Greek word · G3791

ὀχλέω

ochleō

to disturb

To trouble, annoy, disturb, harass, pester. The verb is related to ὄχλος (crowd, mob), and its root idea is 'to mob' or 'crowd in on' someone.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ὀχλέω, -ῶ

(ὄχλος), [in LXX: Tobit 6:7, 3Ma.5:41 * ;]

to move, disturb; hence, generally, to trouble, vex: pass., Acts 5:6 (act. absol., = pass., to be in a tumult, 3Mac, l.with; cf. ἐν-, παρ-εν-οχλέω, and see MM, xviii).†

(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 5:16

Range of meaning

To trouble, annoy, disturb, harass, pester. The verb is related to ὄχλος (crowd, mob), and its root idea is 'to mob' or 'crowd in on' someone. Classical and later Greek used it for people pestering others, for disturbances of mind or body, and in the passive for being troubled by illness or by forces beyond one's control.

Against the English

KJV 'vexed', YLT 'harassed', ESV/NASB 'afflicted', BSB/WEB/NIV 'tormented', NLT 'possessed'. 'Harassed' and 'troubled' are closest to the word itself. 'Tormented' raises the intensity somewhat. 'Possessed' brings in a different, more technical idea (ownership or control) that this verb does not express.

How it drifted

'Possessed' comes from later demonological and ritual vocabulary. The New Testament's nearest Greek idea is δαιμονίζομαι ('to be demonized'). Using 'possessed' for ὀχλέω merges distinct words.

Used elsewhere in the period

Tobit 6:8 (LXX) uses the same verb for a demon or evil spirit that 'troubles' (ὀχλῇ) a person, the closest Jewish parallel to Luke's usage. The Byzantine text of Luke 6:18 reads ὀχλούμενοι ὑπὸ πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων (critical text: ἐνοχλούμενοι, a compound of the same verb), which is almost word-for-word this verse. Papyri use it for ordinary harassment and nuisance (BDAG; Moulton–Milligan).

Where it appears

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 5:16 ὀχλουμένους [those] being tormented

    Crowds also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and all of them were healed.

    Here: Present passive participle: 'those being (continually) harassed'. It describes persistent, pestering affliction. The word sits closer to 'harassed' or 'troubled' than to the technical term 'possessed'.

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