G994 — βοάω (boaō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G994
Original: βοάω
Transliteration: boaō
Pronunciation: bo-ah'-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: Apparently a prolonged form of a primary verb
Occurrences: 11 unique verses (12 morphological tokens in NA/UBS)
First Occurrence: Matt 3:3 — "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Apparently a prolonged form of a primary verb; to halloo, i.e. shout (for help or in a loud announcement).

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 33.006 — Speak, Talk
Glosses: to cry out, to scream, to shout
Other words in subdomain: ἀναβοάω (G310), ἀνακράζω (G349), ἀναφωνέω (G400), βοή (G995), κραυγάζω (G2905)

Morphological Distribution¶

Form	Parsing	Count	Occurrences
βοῶντος	Pres Act Ptcp Gen Sg M	4	Matt 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23
ἐβόησεν	Aor Act Ind 3rd Sg	3	Mark 15:34; Luke 9:38; Luke 18:38
βοώντων	Pres Act Ptcp Gen Pl M	1	Luke 18:7
βοῶντα	Pres Act Ptcp Nom Pl N	1	Acts 8:7
βοῶντες	Pres Act Ptcp Nom Pl M	2	Acts 17:6; Acts 25:24
βόησον	Aor Act Impv 2nd Sg	1	Gal 4:27

Present participle forms dominate (8 of 12 tokens, 67%), typically describing an ongoing vocal action ("one crying," "spirits crying"). Aorist forms mark specific punctiliar cries (Jesus at the cross, blind Bartimaeus).

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
of one crying	4	36.4%
cried	2	18.2%
cry	2	18.2%
crying	2	18.2%
he cried	1	9.1%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Galatians	1	0.7
Mark	2	0.3
Luke	3	0.3
Acts	3	0.3
Matthew	1	0.1
John	1	0.1

NT-only word spread across 6 books. Entirely absent from the Epistles (except Gal 4:27 quoting Isa 54:1) and Revelation. Synoptic Gospels + Acts account for 10 of 11 verses (91%).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Prophetic Herald Crying (Isaiah 40:3 Quotation)¶

Matt 3:3 — "The voice of one crying [boōntos] in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."
Mark 1:3 — "The voice of one crying [boōntos] in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."
Luke 3:4 — "The voice of one crying [boōntos] in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."
John 1:23 — "I am the voice of one crying [boōntos] in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord"

This is the dominant usage (4 of 11 verses, 36%). All four Gospels use boaō (present participle) for the Isaiah 40:3 herald voice — a sustained, proclamatory cry announcing divine arrival. John the Baptist applies it to himself in John 1:23.

2. Cry of Anguish / Intense Appeal¶

Mark 15:34 — "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried [eboēsen] with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"
Luke 18:38 — "And he cried [eboēsen], saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me."

Aorist indicative marks a single, powerful cry. In Mark 15:34, this is the specific verb chosen for Jesus's cry from the cross — a raw, anguished shout. In Luke 18:38, the blind man's desperate appeal for mercy.

3. Persistent Crying to God¶

Luke 18:7 — "And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry [boōntōn] day and night unto him?"

Present participle depicting ongoing, sustained crying — a continuous appeal to God for justice. The parable of the persistent widow uses boaō for the elect's unceasing prayer.

4. Crowd Crying / Public Outcry¶

Acts 17:6 — "They drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying [boōntes], These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also"
Acts 21:34 — "And some cried [eboōn] one thing, some another, among the multitude"

Public shouting in crowd/mob contexts — accusatory declarations before authorities.

5. Spirit Crying / Exorcism¶

Acts 8:7 — "For unclean spirits, crying [boōnta] with loud voice, came out of many"

Demons shrieking as they are expelled — an involuntary, compelled cry.

6. Prophetic Command to Cry (OT Quotation)¶

Gal 4:27 — "Break forth and cry [boēson], thou that travailest not" (quoting Isa 54:1)

Aorist imperative — a commanded shout of joy/triumph. The only use of boaō as a joyful cry rather than distress or proclamation.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
φωνή (phōnē)	G5456	6x (55%)	"the voice [phōnē] of one crying [boōntos]" — voice + cry paired
ἔρημος (erēmos)	G2048	5x (45%)	"crying in the wilderness [erēmos]" — Isaiah 40:3 formula
κύριος (kyrios)	G2962	4x (36%)	"the way of the Lord" — content of the cry
ὁδός (hodos)	G3598	4x (36%)	"prepare the way" — co-occurs in herald passages
ἑτοιμάζω (hetoimazō)	G2090	3x (27%)	"prepare [hetoimazō] the way" — herald cry content
Ἡσαΐας (Hēsaias)	G2268	3x (27%)	Isaiah attribution in Gospel quotations
μέγας (megas)	G3173	2x (18%)	"with a loud [megalē] voice" — volume qualifier

The phōnē + boaō collocation (55%) defines the word's primary usage context: a raised voice making a proclamation or appeal. The erēmos collocation (45%) reflects the Isaiah 40:3 formula's dominance.

Synonyms¶

G2896 κράζω (krazō) — 58v; the most common NT "cry" verb; broader range including animal sounds, demonic shrieks, crowd clamor; overlaps with boaō in "cry aloud" sense but used much more frequently
G2905 κραυγάζω (kraugazō) — 7v; "to clamor, cry out"; stronger tumult connotation
G2564 καλέω (kaleō) — "to call"; broader semantic range including naming and invitation; less intensity

Word Family / Cognates¶

G995 βοή (boē) — feminine noun; "a cry, shout" (Jas 5:4 only — "the cries of them which have reaped")
G1916 ἐπιβοάω (epiboaō) — compound verb; "to cry out against" (Acts 25:24 only — hapax)
G310 ἀναβοάω (anaboaō) — compound verb; "to cry out" (Matt 27:46 only in some MSS — variant reading)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
κράζω (krazō)	G2896	"cried," "crying"	krazō is the general-purpose NT "cry" verb (58v vs. 11v); raw, guttural sound (etymology: "croak"); boaō implies more articulate vocal projection
κραυγάζω (kraugazō)	G2905	"cry," "cried out"	kraugazō emphasizes tumultuous group clamor (Pilate trial scenes); boaō can be a solitary voice
κραυγή (kraugē)	G2906	"cry," "crying"	Noun form: the outcry itself as an event; boaō is the verbal action of crying
φωνέω (phōneō)	G5455	"cried"	phōneō = "to call, summon" with voice; more controlled than boaō's shout

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI Score
זָעַק (zaaq)	H2199	27	21.01
צָעַק (tsaaq)	H6817	20	19.16
קָרָא (qara)	H7121	36	12.48
שָׁוַע (shava)	H7768	6	11.47
קוֹל (qol)	H6963	21	10.44

The primary Hebrew sources are H2199 zaaq and H6817 tsaaq — both meaning "to shriek, cry out" from anguish or danger. The LXX translators consistently used boaō for these urgent cry-for-help verbs, establishing boaō's core semantic range as a loud, urgent vocal appeal (as distinct from krazō which the LXX also used for zaaq/tsaaq but in a broader range of contexts).