What does ὄχλος (óchlos) mean in the Bible?
Ochlos means crowd, multitude, throng, or the common people gathered in a mass. In the Gospels crowds gather around Jesus for teaching, healing, signs, bread, and controversy.
Greek · G3793
ὄχλος
Crowd
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ὄχλος G3793
Pronunciation óchlos
What does ὄχλος (óchlos) mean in the Bible?
Ochlos means crowd, multitude, throng, or the common people gathered in a mass. In the Gospels crowds gather around Jesus for teaching, healing, signs, bread, and controversy.
Reader summary
Full entry for ὄχλος (G3793) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3793?
The BSB source-word alignment has 175 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include crowd (84), crowds (48), people (16), a crowd (6), [a] crowd (2).
Where does ὄχλος (óchlos) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 4:25. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (50), Luke (41), Mark (38), Acts (22).
What This Word Actually Means
Ochlos means crowd, multitude, throng, or the common people gathered in a mass. In the Gospels crowds gather around Jesus for teaching, healing, signs, bread, and controversy. Jesus sees crowds with compassion because they are harassed and helpless, yet He also calls a crowd to hear the cost of discipleship. John 6 shows a large crowd following because of signs, which must not be confused with true faith.
Acts shows crowds capable of confusion and misdirected worship. Revelation uses multitude language for the redeemed from every nation before the Lamb. The word therefore helps readers distinguish public response, human need, unstable popularity, discipleship summons, and final worship.
How the Bible Uses It
Ochlos often names the public crowds around Jesus and the apostles. These crowds may receive teaching, need shepherding, follow signs, misunderstand, or become unstable. The word can also become a redeemed multitude before the throne, showing that crowd language must be governed by context.
- Matt.5.1
When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to Him,
Jesus sees the crowds before sitting to teach His disciples. Crowd presence frames public attention, but disciples receive the kingdom instruction.
- Matt.9.36
When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Jesus is moved with compassion for harassed and helpless crowds. The word reveals human need that calls for shepherding mercy.
- Mark.8.34
Then Jesus called the crowd to Him along with His disciples, and He told them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
Jesus calls the crowd with His disciples and speaks of cross-bearing discipleship. A crowd can hear a summons that demands personal following.
- John.6.2
A large crowd followed Him because they saw the signs He was performing on the sick.
A large crowd follows because of the signs Jesus performs. The word can mark attraction to power without yet proving saving faith.
- Acts.14.14
But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul found out about this, they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd, shouting,
Paul and Barnabas rush into a crowd to stop idolatrous misunderstanding. Crowd energy can be religiously intense and still wrong.
- Rev.7.9
After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
John sees a multitude too large to count before the throne and the Lamb. Crowd language is transformed into worshiping redeemed humanity.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It crowd 84× Matthew 8:18, Matthew 9:23, Matthew 9:25, Matthew 14:14
crowds 48× Matthew 4:25, Matthew 5:1, Matthew 7:28, Matthew 8:1
people 16× Matthew 13:2, Matthew 14:5, Matthew 14:19, Matthew 15:36
a crowd 6× Mark 3:32, Mark 9:25, Mark 14:43, Luke 12:1
[a] crowd 2× Luke 22:6, Acts 24:18
crowd [to Him] 2× Matthew 15:10, Mark 7:14
multitude 2× Revelation 19:1, Revelation 19:6
- 1× Acts 1:15
. . . 1× Matthew 14:23
[number of people] 1× Acts 11:24
[numbers of people] 1× Acts 11:26
[the] crowd 1× Mark 8:1
[the] crowds 1× Mark 10:1
[while the] crowd 1× John 5:13
a multitude 1× Revelation 7:9
crowd {to Him} 1× Mark 8:34
many people 1× John 12:17
mob 1× Acts 21:35
multitudes 1× Revelation 17:15
number 1× Acts 6:7
of people 1× Acts 19:26
