G2896 — κράζω (krazō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G2896
Original: κράζω
Transliteration: krazō
Pronunciation: krad'-zo
Part of Speech: Verb (primary)
Occurrences: 58 unique verses (59 tokens) across 9 NT books
First Occurrence: Matt 8:29 — "And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God?"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A primary verb; properly, to "croak" (as a raven) or scream, i.e. (generally) to call aloud (shriek, exclaim, intreat). The onomatopoeic origin ("croak") points to a raw, inarticulate vocal quality — a cry that bypasses measured speech.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 33.006 — Speak, Talk
Broader Domain: 33 — Communication
Other words in subdomain: ἀναβοάω (G310) "cry aloud," ἀνακράζω (G349) "scream up/cry out," βοάω (G994) "cry/shout," κραυγή (G2906) "outcry," ἀναφωνέω (G400) "speak out"

Morphological Distribution¶

Tense-Voice-Mood	Count	%	Notes
Aorist Active Indicative	18	33%	Punctiliar cries — decisive single-event screams
Imperfect Active Indicative	13	24%	Continuous/repeated crying — crowds, persistent pleas
Present Active Participle	9	16%	Ongoing action — "crying" as attendant circumstance
Present Active Indicative	7	13%	Habitual/gnomic — Isaiah "crieth," wages "cry out"
Aorist Active Participle	5	9%	Prior action — "having cried out" then next event
Future Active Indicative	1	2%	"The stones would cry out" (Luke 19:40)
Present Active Infinitive	1	2%	Purpose — "began to cry out" (Mark 10:47)
Perfect Active Indicative	1	2%	Resultative — John "hath cried" (John 1:15) — lasting testimony

Aorist forms dominate (42%), reflecting the word's natural habitat: sudden, forceful vocal outbursts. The imperfect cluster (24%) marks sustained or repeated crying, often by crowds.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
cried	18	31.0%
cried out	6	10.3%
crying	6	10.3%
they cried out	6	10.3%
he cried	5	8.6%
and cried	2	3.4%
crieth	2	3.4%
crying out	2	3.4%
they cried	2	3.4%
Other (10 forms)	9	15.5%

All translations render as "cry/cried/crying" — the KJV treats krazō as a single-meaning word with no semantic drift across translations.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Revelation	10	2.5
Mark	12	1.8
Acts	11	1.1
Matthew	11	1.0
James	1	0.9
Galatians	1	0.7
John	6	0.7
Romans	2	0.5
Luke	4	0.3

Mark has the highest raw count (12), but Revelation leads in density (2.5 per 100 verses). Concentrated in Synoptic narrative, Acts mob scenes, and Revelation's apocalyptic proclamations. Absent from all epistles except Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6 (adoptive "Abba" cry), and James 5:4 (wages crying).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Demonic Shrieking / Spiritual Confrontation¶

Unclean spirits recognize and react to Jesus with involuntary screams. - Matt 8:29 — "they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God?" - Mark 1:26 — "the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him" - Mark 3:11 — "unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God" - Mark 5:7 — "cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God?"

2. Desperate Pleas for Mercy / Healing¶

Afflicted persons cry to Jesus for help, often using the "Son of David" messianic title. - Matt 9:27 — "two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us" - Matt 15:23 — "she crieth after us" (the Canaanite woman) - Matt 20:30–31 — "two blind men... cried out... but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David" - Mark 10:47–48 — "he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me"

3. Crowd Acclaim / Hosanna Cries¶

Triumphal entry scenes — public acclamation of Jesus as messianic king. - Matt 21:9 — "the multitudes... cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David" - Matt 21:15 — "the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David" - Mark 11:9 — "they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna" - John 12:13 — "went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel"

4. Hostile Mob Cries / Demands for Death¶

Crowds directing violent demands at authorities. - Matt 27:23 — "they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified" - Mark 15:13–14 — "they cried out again, Crucify him... they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him" - John 19:12 — "the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend" - Acts 19:28, 34 — "they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians"

5. Jesus' Own Cry — Death and Authoritative Proclamation¶

Jesus uses krazō both for public teaching proclamation and his final deathbed utterance. - Matt 27:50 — "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost" - Mark 15:39 — "when the centurion... saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God" - John 7:28 — "Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught" - John 7:37 — "Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink"

6. Adoptive / Spiritual Cry to God¶

The Spirit enables believers to cry "Abba, Father" — intimate address to God. - Rom 8:15 — "ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father" - Gal 4:6 — "God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father"

