G3738 — ὀρχέομαι (orcheomai)¶
Core Data¶
- Strong's: G3738
- Original: ὀρχέομαι
- Transliteration: orcheomai
- Pronunciation: or-kheh'-om-ahee
- Part of Speech: Verb (middle voice deponent)
- Root: ὄρχος (orchos) — a row or ring
- Occurrences: 4 unique verses (6 tokens) in NT
- First Occurrence: Mat 11:17 — "We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced"
- Hapax Legomenon: No
Lexicon Definition¶
Middle voice from ὄρχος (orchos, a row or ring); to dance (from the rank-like or circular movements of the dance).
Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶
- Domain: 15 — Linear Movement
- Subdomain: 15.032 — Dance
- Other words in subdomain: χορός (choros, G5525)
Domain Neighbors (15.032 — Dance)¶
| Strong's | Lemma | Total Verses | Primary KJV Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| G5525 | χορός (choros) | 1 | dancing |
Translation Distribution (KJV)¶
| Translation | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| danced | 4 | 100% |
Uniformly translated "danced" in every NT occurrence.
Distribution by Book¶
| Book | Count | Per 100 Verses |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew | 2 | 0.19 |
| Mark | 1 | 0.15 |
| Luke | 1 | 0.09 |
Confined to the Synoptic Gospels. Two distinct contexts: the children's parable (Mat 11:17 / Luk 7:32 — parallel accounts) and Herodias's daughter at Herod's banquet (Mat 14:6 / Mar 6:22 — parallel accounts). Absent from John, the epistles, and Revelation.
Morphological Forms¶
| Reference | Form | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| Mat 11:17 | ὠρχήσασθε | Aorist Middle Indicative 2nd Plural |
| Mat 14:6 | ὠρχήσατο | Aorist Middle Indicative 3rd Singular |
| Mar 6:22 | ὀρχησαμένης | Aorist Middle Participle Genitive Singular Feminine |
| Luk 7:32 | ὠρχήσασθε | Aorist Middle Indicative 2nd Plural |
All four occurrences are aorist middle — punctiliar past action. The middle voice is inherent to the deponent form, not contrastive.
Semantic Categories¶
1. Responsive Joy — Expected but Refused (Parable)¶
- Mat 11:17 — "We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented."
- Luk 7:32 — "They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not wept."
Dancing here represents the joyful response that should follow joyful news. Paired antithetically with mourning/lamenting (θρηνέω G2354). The parable criticizes those who refuse to respond appropriately to either John's ascetic ministry or Jesus's celebratory one.
2. Performance Before Royalty — Seductive Display¶
- Mat 14:6 — "But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod."
- Mar 6:22 — "And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him..."
Dance as a courtly performance that "pleased" (ἀρέσκω G700) Herod — leading directly to the rash oath and John the Baptist's execution. The collocations with θυγάτηρ (daughter), Ἡρώδης (Herod), Ἡρωδιάς (Herodias), and ἀρέσκω (to please) mark this as a distinct, darker context.
Common Collocations¶
| Word | Strong's | Co-occurrences | Typical Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| αὐλέω (auleo) | G832 | 2× (50%) | "we piped... ye have not danced" — music + dance pairing |
| ἀρέσκω (aresko) | G700 | 2× (50%) | "danced and pleased" — performance at Herod's banquet |
| θρηνέω (threneo) | G2354 | 2× (50%) | "danced... mourned" — antithetical pairing in parable |
| Ἡρώδης (Herodes) | G2264 | 2× (50%) | Herod's banquet narrative |
| Ἡρωδιάς (Herodias) | G2266 | 2× (50%) | Daughter of Herodias as dancer |
| θυγάτηρ (thygater) | G2364 | 2× (50%) | "the daughter... danced" |
Related Words¶
Easily Confused Words¶
| Word | Strong's | Shared Translation | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| כָּרַר (karar) | H3769 | "danced" / "dancing" | Hebrew; whirling dance — used only of David (2 Sam 6:14, 16); emphasizes spinning motion |
Domain Neighbor¶
- χορός (choros) G5525 — a round dance or dancing company; noun form (1× NT, Luk 15:25 prodigal son parable); the English word "choir" derives from this
Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶
| Hebrew Source | Strong's | Co-occurrences | PMI | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| רָקַד (raqad) | H7540 | 3 | 10.30 | Primary: to stamp, spring about, leap for joy; 9v OT |
| שָׂחַק (sachaq) | H7832 | 3 | 8.30 | Secondary: to laugh, play, make merry; 36v OT |
The LXX uses ὀρχέομαι to render רָקַד (raqad) in 2 Sam 6:21 and 1 Chr 15:29, both describing David's dance before the ark. The Hebrew raqad emphasizes vigorous, leaping movement — "properly, to stamp, to spring about wildly or for joy" — while orcheomai carries the sense of ordered, circular movement. The LXX also uses orcheomai for שָׂחַק (sachaq) in 1 Chr 15:29, where sachaq means "to play/make merry" more broadly.
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