Greek word · G5520
χολάω
cholaō
be angry
From cholē, 'gall, bile'. The ancient view was that bile caused bitter rage. The verb means to be full of bile: furious, enraged, sometimes mad with anger. It occurs in classical comedy (Aristophanes) and later Greek. BDAG gives 'be angry'.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
χολάω, -ῶ
(χολή), [in LXX: 3Ma.3:1 R * ;]
1. to be melancholy mad (Aristoph.).
2. = χολοῦμαι, to be angry: with dative of person(s), John 7:23.†
(AS)
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
From cholē, 'gall, bile'. The ancient view was that bile caused bitter rage. The verb means to be full of bile: furious, enraged, sometimes mad with anger. It occurs in classical comedy (Aristophanes) and later Greek. BDAG gives 'be angry'.
- Against the English
'Angry' (BSB, WEB, KJV) is correct but mild. YLT's 'wroth' gets closer. The Greek is earthy and physical, close to 'seething' or 'boiling with bile'.
- Used elsewhere in the period
It occurs only here in the New Testament and nowhere in the Greek Old Testament. It is found in Aristophanes (Clouds) and in medical and popular writers who link bile with temper.
Where it appears
John · 1
-
John 7:23 χολᾶτε are you angry
If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath?
Here: A vivid, rare word from cholē, 'bile'. It means 'to be full of bile', bitterly furious. It appears only here in the New Testament. Their anger has already gone as far as wanting to kill him (7:19-20).
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.