7. Apocalyptic Proclamation / Angelic Cries¶

Heavenly beings and martyrs cry with loud voices in Revelation's visions. - Rev 6:10 — "they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge" - Rev 7:10 — "cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne" - Rev 10:3 — "cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth" - Rev 18:2 — "he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
λέγω (legō)	G3004	30x (52%)	"cried, saying..." — introduces content of cry
μέγας (megas)	G3173	17x (29%)	"cried with a loud (megalē) voice" — amplifies intensity
υἱός (huios)	G5207	16x (28%)	"Son of God" / "Son of David" — identity declarations
φωνή (phōnē)	G5456	14x (24%)	"cried with a voice" — φωνῇ μεγάλῃ formula
θεός (theos)	G2316	10x (17%)	Address or declaration about God
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous)	G2424	9x (16%)	Jesus as subject or addressee of the cry
κύριος (kyrios)	G2962	9x (16%)	"Lord" as title in plea or proclamation
Δαβίδ (Dabid)	G1138	8x (14%)	"Son of David" messianic plea formula
πνεῦμα (pneuma)	G4151	7x (12%)	Unclean spirits crying; Spirit of adoption crying
ἐλεέω (eleeō)	G1653	6x (10%)	"Have mercy on me/us" — standard plea formula

The dominant collocation pattern is krazō + legō (52%) — krazō marks the vocal force, legō introduces the content. The phōnē megalē ("loud voice") formula appears in 14 verses (24%), especially in Mark and Revelation.

Synonyms¶

βοάω (boaō) G994 — cry aloud, shout (8v). More public-herald quality; John the Baptist "voice of one crying" (Matt 3:3) uses boaō. Krazō is rawer, more visceral.
ἀνακράζω (anakrazō) G349 — cry out (5v). Compound of ana + krazō; intensified "scream up." Exclusively demonic/desperate contexts (Mark 1:23, Luke 4:33).
ἀναβοάω (anaboaō) G310 — cry aloud (3v). Compound of ana + boaō; intensified public call.
κλαίω (klaiō) G2799 — weep, wail. Emotional grief-crying; krazō is vocal-force crying. Different register.
ὀλολύζω (ololyzō) G3649 — howl (1v, James 5:1). Wailing in distress — more inarticulate than krazō.

Word Family / Cognates¶

κραυγάζω (kraugazō) G2905 — clamor, cry out (7v). Derived from krazō via κραυγή; slightly more formal/sustained than krazō.
κραυγή (kraugē) G2906 — outcry, clamor (6v). The noun form — the cry itself as heard (Matt 25:6, Eph 4:31, Heb 5:7, Rev 14:18).
ἀνακράζω (anakrazō) G349 — scream up (5v). Prefixed intensification.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
φωνέω (phōneō)	G5455	"cried" (3v)	phōneō = call/summon by voice; controlled address. Krazō = scream/shriek; raw vocal force
βοάω (boaō)	G994	"cried" (2v)	boaō = public proclamation/herald cry. Krazō = visceral scream that breaks through
κραυγάζω (kraugazō)	G2905	"cried out" (2v), "he cried" (1v)	kraugazō = sustained clamoring. Krazō = sharper, more punctiliar outburst
ἀνακράζω (anakrazō)	G349	"cried out" (2v)	anakrazō = intensified krazō (prefix ana-); exclusively involuntary/desperate

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 33.006 — Speak, Talk)¶

Word	Strong's	Verses	Primary KJV
ἀλάλητος (alalētos)	G215	1	"which cannot be uttered"
ἄλαλος (alalos)	G216	3	"dumb"
ἀναβοάω (anaboaō)	G310	3	"cried, cried out"
ἀνακράζω (anakrazō)	G349	5	"cried out, he cried out"
βοάω (boaō)	G994	8	"of one crying, cried"
βοή (boē)	G995	1	"cries"

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI Score	Notes
זָעַק (zaʻaq)	H2199	30	22.96	Primary — shriek from anguish/danger
שָׁוַע (shavaʻ)	H7768	14	19.89	Cry for help/freedom
צָעַק (tsaʻaq)	H6817	18	18.76	Shriek, proclaim — near-synonym of zaʻaq
קָרָא (qaraʾ)	H7121	29	11.48	Call, proclaim — broader "call" meaning
יָלַל (yalal)	H3213	6	11.11	Howl, wail — more inarticulate
יָשַׁע (yashaʻ)	H3467	12	10.02	Save — co-occurs when crying triggers deliverance
קוֹל (qol)	H6963	14	8.19	Voice/sound — collocating noun

The LXX primarily uses krazō to render H2199 zaʻaq (30 co-occurrences, PMI 22.96) and H6817 tsaʻaq (18 co-occurrences, PMI 18.76) — both meaning "shriek from anguish or danger." This confirms krazō as the Greek Bible's standard word for distress-screaming.