the crowd 1× Luke 18:36
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 4:25 ὄχλοι to crowds Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural Matthew 5:1 ὄχλους to crowds Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural Matthew 7:28 ὄχλοι to crowds Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural Matthew 8:1 ὄχλοι to crowds Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural Matthew 8:18 ὄχλον to crowd Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular Matthew 9:8 ὄχλοι to crowds Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural Matthew 9:23 ὄχλον to crowd Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular Matthew 9:25 ὄχλος to crowd Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Matthew 9:33 ὄχλοι to crowds Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural Matthew 9:36 ὄχλους to crowds Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 4:25
Aligned rows 175
Books represented 6
Matthew 50 Mark 38 Luke 41 John 20 Acts 22 Revelation 4
Source forms
ὄχλος 46x ochlos Matthew 9:25, Matthew 13:2, Matthew 20:29, Matthew 20:31
ὄχλον 35x ochlon Matthew 8:18, Matthew 9:23, Matthew 14:5, Matthew 14:14
ὄχλοι 27x ochloi Matthew 4:25, Matthew 7:28, Matthew 8:1, Matthew 9:8
ὄχλου 25x ochlou Matthew 27:24, Mark 7:17, Mark 7:33, Mark 8:1
ὄχλους 17x ochlous Matthew 5:1, Matthew 9:36, Matthew 13:36, Matthew 14:15
ὄχλῳ 12x ochlō Matthew 15:35, Matthew 27:15, Mark 5:27, Mark 5:30
ὄχλοις 11x ochlois Matthew 11:7, Matthew 12:46, Matthew 13:34, Matthew 14:19
ὄχλοι» 1x ochloi Luke 9:18
Parsing patterns
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular 46x Matthew 9:25, Matthew 13:2, Matthew 20:29, Matthew 20:31
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular 35x Matthew 8:18, Matthew 9:23, Matthew 14:5, Matthew 14:14
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural 28x Matthew 4:25, Matthew 7:28, Matthew 8:1, Matthew 9:8
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular 25x Matthew 27:24, Mark 7:17, Mark 7:33, Mark 8:1
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural 17x Matthew 5:1, Matthew 9:36, Matthew 13:36, Matthew 14:15
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular 12x Matthew 15:35, Matthew 27:15, Mark 5:27, Mark 5:30
Noun - Dative Masculine Plural 11x Matthew 11:7, Matthew 12:46, Matthew 13:34, Matthew 14:19
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural 1x Luke 11:29
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Use crowd texts to cultivate compassion without idolizing popularity.
- Let Jesus' call to cross-bearing test shallow public enthusiasm.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that a crowd's presence proves saving faith.
- Do not claim that ministry should ignore crowds because crowds can be unstable.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. A disorganized throng of common people, often contrasted with organized civic structures or leadership.
Strong's G3793
Lexical occurrences 174 verses Greek text appearances 175 times 16 shown below Word forms 8 forms 174 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Luke 3:7-14 Source Gloss
crowd
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 175 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 4:25 Noun Nominative Plural Masculine
ὄχλοι ocloi
a crowd
Read verse Matthew 5:1 Noun Accusative Plural Masculine
ὄχλους oclouv
a crowd
Read verse Matthew 7:28 Noun Nominative Plural Masculine
ὄχλοι ocloi
a crowd
Read verse Matthew 8:1 Noun Nominative Plural Masculine
ὄχλοι ocloi
a crowd
Read verse Matthew 8:18 Noun Accusative Plural Masculine
ὄχλους oclouv
a crowd
Read verse Matthew 9:8 Noun Nominative Plural Masculine
ὄχλοι ocloi
a crowd
Read verse Matthew 9:23 Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
ὄχλον oclon
a crowd
Read verse Matthew 9:25 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
ὄχλος, oclov
a crowd
Read verse Matthew 9:33 Noun Nominative Plural Masculine
ὄχλοι, ocloi
a crowd
Read verse Matthew 9:36 Noun Accusative Plural Masculine
ὄχλους, oclouv
a crowd
Read verse Matthew 11:7 Noun Dative Plural Masculine
ὄχλοις ocloiv
a crowd
Read verse Matthew 12:15 Noun Nominative Plural Masculine
ὄχλοι ocloi
a crowd
Read verse Matthew 12:23 Noun Nominative Plural Masculine
