G238 — ἀλληγορέω (allēgoréō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G238
Original: ἀλληγορέω
Transliteration: allēgoréō
Pronunciation: al-lay-gor-eh'-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: Compound of ἄλλος (állos, G243 — "other") + ἀγορεύω (agoreúō — "to speak in the assembly/marketplace"); literally "to speak otherwise" — i.e., to say one thing while meaning another.
Occurrences: 1 in NT (hapax legomenon)
First Occurrence: Galatians 4:24 — "Which things are an allegory"
Hapax Legomenon: YES — this verb appears only once in the entire NT. It is also absent from the LXX.

Lexicon Definition¶

From ἄλλος (another) and ἀγορεύω agoreúō (to harangue [compare ἀγορά, marketplace]); to allegorize — "be an allegory" (KJV rendering of the periphrastic participle ἀλληγορούμενα).

Strong's glosses it simply as "to allegorize." Louw-Nida defines it as "to speak allegorically, to employ an analogy, to use a likeness" — i.e., to present a narrative whose elements stand for something beyond their literal surface sense.

Semantic Domains¶

Louw-Nida: - 033.003 — Discourse Types

UBS Semantic Domains: - [033] Communication

Other words in subdomain (selected, relevant): - παραβολή (G3850) — parable, figure, allegory - παροιμία (G3942) — proverb, saying, parable - μῦθος (G3454) — legend, myth, tale - πνευματικῶς (G4153) — spiritually, allegorically (cf. Rev 11:8) - διήγησις (G1335) — account, narrative - κεφάλαιον (G2774) — main point, summary

The placement is significant: Louw-Nida classifies ἀλληγορέω as a type of discourse, alongside parable, proverb, and myth — a formal mode of speaking, not a mode of exegesis.

Domain Neighbors (033003 — Discourse Types)¶

Strong's	Lemma	KJV Rendering(s)	Notes
G3850	παραβολή	parable, proverb, figure, comparison	Most common "figure of speech" word — 50x in NT
G3942	παροιμία	parable, proverb	Used in John for Jesus' veiled speech
G3454	μῦθος	fable (pejorative)	5x NT, always negative (vs. truth)
G4153	πνευματικῶς	spiritually	Adverbial parallel: Rev 11:8 "spiritually called Sodom"

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
an allegory	1	100%

The sole occurrence (a nominative-plural present passive participle ἀλληγορούμενα, "being allegorized") is rendered periphrastically in the KJV as "are an allegory."

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Book Verses	Per 100 Verses
Galatians	1	149	0.67

Pattern: A single Pauline occurrence. The verb is absent from the Synoptics, Johannine corpus, Acts, the other Pauline epistles, the general epistles, and Revelation. It is also absent from the LXX, making this the only canonical biblical use of the term. The closest conceptual parallel elsewhere in the NT is πνευματικῶς at Rev 11:8.

Semantic Categories¶

Because the word is a hapax, "semantic range" reduces to the single attested usage plus its classical/Hellenistic-Jewish lexical background. Both are documented here to keep the entry context-neutral.

1. The Single Attested Biblical Use — Typological Correspondence (Paul)¶

Paul applies the verb to the Abraham/Sarah/Hagar narrative, declaring that the historical persons and events are something beyond themselves — they correspond to the two covenants. The passive participle ἀλληγορούμενα ("things being spoken allegorically") treats the OT narrative itself as the speaker; Paul is uncovering, not inventing, the correspondence.

Gal 4:24 — "Which things are an allegory (ἅτινά ἐστιν ἀλληγορούμενα): for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar."

2. Lexical Background — "To Speak Otherwise"¶

The verb is a transparent compound: ἄλλος ("other") + ἀγορεύω ("to speak publicly"). In classical and Hellenistic Greek it denotes speech in which the surface sense points to a deeper or different meaning. Philo of Alexandria uses this vocabulary extensively for his allegorical reading of the Pentateuch; Josephus uses it for figurative speech generally. This is the cultural milieu of Paul's single deployment.

