WG: Multitude
Overview
The NT multitude/crowd concept involves six Greek words working across a spectrum from informal crowd to formal civic body, with a shared Hebrew root cluster (rab/rob/rabah) feeding into multiple Greek equivalents through the LXX.
Word Group Members
| Strong's |
Word |
Transliteration |
POS |
Occurrences |
Role in Concept |
Library Entry |
| G4128 |
πλῆθος |
plēthos |
neut. noun |
32 |
Collective body (unified group) |
G4128 |
| G3793 |
ὄχλος |
ochlos |
masc. noun |
170 |
General crowd (unorganized) |
G3793 |
| G2992 |
λαός |
laos |
masc. noun |
139 |
People (covenant/political identity) |
TODO(need G2992 study) |
| G4183 |
πολύς |
polys |
adj. |
331 |
Quantifier ("many," "great") |
TODO(need G4183 study) |
| G4129 |
πληθύνω |
plēthynō |
verb |
11 |
Action of multiplying/increasing |
TODO(need G4129 study) |
| G1218 |
δῆμος |
dēmos |
masc. noun |
4 |
Civic assembly (formal/political) |
TODO(need G1218 study) |
Relationships
Word Family (shared root πλη-)
- plēthos (G4128), plēthynō (G4129), plēthō (G4130) — all from πλήθω "to fill"; noun (the full group), verb (to multiply), verb (to fill)
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)
| Word A |
Word B |
Shared Verses |
Typical Context |
| ochlos (G3793) |
polys (G4183) |
37x |
"great multitudes" — polys amplifies ochlos |
| laos (G2992) |
polys (G4183) |
10x |
"much people" — polys amplifies laos |
| plethos (G4128) |
polys (G4183) |
8x |
"great multitude" — πολὺ πλῆθος formula |
| plethos (G4128) |
laos (G2992) |
4x |
"multitude of the people" — genitive construction |
| ochlos (G3793) |
laos (G2992) |
4x |
Both in same scene, crowd vs. people |
| plēthynō (G4129) |
polys (G4183) |
2x |
Growth described with both quantity terms |
| plethos (G4128) |
ochlos (G3793) |
1x |
Luke 6:17 — both words in same verse, distinguishing disciple-body from general crowd |
LXX Overlaps (shared Hebrew sources)
| Hebrew Source |
Greek Members Fed |
Notes |
| רָבָה rabah (H7235) |
plēthynō (110x), polys (78x), plethos (15x) |
Verb "multiply" — feeds all three quantity words |
| רַב rab (H7227) |
polys (317x), plethos (32x), ochlos (6x) |
Adjective "much/many" — primarily polys |
| רֹב rob (H7230) |
plethos (95x), polys (40x) |
Noun "abundance" — primarily plethos |
| הָמוֹן hamon (H1995) |
plethos (28x), ochlos (7x) |
Noun "tumult/crowd" — noisy crowd sense |
Roles in the Concept
- Collective body: plēthos (πλῆθος) — the group as a unified whole, often acting with one will
- Unstructured crowd: ochlos (ὄχλος) — the assembled mass, often spontaneous, mobile, reactive
- Identified people: laos (λαός) — the people with covenant or political identity
- Civic body: dēmos (δῆμος) — the formally constituted public assembly
- Quantity modifier: polys (πολύς) — "great/many," amplifies any of the nouns
- Growth action: plēthynō (πληθύνω) — the process of increasing in number
Semantic Distinctions
| Feature |
plēthos |
ochlos |
laos |
dēmos |
| Unity |
Strong (one heart) |
Weak (mob-like) |
Medium (shared identity) |
Strong (institutional) |
| Size emphasis |
Yes (fulness) |
Yes (throng) |
No (identity) |
No (political role) |
| Formality |
Medium |
Low |
Medium-High |
High |
| NT context |
Luke-Acts church |
Gospels crowds |
Temple/covenant |
Acts civic scenes |
| Can take plural verb with sg form |
Yes (constructio ad sensum) |
Sometimes |
Sometimes |
No (too few examples) |
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together
- Luke 6:17 — [plethos + ochlos + laos + polys] "the company (plethos) of his disciples, and a great multitude (plethos) of people (laos)" alongside "ochlos" in context — all four group-nouns in one verse
- Luke 23:27 — [plethos + laos + polys] "a great company (plethos) of people (laos)"
- Matt 26:47 — [ochlos + laos + polys] "a great multitude (ochlos)" from "the people (laos)"
- Acts 6:7 — [ochlos + plēthynō + polys] "the number of the disciples multiplied (plēthynō) in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company (ochlos)"
- Rev 7:9 — [ochlos + laos + polys] "a great multitude (ochlos)…of all nations, and kindreds, and people (laos)"
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, search_strongs.py (--lxx-map, --hebrew-source, --lookup)
Last updated: 2026-04-29