ὄχλοι ocloi
a crowd
Read verse Matthew 12:46 Noun Dative Plural Masculine
ὄχλοις, ocloiv
a crowd
Read verse Matthew 13:2 Noun Nominative Plural Masculine
ὄχλοι ocloi
a crowd
Read verse Matthew 13:2 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
ὄχλος oclov
a crowd
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 8 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 8 Aligned forms 174 Case pattern Nominative (73) Number pattern Singular (117)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Masculine Matt 9:25 · Matt 13:2 · Matt 20:29 · Matt 20:31 · Matt 21:8 · Matt 26:47 · Mark 2:13 · Mark 3:20 · Mark 3:32 · Mark 4:1 · Mark 5:21 · Mark 5:24 · Mark 9:15 · Mark 9:25 · Mark 11:18 · Mark 12:37 46×
Nominative · Plural · Masculine Matt 4:25 · Matt 7:28 · Matt 8:1 · Matt 9:8 · Matt 9:33 · Matt 12:23 · Matt 13:2 · Matt 14:13 · Matt 15:30 · Matt 19:2 · Matt 21:9 · Matt 21:11 · Matt 22:33 · Mark 10:1 · Luke 3:10 · Luke 4:42 27×
Genitive · Singular · Masculine Matt 27:24 · Mark 7:17 · Mark 7:33 · Mark 8:1 · Mark 9:17 · Mark 10:46 · Luke 8:4 · Luke 9:38 · Luke 11:27 · Luke 12:1 · Luke 12:13 · Luke 18:36 · Luke 19:3 · Luke 19:39 · Luke 22:6 · John 5:13 25×
Genitive · Plural · Masculine Luke 11:29 1×
Dative · Singular · Masculine Matt 15:35 · Matt 27:15 · Mark 5:27 · Mark 5:30 · Mark 8:6 · Mark 15:15 · Luke 7:9 · Luke 9:16 · Luke 13:14 · John 7:43 · Acts 21:34 12×
Dative · Plural · Masculine Matt 11:7 · Matt 12:46 · Matt 13:34 · Matt 14:19 · Matt 15:36 · Matt 23:1 · Matt 26:55 · Luke 3:7 · Luke 12:54 · John 7:12 · Acts 14:13 11×
Accusative · Singular · Masculine Matt 9:23 · Matt 14:5 · Matt 14:14 · Matt 15:10 · Matt 15:31 · Matt 15:32 · Matt 15:33 · Matt 17:14 · Matt 21:26 · Mark 2:4 · Mark 3:9 · Mark 4:36 · Mark 5:31 · Mark 6:34 · Mark 6:45 · Mark 7:14 34×
Accusative · Plural · Masculine Matt 5:1 · Matt 8:18 · Matt 9:36 · Matt 13:36 · Matt 14:15 · Matt 14:19 · Matt 14:22 · Matt 14:23 · Matt 15:39 · Matt 21:46 · Matt 27:20 · Luke 5:3 · Luke 7:24 · Luke 23:4 · Acts 13:45 · Acts 14:18 18×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Large multitudes gathering to hear John the Baptist preach repentance
Multitude of disciples and common people assembling to hear Jesus teach
Large throngs traveling with Jesus, illustrating cost of discipleship to masses
Populace gathering and marveling at Jesus' miracles, representing common people's response
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 174 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ὄχλος is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Ochlos helps teachers resist shallow readings of popularity. The crowds around Jesus are real people, not scenery. They are needy enough to move Him with compassion and numerous enough to show the public reach of His ministry. Yet the same crowd dynamic can be unstable. People may follow because of signs, misunderstand His mission, or join confused religious excitement.
Jesus does not despise crowds, but He does not confuse crowd movement with saving discipleship. He calls crowds to deny themselves and follow Him. Revelation then shows the healed end of crowd language: a redeemed multitude from every nation standing before the Lamb in worship.
Anchor passage
Matt.9.36
Doctrinal connections
- Matthew 5:1: the Sermon context distinguishes crowd presence from disciple instruction.
- Matthew 9:36: Jesus' compassion sees crowds as sheep without a shepherd.
- Mark 8:34: crowd hearing must become costly personal discipleship.
- John 6:2: sign-following crowds expose the difference between attraction and faith.
- Acts 14:14-18: crowds can misread God's work and need correction away from idolatry.
- Revelation 7:9-10: the final multitude worships before the throne and the Lamb.
Ochlos normally names a crowd or multitude. It does not by itself tell whether the people are faithful, confused, hostile, needy, or redeemed. The narrative context supplies that evaluation.
From Old to New Testament
Israel's assemblies and the nations gathered before the Lord prepare readers for public and corporate scenes of response. The New Testament shows crowds around Jesus and the apostles, then points toward the gathered redeemed multitude from every nation.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain