from ὁρμή; to start, spur or urge on, i.e. (reflexively) to dash or plunge:--run (violently), rush.
Transliteration:hormáō
Pronunciation:hor-mah'-o
Detailed Word Study
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### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Greek verb hormáō (`{{G3729}}`) derives from the noun hormē (`{{G3730}}`), which signifies a violent motion, impulse, onset, or attack. Consequently, hormáō inherently conveys a sense of forceful, sudden, and often unrestrained movement. Its base definition encompasses both an active sense ("to start, spur or urge on") and a reflexive sense ("to dash or plunge"). In its biblical usage, the reflexive or intransitive application predominates, describing a subject's own impetuous movement. The transliteration "run (violently), rush" aptly captures its core semantic range, emphasizing not merely movement, but a rapid, headlong, and often uncontrolled charge. It implies a lack of deliberation and an overwhelming momentum leading to a swift and decisive action.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
hormáō appears exclusively four times in the New Testament, always in the Synoptic Gospels, and specifically in the account of Jesus casting out demons into a herd of swine in the region of the Gadarenes/Gerasenes:
1. **[[Matthew 8:32]]**: "And he said to them, 'Go.' So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd hormáō down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters."
* Here, the word vividly describes the immediate, collective, and catastrophic reaction of the pigs to the indwelling demons. It underscores the sudden, violent, and ultimately self-destructive nature of their plunge.
2. **[[Mark 5:13]]**: "And he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, hormáō down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea."
* Mark's account, parallel to Matthew's, adds the detail of the large number of pigs (approximately two thousand), which amplifies the chaotic and overwhelming scale of the "rush." The sheer volume of animals plunging simultaneously intensifies the image of a violent, uncontrolled descent.
3. **[[Luke 8:33]]**: "Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd hormáō down the steep bank into the lake and drowned."
* Luke's parallel narrative further confirms the consistent Synoptic choice of hormáō to depict this unique event. The unanimous use of this particular verb across the three Gospels highlights its precise evocative power for conveying a headlong, impetuous, and destructive rush. It is not a mere "running" but a "rushing violently" to a fatal end.
In all instances, the context is critical: the pigs' hormáō is a direct consequence of demonic possession, leading to their immediate demise. This consistent usage underscores the word's efficacy in portraying an uncontrolled, destructive trajectory driven by an external, malevolent force.
### Related Words & Concepts
* **hormē (`{{G3730}}`)**: As the root noun, hormē signifies the underlying impulse, violent motion, or onset. Understanding hormáō requires appreciating this foundational concept of impetuous force.
* **ekballō (`{{G1544}}`)**: "To cast out, drive out." While hormáō describes the pigs' action, ekballō describes Jesus' action in casting out the demons. There is a clear cause-and-effect relationship: Jesus casts out, and the demons, now in the pigs, cause the pigs to hormáō.
* **piptō (`{{G4098}}`)**: "To fall." While the pigs hormáō *down* the bank, implying a fall or plunge, hormáō adds the crucial nuance of a *violent, impetuous* falling, not merely a passive descent.
* **krēmnos (`{{G2912}}`)**: "Steep bank, cliff." The geographical feature of the "steep bank" (τὸ κρημνός) facilitates the "rushing violently" or "plunging" action described by hormáō. The word perfectly encapsulates the descent down such an incline.
* **Contrast with controlled movement**: hormáō stands in stark contrast to verbs denoting deliberate, controlled, or purposeful movement (e.g., erchomai (`{{G2064}}`) - to come, go; peripateō (`{{G4043}}`) - to walk). It emphasizes a loss of control, an impulsive, destructive trajectory, highlighting the difference between divinely guided action and demonic chaos.
### Theological Significance
The consistent and exclusive use of hormáō in the Gadarene narrative carries profound theological implications:
1. **Demonstration of Christ's Authority**: The pigs' violent rush and subsequent destruction serve as an undeniable, dramatic testament to Jesus' absolute authority over demonic forces. Even when granted permission to enter the swine, the demons cannot control their own destiny or the fate of their hosts; they are compelled to a self-destructive end, highlighting the supremacy of Christ's power.
2. **Nature of Demonic Influence**: hormáō vividly portrays the chaotic, destructive, and ultimately self-annihilating nature of evil. When demonic forces are given free rein, even in animals, the outcome is not order, life, or purpose, but a headlong plunge into destruction and death. This illustrates the inherent trajectory of evil: it leads to ruin and dissolution.
3. **Contrast with Human Deliverance**: A striking contrast is drawn between the pigs' fate and the demoniac's deliverance. While the pigs hormáō to their demise, the man, once tormented, is found "clothed and in his right mind" [[Luke 8:35]]. This sharp dichotomy underscores the redemptive power of Christ, who brings order, sanity, and restoration where evil brought chaos, madness, and destruction. The pigs' violent rush serves to magnify the depth and wonder of the man's deliverance.
4. **Symbolism of the Sea**: The pigs hormáō into the sea, a common biblical symbol of chaos, disorder, and the abyss. Their plunge into the depths reinforces the idea of utter destruction and the ultimate, inescapable fate of evil when confronted by divine power. The watery grave signifies the eradication of the demonic presence from the land.
### Summary
The Greek verb hormáō (`{{G3729}}`) precisely denotes a forceful, impetuous, and uncontrolled rush or plunge. Its four occurrences in the New Testament are uniquely and powerfully linked to the narrative of the Gadarene/Gerasene demoniacs, consistently describing the violent, headlong descent of the herd of pigs into the sea. This deliberate lexical choice underscores the sudden, chaotic, and self-destructive nature of the pigs' action, directly attributable to demonic influence. Theologically, hormáō serves as a potent descriptor of Christ's supreme authority over evil, vividly illustrating the destructive trajectory of demonic power when unleashed, and contrasting it sharply with the order, sanity, and restoration brought to the delivered human. It powerfully conveys that the path of evil is a violent, uncontrolled rush towards ultimate destruction, while the power of Christ brings life and peace.
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