σαλεύω
saleúō · G4531 · Greek · 15 occurrences
Meanings
-
to shake
To cause something to move back and forth rapidly, often violently
ExamplesMatthew 11:7 As these disciples of John were going away, Jesus began speaking to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
Matthew 24:29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Mark 13:25 AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.
-
to stir up against, to start a riot, to cause an uproar
To cause people to riot against
ExamplesActs 17:13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds.
-
to become unsettled, to be deeply distressed, to be upset
(A figurative extension of meaning of σαλεύω ‘to shake,’) To become emotionally unsettled and distraught
ExamplesActs 2:25 “For David says of Him, ‘I SAW THE LORD CONTINUALLY BEFORE ME, BECAUSE HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, SO THAT I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN.
2 Thessalonians 2:2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit, or a message, or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
How it’s used In 8 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
15 occurrences in 8 groups
- Not stated (participle) 6
- δύναμιςpower, mighty deed 3
- Not stated (infinitive) 2
- θεμέλιοςfoundation 1
- σύyou 1
- τόποςplace 1
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
3 occurrences in 3 groups
- γῆearth 1
- ὄχλοςcrowd, multitude, common people 1
- αὐτόςhe, she, it, same 1
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
3 occurrences in 2 groups
- ὑπόby, under+ ἄνεμοςwind 2
- ἀπόfrom+ νοῦςmind 1
With adverbsAdverbs
4 occurrences in 3 groups
- μήnot 3
- ταχέωςquickly 1
- τότεthen 1
What it doesIt is the subject
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- μένωto remain, to stay, to abide 1
What is done to itIt is the object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- ἰσχύωto be able to 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- εἰςto 2
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- μετάθεσιςchange, removal 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 1 word
- σείω seíō · G4579 · to shake, to stir up, to cause an uproar
- σαλεύω and σείω both denote physical shaking or agitation, and both extend metaphorically to causing disturbance or upheaval. The two verbs are used interchangeably in contexts of violent motion, whether literal or figurative.
In the other Testament 2 words
- מוֹט môwṭ · H4131 · to move, to shake, to slip
- Greek σαλεύω (saleúō, G4531) serves as the standard LXX rendering of Hebrew מוֹט (môwṭ, H4131), both denoting literal physical shaking/moving/toppling and figurative destabilization, with σαλεύω covering the full semantic range of the Hebrew root across contexts of earthquake, political upheaval, and moral/spiritual wavering.
- חוּל chûwl · H2342 · to turn, to whirl, to rage
- Greek σαλεύω emphasizes physical shaking and destabilization with secondary figurative extensions to disturbance and incitement, while Hebrew חוּל encompasses writhing motion particularly in contexts of childbirth pain, trembling fear, and circular/whirling movement (dancing), with both sharing the core semantic domain of agitated/convulsive motion.
Semantic domains 3 entries
- To shake16.7
- The verb describes physical shaking or agitation. Jesus asks the crowds about John the Baptist, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?” (Matthew 11:7).
- To become unsettled, to be deeply distressed, to be upset25.242
- The same verb, used figuratively, describes being emotionally unsettled rather than physically moved. Paul urges the Thessalonians, “that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed” by a false report (2 Thessalonians 2:2).
- To stir up against, to start a riot, to cause an uproar39.44
- The verb can also describe deliberately inciting a crowd to hostile action. Luke records that jealous opponents from Thessalonica followed Paul to Berea, “agitating and stirring up the crowds” (Acts 17:13).
Word family 3 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon 1 aorist ἐσάλευσα; passive, present participle σαλευόμενος; perfect participle…
a. properly, of the motion produced by winds, storms, waves, etc.; to agitate or shake: κάλαμον, passive, Mt 11:7; Lk 7:24; to cause to totter, τάς δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν, passive, Mt 24:29; Mk 13:25; Lk 21:26; τήν γῆν, Heb 12:26 (Isa 24:20; Amos 9:5); an edifice, Lk 6:48; Acts 4:31; Acts 16:26; τά μή σαλευόμενα, the things which are not shaken, i. e. the perfect state of things which will exist after the return of Christ from heaven and will undergo no change, opposed to τά σαλευόμενα, the present order of things subject to vicissitude and decay, Heb 12:27. To shake thoroughly, of a measure filled by shaking its contents together, Lk 6:38.
b. to shake down, overthrow, i. e. tropically, to cast down from one's (secure and happy) state, Acts 2:25 (from Psalm 15:8); by a tropical use foreign to secular authors, to move or agitate the mind, to disturb one:τινα ἀπό τοῦ νως, so as to throw him out of his sober and natural mental state (Buttmann, 322 (277)), 2 Thess 2:2; τούς ὄχλους, to stir up, Acts 17:13.
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (1889), public domain
Topical studies with this word 3 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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