ὀχλοποιέω

I gather a crowd

Definition

The verb ὀχλοποιέω means to gather or assemble a crowd, often with a connotation of creating a tumultuous or riotous assembly. In its single New Testament occurrence in Acts 17:5, it describes the deliberate action of inciting a mob, specifically against Paul and Silas in Thessalonica. The term implies not just a neutral gathering of people, but an act of stirring up a group for a disruptive or hostile purpose. It carries the sense of manufacturing public disturbance or agitation.

Biblical Usage

This word is used only once in the New Testament, in Acts 17:5. In this context, it describes the hostile action of Jews who were jealous of Paul's successful ministry. They recruited 'wicked men from the marketplace' to form a mob that then set the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason. The usage is entirely within a narrative of persecution and social unrest, highlighting a deliberate strategy to oppose the gospel through public disturbance and violence.

Etymology

ὀχλοποιέω is a compound verb derived from ὄχλος (ochlos, G3793), meaning 'a crowd' or 'multitude,' and ποιέω (poieō, G4160), meaning 'to make' or 'to do.' Literally, it means 'to make a crowd' or 'to crowd-make.' This formation clearly indicates the active, intentional process of assembling a group of people, which in context developed the specific sense of forming a riotous mob.

Semantic Range

This word is significant theologically as it illustrates a specific form of opposition faced by the early church. It shows that the spread of the gospel was sometimes met not just with intellectual debate or legal opposition, but with organized, violent mob action intended to silence the message through fear and public chaos. Understanding this term enriches reading by highlighting the social cost of discipleship and the reality of spiritual conflict manifesting in physical persecution, as seen in Acts 17:5-9.

In the Greco-Roman world, mob action was a recognized and feared social phenomenon. Cities like Thessalonica prized public order (the 'Pax Romana'), and deliberately gathering a riotous crowd was a serious act that could destabilize the community and bring Roman scrutiny. The accusers in Acts 17:7 even frame Paul and Silas as those 'acting against the decrees of Caesar,' ironically projecting onto the apostles the very crime of disturbing the peace that the Jewish opponents had committed by ὀχλοποιέω.

συνάγω (synagō, G4863) — a general term for gathering or assembling, without the inherent negative connotation of creating a riot. θορυβέω (thorybeō, G2350) — means to make a noise or uproar, to disturb; focuses more on the noisy effect than the act of assembling the crowd itself.

Word Details

Scripture References