(No additional biblical verses exist for further categories; the word's biblical semantic range is exhausted by one verse.)

Common Collocations¶

Only one occurrence exists, so statistical co-occurrence data is not meaningful. The words appearing in the immediate context (Gal 4:22–26) are listed here as the lexical environment of the single use rather than as a frequency pattern:

Word	Strong's	Role in Gal 4:22–26
διαθήκη (diathḗkē)	G1242	"two covenants" — the referent of the allegory
δύο (dýo)	G1417	"two" sons / "two" covenants
υἱός (huiós)	G5207	Abraham's two sons (Ishmael, Isaac)
παιδίσκη (paidískē)	G3814	"bondmaid" (Hagar)
ἐλευθέρα (eleuthéra)	G1658	"freewoman" (Sarah)
δουλεία (douleía)	G1397	"bondage" — covenant from Sinai
Σινᾶ (Sinâ)	G4614	Mount Sinai
Ἰερουσαλήμ (Ierousalḗm)	G2419	Jerusalem (present + "above")
ἐπαγγελία (epangelía)	G1860	"promise" (contrast with flesh)

Word Family / Cognates¶

ἄλλος (állos) G243 — "other, another" (first element of the compound)
ἀγορεύω (agoreúō) — "to speak in the public assembly" (second element; not itself in NT, but the root of ἀγορά G58, "marketplace")
ἀγορά (agorá) G58 — "marketplace, public assembly"

Synonyms¶

No close lexical synonyms were identified by search_relationships.py. The nearest discourse-type parallels are already listed below.

Antonyms¶

No direct antonyms were identified by search_relationships.py.

Discourse-Type Relatives (same Louw-Nida subdomain, or closely parallel function)¶

Word	Strong's	KJV	Key Difference
παραβολή (parabolḗ)	G3850	parable, figure, proverb	The standard NT word for figurative speech. Narrower: a comparison set alongside. Paul does not use this word at Gal 4:24.
παροιμία (paroimía)	G3942	parable, proverb	Johannine term for veiled/proverbial speech.
μῦθος (mýthos)	G3454	fable	Always pejorative in NT — opposite of truth.
τύπος (týpos)	G5179	figure, example, pattern	Noun for typological correspondence (Rom 5:14; 1 Cor 10:6, 11) — the nominal counterpart to what Paul is doing verbally in Gal 4:24.
πνευματικῶς (pneumatikōs)	G4153	spiritually	Rev 11:8 "spiritually called Sodom and Egypt" — closest NT conceptual parallel.
ὑπόδειγμα (hypódeigma)	G5262	pattern, example	A shown example/copy (Heb 8:5; 9:23).
σκιά (skiá)	G4639	shadow	OT as shadow of NT realities (Col 2:17; Heb 10:1).

Easily Confused Concepts¶

Term	Relation to ἀλληγορέω
Philonic allegory	Uses the same verb-family but treats the narrative as a cipher for abstract philosophical truths, often dissolving the literal referent. Paul's usage at Gal 4:24 retains the historical reality of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar while asserting a further covenantal correspondence — closer to τύπος (typology) than to Philonic allegoresis.
παραβολή	A parable is invented for illustration; an allegory-in-Paul's-sense is discovered in real history.

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

The verb ἀλληγορέω does not appear in the LXX. It has no direct Hebrew equivalent in the Greek OT. Hebrew concepts in the same semantic field include:

Hebrew	Strong's	Typical LXX Rendering	Notes
מָשָׁל (māshāl)	H4912	παραβολή (G3850)	proverb, parable, similitude
חִידָה (chîdâh)	H2420	παραβολή, πρόβλημα	riddle, dark saying
מְלִיצָה (melîtsâh)	H4426	πρόβλημα	figure, interpretation (Prov 1:6; Hab 2:6)

No cross-testament trace (TR-) file is warranted: the word is absent from the LXX and has no established Hebrew source for a frequency-based bridge.