden attack) or mental (the inner drive toward action, an impulse, an eager intent, a resolve). BDAG gives the main sense as a strong inclination or impulse and, for Acts 14:5, suggests 'an attempt was made' or 'they were inclined/determined'.

Against the English

The KJV's 'assault' leans to the physical-attack side. YLT's 'purpose' leans to the mental side. Most modern versions go between the two: an 'attempt', a 'plot afoot' (NIV), people who 'set out to' (BSB), a 'violent attempt' (WEB). The word really holds both sides: hostile intent already starting to move.

How it drifted

'Assault' in 1611 could mean an onset or a hostile move. Today it suggests blows actually landing, which the context does not support.

Used elsewhere in the period

Classical historians use it for the onset of a military attack. Stoic philosophers made it a technical term for the 'impulse' that leads a person to act. In the NT it appears only here and in James 3:4, where it means the steersman's 'impulse' or will that turns the ship. In the LXX it is used for hostile onsets, e.g. Proverbs 3:25, the 'onsets of the ungodly'.

From the study of James 3:4

Range of meaning

A rush or onset (physical or hostile); an impulse, urge or inclination of the mind toward something; an eager impetus. In Stoic philosophy it was a technical term for the soul's movement toward an action.

Against the English

KJV "listeth" (wishes), YLT "impulse," NASB "inclination," ESV "will," BSB "is inclined," NIV/NLT "wants / chooses." Smoother versions drop the word and simply say "the pilot wants." YLT and NASB keep the separate noun.

Used elsewhere in the period

Acts 14:5: an hormē ("attempt, rush") of Gentiles and Jews to mistreat Paul. LXX Prov 3:25: the hormai (onsets) of the ungodly. In Stoic writers (Chrysippus as reported by later authors) and often in Philo, hormē names the impulse that moves a rational being to act.

Where it appears

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 14:5 ὁρμὴ a rush

    But when the Gentiles and Jews, together with their rulers, set out to mistreat and stone them,

    Here: A surge of hostile intent turning into action, a move against them. Since in verse 6 the apostles 'became aware' of it and got away, it was a move that had started, not a beating that had already happened.

James · 1

  1. James 3:4 ὁρμὴ impulse

    Consider ships as well. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot is inclined.

    Here: The driving urge or inclination of the steersman. Grammatically it is the subject of "wills," so it is the steersman's inner impulse, not only the man, that sets the course. A word that philosophers of the day used for the soul's movement toward action.

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