Greek word · G3738
ὀρχέομαι
orcheomai
to dance
To dance. It covers any kind of dancing: children playing in the marketplace (Matt 11:17; Luke 7:32), festival and religious dancing, and dances performed by entertainers at banquets. The word itself does not say whether a dance was graceful, festive, or sexual.
Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
To dance. It covers any kind of dancing: children playing in the marketplace (Matt 11:17; Luke 7:32), festival and religious dancing, and dances performed by entertainers at banquets. The word itself does not say whether a dance was graceful, festive, or sexual.
- Against the English
Every major English version simply says 'danced'. Over-reading comes from art and theatre, not from translation.
- How it drifted
The idea of a seductive 'Dance of the Seven Veils' comes from Oscar Wilde's play Salomé (1891, published 1893) and Richard Strauss's opera (1905). It came after centuries of paintings showing the dancer in an erotic way. Mark describes nothing of the kind.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Used in the LXX for David dancing before the ark (2 Sam 6:21) and in Greek writers for both festive and entertainment dancing. In Greek and Roman banquet culture, the people who danced before male drinkers were usually hired or enslaved performers. Many such performers were sexually available, which is why a free-born princess dancing there would be striking.
From the study of Matthew 14:6
- Range of meaning
The general Greek verb 'to dance'. It covers choral and religious dancing, children's play, festive dancing and professional entertainment. The verb itself does not say what kind of dance is meant.
- Against the English
English 'danced' is a fair match. The trouble is the picture readers bring to it: a deliberately erotic performance, 'the dance of the seven veils'. That picture comes from later art and literature, not from this word.
- How it drifted
Medieval and Renaissance art made 'Salome's dance' a favourite subject. Oscar Wilde's play Salomé (1891–93), which invented the 'dance of the seven veils', and Richard Strauss's opera based on it (1905) fixed the image of a seductive striptease in modern minds.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The verb appears in the New Testament only here, in Mark 6:22, and in Jesus' saying 'we played the flute for you, and you did not dance' (Matt 11:17; Luke 7:32), where it describes children playing in the marketplace. In the Greek Old Testament it is used of David dancing before the Lord (2 Sam 6:21) and of festive dancing (Eccl 3:4).
Where it appears
Matthew · 2
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Matthew 11:17 ὠρχήσασθε,¶¬ you did dance,
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
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Matthew 14:6 ὠρχήσατο danced
On Herod’s birthday, however, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod
Here: A simple aorist, 'she danced', a single event. The verb is the ordinary word for dancing. The same verb describes children dancing in a game in Matthew 11:17, and by itself it says nothing about what kind of dance this was.
Mark · 1
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Mark 6:22 ὀρχησαμένης when having danced
When the daughter of Herodias came and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests, and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.”
Here: 'Having danced.' This is the ordinary Greek word for dancing. Mark gives no description of the dance.
Luke · 1
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Luke 7:32 ὠρχήσασθε· you did dance;
They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.