G5525 — χορός (choros)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G5525
Original: χορός
Transliteration: choros
Pronunciation: khor-os'
Part of Speech: Masculine noun (n-m)
Root: Of uncertain derivation; possibly from the same base as ὄρχος (orchos, "a row or ring")
Occurrences: 1 in NT (Luke only)
First Occurrence: Luk 15:25 — "Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing."
Hapax Legomenon: YES — appears only once in the entire NT

Lexicon Definition¶

Of uncertain derivation; a ring, i.e. round dance ("choir"):—dancing.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 015 — Linear Movement
Subdomain: 015.032 — Dance
Glosses: to dance, dancing
Other words in subdomain: ὀρχέομαι (orcheomai, G3738) — to dance (verb; 6 occurrences)

Domain Neighbors (015.032 — Dance)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total vv	Primary KJV Translation(s)
G3738	ὀρχέομαι	6	danced (4×), ye have (2×)

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
dancing	1	100%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Luke	1	0.1

As a hapax legomenon in the NT, χορός appears only in Luke's parable of the prodigal son. However, the word is well attested in the LXX (see Hebrew Source below and Outline of Biblical Usage in the lexicon), where it renders Hebrew dance vocabulary in Exodus 15:20, Judges 11:34, Psalms 150:4, and Lamentations 5:15.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Communal Celebration / Festive Dancing¶

Luk 15:25 — "he heard musick and dancing" — The elder son hears χορός paired with συμφωνία (symphonia, "music/instruments") as the household celebrates the prodigal's return. The word denotes a group dance as part of joyful festivity.

This is the only NT occurrence, so only one semantic category can be derived from the text. The word's broader semantic range is established through its LXX usage (see Hebrew Source section), where it consistently renders Hebrew words for communal round dance in contexts of: - Victory celebration (Exod 15:20 — Miriam after the Red Sea crossing) - Welcoming warriors (Judg 11:34 — Jephthah's daughter) - Temple worship (Psa 150:4 — "Praise him with the timbrel and dance") - Loss and mourning for lost joy (Lam 5:15 — "our dance is turned into mourning")

Common Collocations¶

No meaningful collocations can be derived from a single NT verse. In the LXX, χορός regularly co-occurs with τύμπανον (tympanon, "tambourine/timbrel"), reflecting the Hebrew pairing of machol/mecholah with toph (H8596, "tambourine") — e.g., Exod 15:20, Judg 11:34, Psa 149:3, 150:4.

Synonyms¶

ὀρχέομαι (orcheomai) G3738 — to dance (verb; from ὄρχος orchos "a row or ring"); 6v in NT; the verbal counterpart to the nominal χορός
ᾄδω (aido) G103 — to sing; 5v; related celebratory activity
εὐφροσύνη (euphrosyne) G2167 — joyfulness, gladness; 2v; the emotional state accompanying dance

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ὀρχέομαι (orcheomai)	G3738	"danced" / "dancing"	orcheomai = verb (the act of dancing); choros = noun (a dance, dancing as event/group)

Hebrew Source¶

χορός serves as the standard LXX rendering for two closely related Hebrew dance nouns, both derived from the root ח-ו-ל (ch-w-l, "to whirl"):

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
מְחֹלָה (mecholah)	H4246	5	10.18	Feminine noun; "a dance"; 8 OT occurrences — Exod 15:20, 32:19, Judg 11:34, 21:21, 1 Sam 18:6, 21:12, 29:5, Song 7:1
מָחוֹל (machol)	H4234	4	10.08	Masculine noun; "a (round) dance"; 6 OT occurrences — Psa 30:12, 149:3, 150:4, Jer 31:4, 31:13, Lam 5:15
תֹּף (toph)	H8596	5	8.98	"Tambourine/timbrel"; not a translation equivalent but a frequent contextual companion — dance and timbrel appear together

The LXX translators consistently chose χορός ("round dance") for both machol and mecholah, confirming that the ancient understanding of these Hebrew words was unambiguously "dance" — a circular, communal physical movement — rather than any musical instrument or pipe. This is significant because both Hebrew nouns derive from the root חוּל (chuwl, H2342), whose primary meaning is "to twist, whirl in a circular manner," and the LXX rendering preserves exactly this choreographic sense.

Other Hebrew Words Translated as "Dance/Dancing" in the KJV¶

Hebrew	Strong's	KJV Translations	Semantic Focus
חוּל (chuwl)	H2342	dance, writhe, whirl, travail, tremble	Root verb; "twist/whirl"; dance is only one of many senses (also writhing in pain, trembling)
רָקַד (raqad)	H7540	dance, jump, leap, skip	Emphatic leaping motion — stamping, springing wildly for joy
כָּרַר (karar)	H3769	danced, dancing	Whirling dance; only 2 occurrences (2 Sam 6:14, 16 — David before the ark)
חָגַג (chagag)	H2287	celebrate, feast, dance, reel	Primary sense is festive procession; "dance" is secondary